Category: News

KVV | A Note from Janene Marais

“Come, little leaves,” said the wind one day,
“Come o’er the meadows with me and play;
Put on your dresses of red and gold,
For summer is gone and the days grow cold.”
By:  George Cooper

The shorter days in autumn is a sign for trees to close down their food production systems and reduce the amount of chlorophyll in their leaves. Chlorophyll makes leaves green and as it declines other chemicals become more prominent. These are responsible for the vibrant ambers, reds and yellows of autumn.

There is a reason for every season, also in life. Falling autumn leaves is a good example of the beauty in letting the right things go at the right time.

Letting go of negative things in your life, makes room for a positive outlook.  Conflict and hurt or mistakes are inevitable, but we do have control over how we respond to it. Don’t cling to a mistake just because you’ve spent a lot of time making it. Holding on to a negative experience, conversation or thought can very much stand in your way of pursuing more happiness and joy in your life.

So, as the season is changing what do you need to let go of? What do you need to be bare and honest with yourself about? As nature changes, the blossoms and leaves falling, may it become a reminder to ourselves of letting go of whatever is holding you back.

Along with change comes growth. Are you willing to grow in the seasons of life?

Kind Regards

Janene Marais  |  Associate

Just like that the first quarter of the year is done

Just like that the first quarter of the year is done. It seems like just yesterday that we all sat together around Christmas trees and here we are, having celebrated Easter already. The months just flew by.

We all know that time goes by quicker every year, or so it seems. I read somewhere that a year feels so much shorter as you get older as your brain has the amazing capacity to fit the year into the entire timeline of your life. A year feels longer when you are 5 years old because 1 year equals 20% of your life. That same year however amounts to only 5% of your life when you are 20 and your mind balances this out making the year feel much shorter.

I often sit back and consider the days when I was in primary school. A year, or even a quarter of the year, just felt like it went on forever. I look back on those days with wonder and awe. You see, as adults we tend to lose sight of the promise that time holds and we tend to lose sight of what can be accomplished in what we perceive to be a short amount of time.  My daughter is 18 months old, I am astonished when I consider the vast array of successes that she has accomplished in 18 months. She has learnt to walk on her own, learnt to wash her own hands at the sink (and learnt to carry the step to the sink in just the right way to enable this), learnt to communicate with extreme efficiency without using words and is well on her way to speaking fluently. From infancy to where she is now is mind blowing – and here is the best part of it all – her and I have always had the same amount of time all through these last 18 months, yet I did not learn to master anything nearly as well as she has. Her successes in the last 18 months has literally changed her life forever.

When I take time with my family to rest over the coming public holidays, I intend to let my mind wander over the passage of time.  I want to go back and view time in the same way that I did when I was 5. When a year was still long and the list of things that I wanted to accomplish, build and become in that year was long, courageous and life altering. I want to go back to a space where I can look at the remaining 3 quarters of this year not as something that is rushing by, but rather look at the year as something that is far from over and brimming with possibility and promise. Something in which so much more is yet to be accomplished. I want to invite you too to consider time in this way when you cast your mind over your life.

Ianthe Biggs  |  Conveyancing

KVV | A Note from our Director

Welcome to the end of the first month of 2022!

Are you still on path with the new year’s resolutions, or was it the first weeks to do list and nothing came from it? Whether you believe in new years resolutions or not, every new year brings an opportunity to reflect on your current position, status and then accept or challenge the status quo.

This topic reminds me of a great book, Atomic Habits by James Clear, the concept of small daily habits that compound to great results. We often first experience a ‘Plato’ before any big significant results. The key though, is to stay disciplined until the habit becomes a part of your new norm. According to James Clear, real results will be achieved if we focus on the systems to reach the goal and not on the goal itself. How are your systems and habits transpiring into your goals? Will they pave the way to personal and professional success?

According to many futurists, the biggest challenge of 2022 will be the mental health of our society. We often have clear milestones and actions in place to reach all the work and physical related goals in our lives but forget of the vital and pivotal goals of our mental wellbeing. We at KVV want to encourage you to set strong goals for your heart and mind in 2022.

It appears that we will see more employees returning to offices, the semi migration to continue to the Western Cape and an increase in interest rates to around 8%. We can continue to expect rapid change in the world of work and performance, so let us buckle up.

Whatever your circumstances, challenges, goals and habits, keep on  growing, developing and building.

We will continue to foster our partnerships and relationship with you as we drive results that will contribute to you reaching your goals in 2022!

Kind Regards

Diaan Van Wyk  |  Director

KVV | A Note from our Director

Dear Client

Writing something inspiring in the beginning of September should be easy. There is so much to take positive inspiration from – we just ended Womens Month in August, it is the start of Spring and nature is waking up with blooms and blossoms wherever you look, and we are celebrating heritage month in our lovely country South Africa this month.

But the truth of the matter is, this is not a normal Spring season. Instead of walking around with smiles on our faces, smelling the roses as we go, we have to wear facemasks when out in public. Instead of attending spring festivals and planning holidays with loved ones, we are forced to social distance and nobody is sure when we will be able to gather in large numbers again. We are waking up every day to more news of loved ones being tested positive, and even the devastating heart-breaking news of loved ones passing on, not surviving the virus. People are scared and confused – vaxxers and anti-vaxxers are criticising each other on social media. No one knows what is lying ahead for us in the months and years to come. One thing that is sure though, is that nothing will ever be the same again.

Having said all that, I am still going to refer you to a story from nature. My grandmother had an Amaryllis flower, which flowered so well over the years that all of our family members have been fortunate enough to receive a bulb. Each year we would announce to each other “ouma is blooming”, when the pink flowers start to blossom.

My “ouma” plant sadly was eaten by worms this year – within the midst of everyday live and tragedy I saw too late that the leaves were turning brown. An early sign of worms eating at the bulb of the plant. I gave the necessary pesticide, but sadly it seemed to be too late as all the leaves of the plant died away.

Over the past weekend, I looked at my “ouma” plant and to my surprise I saw the green of a flower sprouting out of the bulb! The plant has no leaves, has been eaten rotten by worms, but not only is it not dead, it still has the energy to produce a flower!!

Sometimes looking at nature makes me feel small and even a little embarrassed. Through all the turmoil we face in our daily lives, we as humans many times feel like we cannot go on. Like the “worms” of our existence have eaten away at everything that could ever be considered as beautiful in our lives. May you, like me, take inspiration from the lesson learned from this little Amaryllis plant. May we stand proud through our storms – and not only survive them, but still find the energy to produce a beautiful flower!

KVV | A Note from our Director

Dear Client

Are you wearing enough PPE to protect your income?

All over the world, the fear, worry, sadness and loss, that are spread with the virus are unprecedented.

Together we are fiercely trying to combat the virus, by following the COVID-19 protocols, whether we are at home or work, whether we are buying groceries or picking up our children from school.

For the COVID protocols to achieve their purpose, each one of us needs to take up the responsibility of abiding by the safety rules personally, regardless of what lockdown level we are in.

But not only is our health at risk, so is our businesses, our income, our salaries, our bread and butter on the table. Just as important as our lives and health are, so is our healthcare system and keeping a roof over our heads. And someone needs to pay for that… and that someone is the salary earner.

This begs the question what PPE are we wearing to protect our income?

Yes, we do not have control over the job losses and businesses closing on a global scale, but don’t let the fear of the uncontrollable make you underestimate your worth in contributing to the economy, by “earning your salary”.

Food needs to be packed to reach our tables, Insurance companies needs profitable companies to invest with to pay out, income tax needs to be generated to fund hospitals. Every individual contributes on a larger scale, more than you and I realise.

As you sit behind your desk at work, or in isolation at home behind your desktop, with your kids playing around your feet – take hold of your commitment and responsibility to keep whatever business you are in going.

Protect your company`s productivity by not letting your emotional state get the better of you. For the sake of our economy, stay strong and focus on how you influence those around you. That is a difference that only you, have the power to make.

Franklin D. Roosevelt said:

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear”.

In time we will look back on what we’ve overcame and be grateful for the effort we’ve made to keep as much standing as possible, even when the world caves down around us. You are making a contribution. Focus on how you influence those around you. Be a difference maker!

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Kind Regards

Diaan Van Wyk  |  Director