From FOMO to JOMO
Missing Out: Don't Fear it, Embrace it!
FOMO (the Fear of Missing Out) is today's twist on an old saying: Carpe Diem! (which is Latin for Seize the Day!). The twist, in our opinion, is the heightened visibility of all the amazing things happening around us in today's digital age. Courtesy of near constant texting and social media feeds, we're excruciatingly aware of what everyone is doing in real time and it's creating anxiety that whatever we're doing right now is less exciting than any number of other things we could be doing.
A.K.A. we're failing to seize the day! FOMO to it's core.
But in an attempt to seize the day, it becomes almost impossible to enjoy the day. That's where JOMO comes in. JOMO is the Joy of Missing Out, and it simply refers to the gratifying feeling you get when you break away from the (real or virtual) activities of your social group and spend time doing exactly what you most want to do.
And that's the key - what YOU MOST WANT to do.
Gratitude + Clarifying What You Want
We know FOMO is real. We've all felt it before and it's powerful, but it can be managed by changing a few things up and integrating a new mindset for how you move through your day.
1. Clarify What You Want
It may seem silly, but when you start getting that dreaded feeling that you might be missing out on something really great, check-in with yourself and ask, "what do I really want right now?" Another good question is, "what's most important to me?" When we lose touch with the answer to those questions we slip into FOMO mode, taking the chance for JOMO off the table.
2. Practice Gratitude
Robert Emmons, a gratitude guru, defines it as "a felt sense of wonder, thankfulness, and appreciation for life." In essence, it's the practice of being thankful for what you have in the moment. Being intentional about where you are, who you're with and what you are doing and savoring it. Letting go of all the other competing possibilities that may exist, saying NO to them and YES to what you're currently doing is how you can fully experience JOMO.
3. Design Your Environment
As most things are, this is easier to say than do. To help with that, we encourage you to design your environment so that it's conducive to missing out on things that aren't important to you, letting you focus on the things that are. This is all about minimizing temptations. Notice what heightens your FOMO and explore ways to reduce it.
Weekly Challenge!
Practice Gratitude: Like anything, gratitude is a practice and may feel stiff or forced until you get into the groove. How you choose to practice is up to you, but find a way to express gratitude to someone or for something you appreciate each day this week. Try saying it out loud in the moment or maybe writing it down in a journal at night before you go to bed.
