Fear of finance....

I have a fear of public speaking.

Yet every week I stand up and deliver a 60 second talk at my BNI meeting hoping that eventually my nervous system will get the memo.

What I've discovered, through research into a book idea, is that the same fight/flight response, that makes my heart race when I stand and speak in front of a group, is the very same one triggered for so many business owners who dread the financial side of their business.

But here's what I find really interesting.

The numbers themselves aren't the problem. A figure in a bank account is just data, completely neutral. It's the meaning we attach to it, the beliefs we've carried since childhood about what money says about us, that creates the fear.

And that fear takes many forms, it's not just performance anxiety. It can sound like 'I don't understand my numbers but I feel like I should' or 'if I open this email it will confirm something is wrong' or simply 'talking about money makes me uncomfortable.' All roads lead to the same place....... avoidance

As a bookkeeper with a customer service background, I've always seen my role as being here to help, not to judge. But I'm realising that for many people, that avoidance can become a very real barrier to getting the financial support their business needs.