Money: The Last Taboo

Money: Hundreds of songs have been sung about it, thousands of books have been written about it and endless talk show hours have been devoted to discussions about it. Business owners, in particular, spend a lot of time thinking about money, often obsessing about or second guessing their financial decisions.

Perhaps you lay awake at night, wondering if you have enough money to make payroll or cover the bills. And if you have enough money, you likely worry about what to do with it, how to spend it wisely and how to get the most bang for your buck.

Despite how often it's on our minds, money remains one of the last great taboos. It's more socially acceptable to talk about sex than about money. Intimate friends discuss nearly everything except their finances. Salaries are kept secret, financial hardship isn't discussed in polite company, and families keep money secrets from each other. Salespeople hesitate to ask about budgets for fear of saying the wrong thing. Business partners don’t bring up money issues to avoid disagreements. Why do we have such a complex relationship with dollars and cents?

If money were just about numbers, it wouldn't be such a sensitive subject. But money represents power and status. For far too many people, their net worth equals their personal worth. And there's pressure to know everything possible about money and to never make a financial mistake. No wonder the three most common emotions associated with money are fear, anger and shame.

All these emotions tend to stay under the cover of the money taboo. But as a business owner, the ability to talk directly and clearly about money while understanding its complexities helps open the door to wealth and wisdom. You can only achieve your optimal success by having clear money goals.

Your homework: Begin exploring your personal relationship with money by noticing how you deal with financial situations. Are you wimpy when the subject turns to money? Do you violate your own value system to please others? Do you have a secret fear of being a bag lady? If you answered yes to any of those questions, it's time to get understand of the emotional hooks money has on you and your business.

Start paying attention to the sensitive money issues that don't get addressed in the boardroom: money communications, what happens when business partners split, fears of success and failure, as well as emotional triggers related to money.

When exploring your relationship with money, know that the feminine, right side of your brain handles communications, creativity and the inner myths and beliefs that block wisdom and wealth. Exposing these internal emotions is your key to unlocking the logical, left side of your brain, which helps you manage small business revenues wisely, use your marketing dollars to your best advantage and enjoy the process of achievement.

Looking to my columns in the months ahead, there'll be no advice on financial investments or tax issues. Rather, we'll work on dissecting the internal aspects of money that affect your financial wisdom and wealth.