Priorities A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks right to the top, rocks about 2" diameter.
He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them in to the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. The students laughed.
He asked his students again if the jar was full? They agreed that yes, it was.
The professor then picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
"Now," said the professor, "I want you to recognize that this is your life. The rocks are the important things - your family, your partner, your health, your children - anything that is so important to you that if it were lost, you would be nearly destroyed.
The pebbles are the other things in life that matter, but on a smaller scale. The pebbles represent things like your job, your house, your car.
The sand is everything else. The small stuff. If you put the sand or the pebbles into the jar first, there is no room for the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, material things, you will never have room for the things that are truly most important.
Pay attention to the things that are critical in your life. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal." Take care of the rocks first - the things that really matter.
1. End in sight for low starts The building industry seems unperturbed by the latest data showing weak housing starts in the March quarter of 2009. The figures, released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, show housing starts fell by 4 per cent in the March quarter, to be 22.5 per cent lower than just 12 months ago. The building industry seems unperturbed by the latest data showing weak housing starts in the March quarter of 2009. The figures, released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, show housing starts fell by 4 per cent in the March quarter, to be 22.5 per cent lower than just 12 months ago. Detached house starts fell by 4.2 per cent to 21,757 in the March 2009 quarter. Multi-unit starts dropped by 3.4 per cent to 9,192. Residential building association HIA believes the low number of starts in the March quarter will prove to be the bottom of the housing cycle. HIA Senior Economist Ben Phillips said that the March quarter result continued to be plagued by the issues of 2008: high interest rates, credit constraints and a weak property market.
"The environment has changed in 2009", Phillips said. "Building approvals, housing finance and first home buyer grant numbers have already turned the corner and are growing strongly early in 2009 in response to government action. "This good news will flow into starts over the remainder of 2009 and HIA forecasts a 15 per cent boost to starts by the December quarter", he added. The number of housing starts in the March 2009 quarter fell by 7.2 per cent in New South Wales, 6 per cent in Queensland, 16 per cent in Tasmania, 0.9 per cent in the Australian Capital Territory and 46.3 per cent in the Northern Territory. Starts increased by 3.5 per cent in South Australia, 5.8 per cent in Western Australia, and 0.1 per cent in Victoria. 2. Urban design open for entries Nominations close this week for the Australia Award for Urban Design. Created by the Urban Design Taskforce to recognise and encourage excellence in urban design in cities, towns and emerging settlements of all sizes, the award was won last year by the City of Bendigo. Nominations close this week for the Australia Award for Urban Design. Created by the Urban Design Taskforce to recognise and encourage excellence in urban design in cities, towns and emerging settlements of all sizes, the award was won last year by the City of Bendigo. The Australia Award for Urban Design is given to new Australian urban design initiatives, projects, developments and significant publications that: * connect to contemporary and historic settings
* help restore ecological health
* make a significant cultural contribution
* are purposeful and innovative
* are open to change and adaptation
* are ecologically sound, and
* are no more than 3 years old. The Australia Award for Urban Design is hosted by the Planning Institute of Australia, with support from the Australian Institute of Architects, Property Council of Australia, Green Building Council of Australia, Association of Consulting Engineers Australia and the Urban
Design Forum. The Prime Minister, The Hon. Kevin Rudd, is patron of the Award. The AAUD will be announced and awarded at a dinner in Canberra on Tuesday 11 August. 3. Budget offers further boost Queensland's home buyers received yet another incentive in their state's Budget this week, with the announcement that the threshold for stamp duty on vacant land is to be almost doubled. Treasurer Andrew Fraser said the move would save first-home buyers up to $5,675 on the purchase of vacant land, with transfer duty abolished for blocks of land worth up to $250,000.
The previous threshold was $150,000. Queensland's home buyers received yet another incentive in their state's Budget this week, with the announcement that the threshold for stamp duty on vacant land is to be almost doubled. Treasurer Andrew Fraser said the move would save first-home buyers up to $5,675 on the purchase of vacant land, with transfer duty abolished for blocks of land worth up to $250,000.
The previous threshold was $150,000. The Budget also outlined a record $18.2 billion building program for 2009-10. Building on last year's incentives, Mr Fraser said the transfer duty concession would be provided in addition to the grants available to first-home buyers. "This initiative will not only make vacant land more affordable for first-home buyers to build on, it will also stimulate the building industry, which is a vital part of the Queensland economy," Mr Fraser said. "For first-home buyers who purchase vacant land, the prospect of saving up to $5,675 on a $250,000 block is very real and very immediate." Mr Fraser said he would also extend the phase-out concession from $300,000 to $400,000. 4. Bedding customers sleep better everyday A $100 gift voucher has been made available to a number of customers of a national bedding and furniture retailer, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced this week. A $100 gift voucher has been made available to a number of customers of a national bedding and furniture retailer, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced this week. Furniture and Bedding Concepts Ltd, which owns and operates 107 retail stores under the Sleep City and Everyday Living brands, has offered the voucher to those customers who were likely to have been misled by comparison pricing claims that appeared in its Spring '08 catalogue. During August and September 2008, Sleep City and Everyday Living published a Spring '08 catalogue, promoting a range of bedding and furniture products using price comparisons in the form of 'Now $X, Save $Y'. The 'save' amounts in the catalogue were determined by reference to Sleep City and Everyday Living's own internally-set recommended retail prices, not the prices at which the products were offered, or sold, for a reasonable time immediately before the sale. Customers who consider that they may be eligible to receive a gift voucher but have not heard from Sleep City and Everyday Living by 8 July 2009 are invited to contact them on (03) 8761 2200 with their inquiries. 5. Demolition ball to the wrong wall Ever been misguided by a GPS navigation system? With all the technological advancements at our fingertips, in our homes and cars, we sometimes lose sight of the margin for error. A prime example was seen in the news recently when a demolition firm followed their GPS coordinates and wrecked the wrong house. Reuters reports when the owner confronted the demolition crew, they insisted they had paperwork for the job, revealing GPS coordinates that led them to the address and a description that matched the house. It is believed a house across the street was the intended target. 6. A breath of fresh air Spring is notorious for flooding nasal passages with pollen and causing pets to moult, but that doesn't mean that Winter is entirely guilt-free of causing breathing problems, asthma attacks and other health hazards. The chilly air means that we are less inclined to open doors and windows, in the hope of avoiding draughts and saving on heating bills, yet without frequent circulation, the air inside the home can become stale and unhealthy. Of course, the best thing to do is throw your house open on the warmer days. But if you have no desire to let in the cold fresh air, or your house is damp and a breeding ground for mould, it may be time to consider using an air purifier to ensure your family's health doesn't suffer through winter. There are some excellent air purifiers available, many of which are energy friendly and won't break the budget. Some simply purify the air, while others act as dehumidifers and ionisers; but most will remove problems such as dust, pollen, cigarette smoke, mould spores and other allergens from your home. | |
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