Editorial
Personally I’m not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions because of the rather bad reputation they’ve been labelled with, but the New Year brings us to the stark reality of assessing where we are in our lives and where we want to be by the end of the year. Setting specific yet realistic goals each year is what propels us forward in life.
I love the wisdom of James Clear in Atomic Habits − this month’s book review − where he emphasises that tiny changes can yield remarkable results and that too often we convince ourselves that ‘massive success requires massive action’. He says that by improving by 1% isn’t particularly noticeable but can be quite substantial and astounding in the long run. So, if you can get 1% better each day for one year at whatever you want to do, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time the year’s over.
Another nugget he shares is that everyone has a few talents and gifts where they could easily be in the top 25% with some effort. Effort emphasised. You just need to find what they are (usually they’re the things you do that energise and excite you and you literally can lose track of time) tap into them. And even better, he says, is when one merge two or more skills, you reduce the amount of competition, making it easier to stand out in the crowd. Certainly worth a read if you’re looking for some 2025 inspiration!
Gracing the cover this month is Funeka Montjane CA(SA), CEO of Personal and Private Banking at Standard Bank, who recounts how the sight of a swan silhouette against the snow while sitting in a conference in Europe brought her career to a turning point. She says, ‘At that moment, I found myself wondering about this work I was doing. What kind of difference did I want to make?’ Read more on page 10 how her career was set on a new trajectory from that moment.
This month issue is packed with inspirational stories such as Madoda Mkhabela who never gave up and qualified as a CA(SA) at the age of 42, and Miranda Reeder, founder of NetDécor, who speaks about how her CA designation has equipped her with the most enviable business skills set. A prime example of one who has merged her skills …
May 2025 lead you to greatness!
LYNN GRALA
Acting Editor: Accountancy SA
