Silver Lining

Brendon Burchard once said, ~Do not fear missing out at the expense of missing NOW. There is magic all around and joy inside. Do not mindlessly choose all shiny new things and miss what matters most - the appreciation, gratitude and generosity in this very moment.~ FOMO. The fear of missing out. Although it’s not considered an actual phobia it has the ability to make a tremendous mental, emotional, and/or physical impact. Essentially, it’s a feeling or a type of compulsive behavior of wanting to be part of experiencing the high of living their best life, especially when it’s posted on social media. A life filled with exciting fun and thrilling adventure. Yet, the question remains if that compulsive behavior can turn into an obsession for some, but not so much for others.

Without a doubt, a person can certainly feel like he/she is out of the loop when it comes to not keeping contact with one’s best buds/gal pals in regard to meeting up knowing we all lead busy lives. I think it’s safe to say each one of us may have been told you’ve dropped off the face of the planet, so much so your absence has been deemed missing in action. Fortunately, if your inner circle of friends are totally understanding and have that “door is always left open to come in” mentality then you’ve got nothing to worry about, which is something you can truly appreciate. What it primarily comes down to is making a conscious effort in stepping out of our self-imposed exile to either reach out and inevitably reconnect to catch up even if it's for a brief moment to re-energize the bonds of friendship between one another.

As I said before, FOMO can be considered a feeling or a type of compulsive behavior of wanting to be part of experiencing any sort of social event where others are living their best life, especially when it’s posted on social media. Of course, those aforementioned posts pics/videos are liked, commented on, and/or possibly shared on their own social media. Why share? As an introvert, you can most definitely have a sense of envious gratitude of your extroverted friends who are social butterflies and, in a way, you’re living vicariously through their post-event humble bragging of memorable exploits posted on their social media, which are absolutely marveled at from the comfort of their isolated bubble.

Let me ask this question, if a particular event is announced on any social media platform what is your initial reaction? If you’re an extrovert you’re in, and quite have possibly tagged best buds/gal pals to give them a heads up as well. Introverts, on the other hand, run through the pros and cons concerning the events itself. Personally speaking, I’m an introvert who has weighed and still does weigh the pros and cons of going to any event while at the same time, tapping into my extroverted side I know is there. In any case, it’s a thought provoking situation indeed in that extrovert/introvert struggle of wanting to allow yourself to fulfill that satisfying adrenaline rush of seeking outside entertainment instead of embracing the generosity of the calming silence of home knowing it’s too peopley out there.

In retrospect, there comes a point as each one of us gets older the fear of missing out gradually changes. True, when you’re younger there’s an unfortunate mindset of not wanting to be perceived by others as someone who leads a boring, mundane life . In other words, seeing yourself as a “loser” who lacks adventure and excitement and wants to change that in order to seek any kind of validation from one’s own peers. However, when you’re older there’s a shift in mindset in which you’d gladly stay in the safety, as well as comfort of your own home and not do anything, especially if that social gathering event is past a certain time of night. In the end, there’s always a silver lining in the fear of missing out as it gives you opportunities to focus on the permanent high of what’s in front of you rather than the high that’s merely temporary.