FOMO: fear of missing out.
You’re always going to see other people doing great things in their business or personal lives, especially in our hyper connected world. But let’s face it, the only way to move forward with your life is to put your blinders on because you can’t be in several places at any one time. (That we know of!)
Does this sound familiar? When you’re working on your current business project, you’re wondering about the other idea you haven’t implemented yet…
Or when you’re working, you’re wondering what your friends are up to and when you’re with your friends or family, you think about work.
Oy, talk about stressful!
Here’s how to get over FOMO
Trust yourself. The decisions you made at the start of the year, month, or week are the right ones… you just need to keep putting one foot in front of the other, and not worry about the things you might be missing because of your decisions.
The root of the word “decide” is to cut off or kill, and in order to run a business or live in our digital world we’re constantly making decisions that cut off other alternatives or distractions. That means we need to learn to say no without feeling guilty…
It’s easy to look longingly at other people’s party photos online and wish that you were there instead of working on your next launch…
And there are endless online summits and in person events that you’re not a part of… it’s a lot harder to keep your eyes on your own path.
But it’s also more rewarding to get some momentum and traction in your business, and to be able to stop thinking about business when you’re with the ones you love.
Sometimes you do have to make sacrifices in the name of entrepreneurship, but the good thing is that you’re the boss. You decide which projects to prioritize, which events to attend, and who you want to spend your time with.
Realize that you’ll probably always suffer from FOMO: plan for it by reminding yourself why you’re on this path in the first place.
Kick FOMO To The Curb With This Exercise
Now I have a simple exercise for you to do, to help kick “fear of missing out” to the curb.
1. Write down everything you’re currently doing, and anything you’d like to be doing… this includes both business and personal activities. Include ideas, places you want to be featured, travel, you name it.
This might take awhile, so set a timer for 10 minutes so you know there’s an end in sight.
2. Now, go through your list and remove things that sound good in theory but you recognize aren’t ideal for “right now”. Maybe they’re projects or trips that you can see yourself doing in 6 months, or next year.
3. Go through your list again and put a star beside the items that light you up the most.
4. Take one last pass through the list and pick your top 5 out of the starred items. Write them down on a new piece of paper, and make sure that there’s a nice mix of personal and business…
Now you’ve got a solid plan of action, that’s going to help eliminate FOMO and keep you honest about what matters most to you.
How to get over FOMO… In Your Experience!
Over to you now… what have you learned about your personal brand of FOMO? Do you like to jump from idea to idea? Party to party? Or are you more easily distracted by other people’s escapades?
Leave a comment below, and share any tips you’ve found for dealing with fear of missing out!
