Seeing the magnificent Westfield mall re-open at the World Trade Center almost 15 years after the horrific 9/11 tragedy reminds us all that sooner or later most things can recover fully from a horrible event. 365,000 square feet of retail space with over 100 stores are expected to generate $1 billion in annual sales. Recovery is a wonderful thing.
I was alarmed at the speed of recovery after Hurricane Sandy: many of the art galleries on my block in West Chelsea had been badly damaged, but many were fully operational within weeks. We see the same thing in nature where a natural disaster such as a fire or earthquake devastate an area to the point where it appears there is no chance of recovery, and yet often just several months or years later the place looks like nothing bad ever happened. We hear of those confronted with serious illness making a full recovery too. And the common denominators for these recoveries?
- Time
- Patience
- Hard work
- Determination
- Cost
Remember these five factors when you have to recover from something large or small. We all are subjected to ups and downs in life and in business. No one is immune. Time is the ultimate healer, although the other four components are important too. Add in friends, family, faith, strength, being prepared for the potential of bad things with good planning, insurance, etc, and you can feel confident recovery is almost always with the reach of all of us.