FOMO – the fear of missing out. Apparently this has become a big thing for the younger generations, but it has been around a lot longer than that. It just didn’t have a catchy acronym before!
Although it usually refers to the next party or the next concert or a one-time event, it could easily apply to life in general. The years go by, we aren’t doing what we want to do, and we start to wonder if this is all there is.
Then we start to push ourselves harder. We don’t want to miss out on the latest opportunity, the next big thing, that one event that will finally change our lives into magical fairytales where we never experience hardship or disappointment again.
It would be nice, but I don’t think life actually works like that.
I remember many things that I thought I wanted, or places I thought I needed to go over the years. With age comes perspective. Most of what I thought I wanted would have been a disaster if I had actually received it.
From guys I thought I wanted to marry, to jobs I felt would be fun, to places I thought I wanted to live – when I look back now, I’m very glad that these things didn’t pan out.
Why? Because I can’t imagine being anywhere other than where I am right now.
Through my own experiences, I have learned that everything seems to unfold exactly the way it is supposed to. Holding on to an idea of how life should be takes you away from experiencing your life as it actually is.
If you look around and are truly dissatisfied with where you are and what you are doing, then by making a few decisions you can begin to move in a new direction.
You could change your entire life in the next year if you wanted to. Let’s face it – the year is going to pass by anyways, and if you don’t take control now then nothing will change.
If you want to lose some weight, then start eating less and moving more. The formula isn’t difficult.
If you want a new career, then look at what you can do today to begin to move in that direction. Take a course, talk to people who are doing what you want to do and find out how they started. Do anything to move you forward.
The fear of missing out is unfortunately all too real for many people, but come back to this moment and remember that the decisions you make today will build your tomorrows. In this moment you have the power to do what you need to do.
Make a decision right now that you aren’t going to miss out on what you want. Then take action immediately. Action builds momentum, and momentum produces results.
If you aren’t where you want to be, then don’t keep doing the same things you’ve been doing. Don’t let fear stop you from living life to the fullest.