"I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing"

Happy Friday Friends,

I’ve never been one for FOMO.

Of course, when I was in my teens there were probably times I missed out on stuff and was disappointed. Or, at times I wished I was somewhere else. All teens do.

I have one specific memory I go back to when thinking about FOMO. Not sure why this one but it’s a good example so I’ll share. I was on the rowing team in high school. That meant VERY early mornings out on the lake and weekend-long regattas all around the state. I clearly remember one Saturday night, I got home from a nationals regatta and was smashed. I was lying on the couch and I heard my mom speaking to a friend’s mother. After the call, my mom came and sat next to me, a concerned look on her face. She asked why I  wasn’t going to the social (dance party) that Saturday night. She commented that I never wanted to go out much.

“Wasn’t I sad to be missing out?”

I remember thinking that I hadn’t even thought about it. I was doing something I loved and I wasn’t too worried about the other possibilities. I was content with that decision and happy to be all in on that.

That seems to be how I think about most situations. I make a decision to do something and then I’m in. There is no point thinking about what if, or, what could be because it won’t be.

But very recently I am finding it harder and harder to keep FOMO out of my brain. I get FOMO about a lot of things these days. And, I can point to the primary source of that anxiety. Social media.

Now, I know social media can be terrible for mental health. And, doom scrolling is "bad" but I am good at avoiding that. The majority of my IG feed is strength coaches, bonsai artists and chefs. And, most of my Twitter feed is CEOs, tech founders, Crypto nutcases and motivational humans.So when I think about my “social media diet” I consider it quite varied and also pretty wholesome.

So what’s the problem?

Well, it’s the speed at which things are moving these days and social media exacerbates that.I want to know about every AI company.I want to learn every bit of AI tech.I want to do bodybuilding, powerlifting, callisthenics and yoga.I want to work in a tech startup.I want to build my own community through writing.I want to start a consultancy focused on customer retention and operations.I want to be a CEO and a Solopreneur.I want to do all the things.

And because I can’t possibly it means I have this constant nagging FOMO in the back of my head.

I am sure I’m not alone here. You’ll substitute some of my points above for some of yours. But, the general feeling is the same. So, as I always do, to try and calm my type-A brain I’ve been reading and researching. Here are some interesting perspectives about FOMO.

Missing Out Might Be Your Biggest WinIn a world where we're constantly bombarded with images of other people's "perfect" lives, it's easy to feel like we're missing out. But what if missing out was actually the key to a more fulfilling life? Imagine the relief of not having to keep up with every trend, attend every event, or try every new restaurant. The paradox of FOMO is that by trying to avoid missing out, we often miss out on what's most important.

We cannot do all the things. Not only is there not enough time, we won’t enjoy anything if we can’t focus. So my suggestion is to choose 2-3 points of focus for the next 12 months. Go deep on those topics. After 12 months if you’re still in love, go deeper, get better and let your experience compound. If you’ve had enough, switch a couple out.

This way you will have great experiences in your memory bank and they’ll be full experiences with little regret.

The Art of Saying NoSaying no can be difficult. Especially when we're faced with exciting opportunities or feel pressure to keep up with our friends. But every time we say yes to one thing, we're inevitably saying no to something else. And, the hardest person to say no to is yourself.

The art of saying no is about making conscious choices about how we spend our time and energy. It's about recognising that we can't do it all, and that's okay. By learning to say no to the things that don't truly matter to us, we can say yes to the things that do. And in doing so, we will find that what we were afraid of missing out on wasn't so important.

The Joy of Missing OutIn our FOMO-driven culture, the idea of finding joy in missing out might seem counterintuitive. But, the Joy of Missing Out, is about embracing the choices we make and finding satisfaction in our own path. Even if it's different from what others are doing. It's about celebrating the fact that we can't be everywhere at once.

Instead of feeling anxious about what we're missing, we can feel grateful for what we're experiencing here, and now.

Your Grass Isn't GreenerSocial media has a way of making everyone else's life look perfect. But the truth is, what we see on social media is often a carefully curated highlight reel. It's not a true reflection of someone's life. The grass might look greener on the other side, but it's usually a filter. The FOMO illusion is a false belief that everyone else is having more fun, achieving more success, or living a better life. But when we look beyond the illusion, we often find that our own grass is pretty green after all.

A New Perspective FOMO can make us feel like we're always one step behind, always chasing something that's out of reach. But what if we stopped chasing and started appreciating what we have? What if happiness isn't about doing it all, but about finding joy in the simple, everyday moments? This new perspective on FOMO challenges us to redefine what happiness means to us. Instead of measuring our happiness against what others are doing or achieving, we can find it within ourselves, in our own unique journey.

Let me tell you, the easiest part about all the above is reading it. Changing your mindset and reminding yourself every day of that new mindset is damn hard.

But, you know what they say; easy choices - hard life. Hard choices - easy life. I’m not sure about that but I am going to try and let go of some of this FOMO and enjoy where I am right now. I suggest you do the same.

Peace, love and Muscles.

Jazza