A young park ranger that I worked with this summer was obsessed with FOMO-Fear of Missing Out. She is an enthusiastic conscientious young person who wants to garner as many experiences as possible related to “ranger work” as well as her personal life. She laments missing out on happenings when she is on her days off.
I have never used FOMO to describe my life, but I have experienced it. Contemplating FOMO has resulted in thinking about the opportunities I have had as well as the things I will never get to do.
I read an interesting article by Valerie Tiberius entitled, “Why you should swap your bucket list with a chuck-it list.” She claimed that some people have put too much emphasis on getting their bucket lists checked off. I admit that I may have focused on aspirations that I wanted to reach. I am also coming to the realization that I will never accomplish some of my goals.
Some things will most likely never happen. For example, I always wanted to run the Boston Marathon but never came close to getting a qualifying time, or perhaps I should say that I never worked hard enough to achieve that required time. I run little these days, so any marathon is not in my future.
I have travelled to every continent and visited dozens of countries. Yet, I still have a hankering to travel to new places. I also am questioning how important those destinations are as I get older.
Tiberius suggested that trying to achieve the bucket list may lead to disappointment and frustration. It also might lead to missing out or enjoying what wasn’t on that list—opportunities coming serendipitously or that were taken for granted. She noted that what is on your “chuck it” list may be as important as the bucket list. As I age, I feel my priorities evolving. I am finding that staying home for periods of time is enjoyable. I am giving myself permission, as Tiberius suggested, to remove those items that I may not get done—and not feel sorry about that.
A healthy FOMO is not bad. For me today, however, tempering my bucket list and my chuck it list may be more fruitful. I am grateful for all the experiences I have had.
Karla, I had not heard the term FOMO before. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Kathy, I think, has some FOMO tendencies while I, for some reason, do not. I remember when my father passed away, I told my mother that I would take her anywhere in the world to see anything she wanted to see–the Great Wall of China, the Great Barrier Reef, etc. Her response, “I’d like to go home to Ida Grove, Iowa.” I suppose it also could be that you recognize that you have seen more of the world than most and are content with that? Or it could be that you understand your body is not “up to” the demands of FOMO any more? I dunno. What I do know is that you have given me something to ponder right here at home with a cup of coffee on this beautiful New Mexico morning.
I think it is all of that, Dan. Enjoy your coffee as you contemplate!