One reason why mathematics seems to be a monster to be feared by many people seems to be the perception that there is only one way to solve a given problem developed by a nameless, faceless genius mathematician and in order to get the correct answer, you must memorize and use the appropriate magical equation. I blame the teachers and professors of the early-on math courses.
The truth is that there are always more than one way to solve a math problem. It's only a matter of finding the method which you feel most comfortable with, the one you understand the most. As long as you realize that there are many ways to solve a mathematics problem, and you can find that method for each problem you find the easiest, you will do well in anything mathematical.
