When you can drive along one side of a sealed road and see that the other side has dropped by at least one metre, you get a sense of the power required do that.
The earthquake has had a huge affect on our members and other industry participants in Christchurch. So many things have been affected, resulting in a loss of productivity and a negative impact on cashflow.
You only need to consider the fact that buildings under construction have been damaged, some of the sites upon which they are being constructed have been damaged, inspections have been delayed and/or cancelled, delays have occurred in the release of payments and, of course, insurance claims have to be methodically processed.
While all of this is happening, a builder’s overheads keep rolling on. It is certainly a tough time for many of our members.
Our Canterbury Association has been working hard to assist members as and when required. From a national office position, we at the RMBF are also keeping a close eye on developments and working hard to ensure productivity gets back to some form of normality as quickly as possible.
Given all of the above, our Canterbury Association is in great heart. I had the pleasure of attending their AGM recently. It was a fantastic evening with a huge turnout.
It would seem that our members are trying to work alongside each other to get through these tough times. They wanted to know how other members were dealing with issues, and wanted an update on other issues that we are dealing with on a national level.
One of the presentations that night was from a local member who had carried out detailed analysis of the impact of new foundation/floor designs that will apply to new work in the area.
In some instances, the cost to construct a new concrete floor slab in the region will double. Everyone is aware that such cost increases, when added to the escalating costs being claimed by some busy trades, will make new homes less affordable, at least for a reasonable time period.
The Canterbury Association is well run and has had a strong year. Well done to the local executive and their association manager.
More stress-relieving tips
Last month, I put forward some stress relieving tips from the book Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff at Work, by Richard Carlson. Here are a few more:
• Accept the fact that, every once in a while, you’re going to have a bad day — we all do. Learn to roll with the punches.
• Recognise patterns of behaviour. This can help you reduce the stress in your life by eliminating many of your unnecessary personal conflicts. It will also help you to keep your perspective by being less surprised when “stuff happens”.
• Lower your expectations. No matter how hard you try, life isn’t always going to go as planned. One of the best ways to deal with this inevitability is to stop expecting it to be otherwise.
• Pat yourself on the back. Almost everyone loves to be patted on the back by others. It feels good. If someone else doesn’t, praise yourself and pat yourself on the back. Be honest and genuine about your compliments.
• Become less self absorbed. Self-absorbed people take themselves extremely seriously. They love to listen to themselves speak, and value their own time — but no one else’s. They can also be quite selfish.
For these reasons, and so many more, it’s a good idea to check in with yourself and make an honest assessment of your own level of self absorption. Judge for yourself. If you feel you’ve drifted in that direction, then perhaps it’s time to make a mental adjustment.
I know the tips above are very simple, but the fact is that under the pressure of everyday life, we all forget such simple things.
