The Fear of Missing Out Causes Us to Miss Out

“But what about all of those things you’ll miss out on?”

FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) can be a really powerful force. FOMO drives people more than they'd like to admit. Okay, let's get real: FOMO drives you and me more than we'd like to admit.

I almost decided to go to SXSW this weekend because some of my friends, peers, and chosen family are going to be there, hanging out, and I'm going to be missing out. In this case, it's not a fear of missing out as much as knowing that I'll be missing out - but attending is still not the right choice for me right now.

The cars we drive, the places we live, our decisions about whether and when we have kids, the jobs we have, the vacations we dream of, and so much more usually have an element of FOMO in them.

It's easy to overlook the fact that choices made out of FOMO often cause us to miss out on the things that really matter.

We work more to buy the new car so we don't miss out on the status perks, but we spend less time with family, friends, and our true selves to pay for the car.

We get a more prestigious job but don't have the time, energy, and attention to live the life it was supposed to provide us.

We spend more time on our creative projects so we can be one of those people known for the meticulousness of our work, while the people who most need and want it wait for things we never finish.

We add stuff to our businesses to project a more admirable appearance, but we can't sleep at night or enjoy the weekend because of how much it takes to hold it all together. (Just one more email!)

We're always going to be missing out on something. Let's make sure we're not missing out on what matters most. (Click here to share this.)