FITTING THOUGHT 1
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Opportunities or challenges ?
By
Tanya Olckers , Writer
I had a friend named Max who once told me that he no longer saw things as challenges , but as opportunities . “ By calling them challenges ,” he said , “ we are putting a negative spin on things , and we feel stuck . If we call them opportunities , it feels like we have more control over the things that happen and can use it for growth .”
Wise man , my friend Max . His advice came at a time when I wasn ’ t , quite honestly , looking for it . Still , it ’ s something I remind myself of at the start of every year : adversity isn ’ t giving me a challenge , it ’ s giving me an opportunity .
We all emerge into a new year a little bleary eyed , hoping for the best and not entirely sure what to expect . What I can say for sure is that 2025 will be filled with hard work and opportunities – of the kind Max spoke about and the kind that are obvious opportunities .
We also have an opportunity to learn from the old school way of doing things in this month ’ s feature , which provides some old school tips , tricks and advice from experienced plumbers .
As you can see , my personal theme for 2025 is ‘ opportunity ’, and most times we create those opportunities for ourselves . Contrary to popular belief , opportunity doesn ’ t turn up each day on our doorsteps waving flags , jingling bells and playing a tuba . If we aren ’ t looking for opportunities , we might miss them . PA
Tanya
In this issue , we look at opportunities that were taken , treasured and used to move forward in life and career as we follow Veronica Ntho ’ s trajectory from student to business owner in our Tell Me Why feature . We track the story of plumbing through time and give plumbers the opportunity to share their old school tips and tricks .
Our contributor , Chris Coetzee , reminds us to take the opportunity to take better care of ourselves to ward off fatigue ( new year fatigue is a thing ), while IAPMO ’ s Mike Flenniken relates opportunities for companies to make greater accommodation for women plumbers . We also give the ladies at IOPSA an opportunity to share what ’ s in their toolbox .
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January 2025 Volume 30 I Number 11 www . plumbingafrica . co . za