If you've been
following my blog for a while, you'll know that since turning 36 I've been on a
bit of a mission to face my fears and try to overcome them.
I've always
been plagued by numerous fears and as my children get older, I've started to become
very conscious of the fact that my own fears could so easily be passed on to
them, which of course I don't want. And so, I set myself the goal of
overcoming as many of them as I can.
I started last
year by facing my biggest and most restrictive fear of all, flying - and after
taking a course I managed to overcome that fear completely, and have since been
able to take flights with my boys with no problems.
The next fear
on my list to conquer was heights. This is one that only really kicked in once I
became an adult, but it's one I really struggle with - on days out with the
boys I often find myself sitting out activities or rides if they're too high
up, and I hate that feeling of missing out.
Luckily for me,
I was contacted by NatWest to take part in an exciting challenge they'd come up
with to encourage people to face their fears.
The day
involved travelling to London to find out all about the results of their latest
research around the behaviours and concerns of people when it comes to digital
banking, and what they're doing to help people overcome their fears around
it....as well as the opportunity to face our own fears too!
Of course, I
couldn't say no.
The morning
started off with a discussion panel over breakfast to find out what the research
had shown, and what NatWest are doing to help their customers.
Some of the
results of the research was exactly what I would have expected - for example,
62% of people said they enjoyed using apps to save time.
But some of it
was actually very surprising. One result that really stood out to me was that
18-24 year olds were actually more concerned about app safety and reluctant to
use digital banking because of this than over-55s, who you might expect to be
the less tech-savvy age bracket.
On the opposite
end of the scale are my parents - my dad in particular has a real fear of
technology, and refuses to use his debit card at all for fear of identity
theft. He only bought a mobile phone a couple of years ago, and won't consider
digital banking because he simply doesn't understand how to get started, what
to do or how to keep things secure.
So, I was
intrigued to learn about how NatWest are planning to assist customers like him.
NatWest
currently employs 89 Community Bankers (available in selected areas) who are
based in local communities and even offer home visits to help customers with
their banking needs, and TechXperts are available to help people understand and
get to grips with online and mobile banking (online and app eligibility
criteria applies) offering advice on the security features in use and how to
get the most out of them.
These two new
job roles have been designed specifically to help put customers at ease when it
comes to banking and help them to feel safe and secure no matter what their
banking preferences, which I think is fantastic. I know my own Dad would really
benefit from having someone sit down and go through the process of using a banking
app with him, who could answer his questions around the security of online
banking.
One of my
favourite features was the ability to put a temporary stop on your credit card
if you think it might have been stolen or misplaced, but you're not 100% sure.
There have been so many times where I've misplaced my card but haven't been
completely sure it was actually lost - reporting it lost in these circumstances
can be a real pain as you know it will take a few days for another to arrive,
and chances are - the card will turn up later on! So to be able to simply put a
temporary stop on it first until you're sure it's actually lost is, I think, a
fantastic idea.
I also loved
the fact that you can use the Get Cash feature (limits apply) even if you don't
have your card with you. You can simply request a withdrawal from the app, and
it will provide you with a code to use at the nearest NatWest cash machine - so
handy for those annoying occasions when you've forgotten your purse!
After learning
more about the app and trying out the features for ourselves (all of which were
super easy to do, as the app is so straight forward and user friendly) it was
time to face our own fears head on...
by tackling...a
Go Ape course!!
Yes, despite my
awful fear of heights, I had agreed to take part in an obstacle course through
the tree tops! GULP!
I have to
admit, I was absolutely terrified - the bridges looked so high and many of them
had no sides or anything much to grip on to, which filled me with fear.
But I was
determined to at least give it a go.
To my surprise,
once I was up there the heights didn't bother me as much as I thought they
would - I fooled myself into pretending I was on I'm A Celebrity as I wobbled
my way across the wooden bridges and actually quite enjoyed it. I found working
with the rest of the team to be really encouraging - the other bloggers in
attendance (Lynn from Mrs MummyPenny, Sareta from Hey Sareta and Aftab from
Fresh & Fearless) were so encouraging, and Rachel & Charles from
Natwest were fantastic at spurring us all on too.
I'll be honest
though, I did only manage part of the course and a small zip wire before I'd
reached my limit - and funnily enough it wasn't the heights that got to me, but
another fear - claustrophobia! I reached a point in the course where we had to
climb up inside a tight tunnel made of net, and I got halfway up before
panicking as I just felt too enclosed.
But do you know
what? I'm still proud of myself. Not just because I tried it and managed more
of it than I ever thought I would, but also because I knew were my boundaries
were and I was able to say "No, that's enough now. I'm done"
I'm usually the
kind of person who fears speaking up and saying when they can't do something,
instead pushing myself to carry on until I have a full blown panic attack and
can't do any more...so to be able to find my voice and say when I wanted to
stop was an achievement in itself!
My day with NatWest
and Go Ape was such good fun, and it taught me that facing your fears is made a
lot easier when you know what to expect and when you have a helping hand to
guide you - which is exactly what Natwest are offering those customers who are
reluctant to embrace mobile banking.
*This post was
written in collaboration with NatWest.
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