Have you already forgotten what life at work was like?
Think back for a moment… first, we skip coffee breaks, then it’s lunch at our desk, next we skip lunch altogether, then it’s an extra hour here, then… it goes on from there.
It’s as if we actually enjoy the certain disappointment by skipping so many of the important parts of our days. Then, by the time we get home, we’re too tired to enjoy much of our evenings.
Multiply it by five or six times and you have your weekend.
Is staying in the new going out? Forget FOMO, embrace JOMO (the Joy of Missing Out)”
— @ariannahuff, February 2014
Look at the date… that tweet was from 2014 when The Huffington Post declared it the year of JOMO! But it clearly fits our current situation.
You know, I hadn’t even heard the expression, “The Joy of Missing Out” back in 2014. I was still scared of missing out on everything.
Do this, do that… go-go-go, more-more-more… oh crap, I missed out on something—my life will never be the same! You’ve probably felt that way yourself, right?
So, what’s this JOMO—Joy of Missing Out thing?
What does JOMO mean anyway?
JOMO, pronounced [joh-moh]…
JOMO is an acronym for joy of missing out and describes the pleasure of taking a break from social activity–especially social media–to enjoy personal time.”
– Dictionary.com
You might want to pay a visit to Dictionary.com’s JOMO page for some astute context and history. Just click here, but make sure you come right back!
The antonym of course is FOMO, aka the fear of missing out.
Well, I get FOMO… I completely relate to it.
FOMO or fo·mo, pronounced [foh-moh]…
noun Slang 1. a feeling of anxiety or insecurity over the possibility of missing out on something, as an event or an opportunity.”
– Dictionary.com
Cait Mack, a rather prolific blogger I have followed on LinkedIn and Medium, shares her wisdom on the matter in this quote…
Sometimes simplifying and going ‘back to our roots’ is what it takes to fall in love with what we’re doing again. ‘Back to basics’ as the old saying goes.”
– Cait Mack, blogger
Sounds like she may have traveled full circle.
Jen Gurecki knew how to handle it, she founded a company based on what she loved. Why put in all that hard work if you can’t enjoy your life?
People spend their entire lives not doing the things they want to do,”
–Jen Gurecki, founder of Coalition Snow
Can you relate to Jen’s quote? I sure can.
Then, something earthshattering happens. Something that takes us away from the things we don’t want to do anyway… but, we still feel lost and unsettled.
The PAUSE BUTTON has been punched.
This is the “JOY” I’m speaking of, and it may be stuck there for a while.
Not to make light of our predicament, or to take away the seriousness in any way… but there are some good parts.
We just need to let them be good and learn what we can.
Iain Thomas’ quote sums this whole missing out thing perfectly…
Every day the world will drag you by the hand, yelling, ‘This is important! And this is important! And this is important! You need to worry about this! And this! And this!’…
…each day it’s up to you to yank your hand back, put it on your heart and say, ‘No. This is what’s important.’”
– Iain Thomas
Life has clearly thrown a lot at us.
If we allow ourselves to cover our ears and step away from what the ‘normal’ world has been screaming for so long; then embrace the joy that can be found through missing out on many, many of the so called expectations and obligations…
We might just see our way through this mess.
Yes, these are tough times. But also keep in mind, It ain’t all bad.
Be well, be safe, and be untucked.
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Copyright © 2020 Jeff Meister – All Rights Reserved
Very excellent read Jeff. Enjoyed your article and bears many truths as to the possibilities we have moving forward.
Thanks Mike, glad you enjoyed it… we do have possibilities. Be well…
Thank you Jeff.
Thanks for reading, John… stay safe!
This is SO true, Jeff. There is so much good in most trials, certainly in this one. The bad stuff just happens to be REALLY bad, so it makes the comparison a bit more fraught — but doesn’t take away from the reality.
Good post, Jeff.
Thanks, Tim… you’re spot on when you say the bad stuff is really bad. We can’t forget or deny that. Let’s do our best to see the possibilities and look for the good parts too. Always appreciate your thoughts!