Have you ever heard of the term FOMO? it stands for, “fear of missing out.” It is something that my generation has had a hard time understanding and implementing. People are so ‘connected’ now-a-days with Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, texting, and other forms of communication that it is rare that a person between the age of fifteen and twenty-five doesn’t know exactly what their friends are doing every hour of every day. It has become such a problem that psychologists have actually named it “FOMO.”  There have been articles written about it in Time magazine.  It was added to the Oxford dictionary.  It is all over the place. Just give it a search on google and see what comes up.

The problem is that we are so focused on what is going on out there that we forget to focus on what is going on here; what is going on right in front of us. You see, many people have let the fear of missing out turn into the Reality Of Missing Everything. They let FOMO turn into ROME.

When our focus goes out there, it goes away from being where we are and we miss out on what is going on right in front of us. Your presence should be a present to those around you. Focus on them and how you can add value to their life.

You will miss out on what is going on out there whether you are aware of it or not. You will miss out on what is going on in front of you only if you choose to forego the present of being present.

We focus on the perfect lifestyle illusion that others put on their social media accounts and compare it to the reality of our own lives. Often those who experience the worst aspects of FOMO are those who are unhappy with their own lives. So, is this unhappiness a result of FOMO or is FOMO a result of unhappiness? This seems to be the question. Now, I think the answer varies, but more often than not I would say that our own unhappiness is a result of our FOMO because we are so focused on others’ disillusioned lifestyle.

It would be like if you look at Bill Gates’ bank account and then observed your own account balance over and over again each day waiting for the same numbers to appear. This constant expectation and comparison will only breed unhappiness.

One of my best friends in the world does not have any social media accounts. There’s no Facebook, no Instagram, no Twitter, no Snapchat, etc. In fact, when people want to get in touch with him via social media they either tag me or his fiancée in the post so we show him. Now he doesn’t have any accounts because he says social media is the devil. Sounds silly, huh? And he says it kind of tongue and cheek but I feel like he may be onto something. There may be a hint of truth behind what he says. I won’t call social media the devil simply because it has brought plenty of good to my life. You probably would’ve never found this post if it weren’t for social media. I will say that social media is very volatile and if we are not careful, it can breed a severe case of FOMO in our lives. FOMO, when not checked, can become paralyzing.

We are addicted to checking our emails, checking our social media accounts, to our mobile devises. We are addicted to things that cause us anxiety and depression. The problem with our culture is that we are ruining our hope. That being said, I know one things for sure, it is going to be okay. 

I challenge you this week to be present. May your presence be a present to those around you and may the act of being present add value not only to others, but to your own life as well. Don’t let FOMO turn into ROME. Be present.

Shalom friends,