New Year

This post isn’t going to be about new beginnings, fresh starts, ridiculous promises with tips for morphing yourself into a financial guru overnight (what even is one of those?) or suggestions for ripping up everything you’ve ever known and rewriting the rule book. 

Does the turn of the calendar year need to mean that there has to be a whole new version of you? Jumping on the bandwagon of resolutions, impossible transformations and dividing yourself into 12 separate parts to do all the things to have any chance of being successful at all in 2022?

The short answer is no, in case you needed a clue. Of course not. No new you, total makeover, or lobotomy required for a different outlook when it comes to your finances, or indeed in any area of your life. The current you is just fine, exactly as you are. I see you, hey! 🙋‍♀️

I’m in the business of working with people. An accountant by ‘trade’, with almost 25 years of working in practice, financial training and education. But the best part of any of the roles I’ve held during my career has been the connection with the people I work with and talk to. Understanding what makes them tick, knowing what’s important to them and their why and watching their whole body language change when the penny drops or they get that light bulb moment is what gets me out of bed in the morning. It will keep me coming back for more, despite the hurdles of running my own businesses, juggling a family and home and trying to find time for myself in all of that. Because we all have down days, bad days, storms and catastrophes that we deal with, but our why will always makes sure we keep rolling with the punches and turning up for that next day.

My why is pretty simple. I want to empower people to give them the confidence to make financial decisions for themselves. To have all the knowledge they need at their fingertips because they know where to look for answers or who to ask. To know that they never have to stay in a job or work situation that they hate or a relationship that compromises who they are just because they can’t afford to leave. Financial independence is my why, for everyone. 

It’s my why because I was once the person that fell into both of those categories at the same time. Despite being a qualified accountant, so I know how it feels and I really should have known better! I know how life can take you down a road of circumstance, people pleasing, questionable decisions and ‘doing the right thing’ and before you know it you’re in debt up to your eyeballs and stuck in a situation that you can’t see a way out of.

So my message is it doesn’t matter what your background is, or how you got to where you are now. Start now. Get curious now. Just start.

So if I could give you one piece of advice for the year ahead it would this – to ask the question. That’s it. That’s where it all starts. If you’re uncertain of what decision to make, what path to take or the next step in your journey, just ask that burning question, or pile of questions if you have them. Ask from a place of being inquisitive and wanting to learn, instead of from fear or defensiveness, because you assume that you won’t understand the answer anyway so why bother even trying. Do this for your future self, and you’ll be grateful you did!

If you are reading this, you’ve likely found me because you are curious about what I do or how I work with my clients. What makes me stand out or to be any different from the piles of other accountants and business mentors out there. If you’ve read any of the other pages on my website (click here if you haven’t!) then you’ll already know that I’m a numbers person, but you might not know that I love to chat. I’m a real person who speaks in language that you understand and I love speaking to people and answering questions. Demystifying what confuses others really lights me up, and if I can help to shine a light on something that makes most people run for the hills and make them want to know more instead then that’s a good day for me.

So ask the question. Don’t be different, no need for change, but get curious. What burning questions about finance, running your business, accounting or tax do you wish someone could answer for you?