FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)

It’s okay to stay behind

Source — http://the-insead-mba-experience.insead.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Title-2_FOMO.jpg

The older I get and the busier I get, the more I understand two things

1. Opportunity cost
2. FOMO can be your worst enemy

For those of you who don’t know, FOMO is defined as

(n) anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on a social media website.

Like, this is a real thing, that’s what shows up when you google ‘FOMO’. Our generation is so interconnected by Social Media that we have an acronym for our ‘Fear of Missing Out’. We get hit with FOMO overdoses every few Snapchat stories, we always know when we’re not in the know. Millennials are the first kids that always know when we don’t get invited.

FOMO is what has caused many a paper to be handed in late, many late entrances to class/work and (sometimes) the best memories to be made. It can get really bad, it’s so heavily engrained in us to try to be in the action. So much of your adolescent years are wanting to feel as if you’re involved and in the loop. But, it really doesn’t matter.

I hate How I Met Your Mother, but it’s a good example of why some people are plagued by FOMO.

Going to every party or dinner or event can be really enjoyable, but it’s not supposed to be your world. Remember opportunity cost?

(n) the loss of potential gain from other alternatives when one alternative is chosen.

If you’re going to choose one thing over another always try to weigh the opportunity cost and remember the intangibles (I’m really not trying to say work yourself to death). It’s important to know what’s most important.

You don’t always have to show up to every event or be involved in everything. I’m starting to feel like growth means focus and focus means knowing when you really have to be there.

Thanks for reading this far, if you enjoyed or related please press the green ❤ and follow. Please don’t use this as an excuse to not show up to someone important to you’s birthday dinner, just don’t feel left out when you scroll through your Facebook timeline or check Instagram.

-Kyle