Welcome to the era of FONKU: Fear of Not Keeping Up
If you are constantly anxious about not learning, not adapting, not being able to keep up - you are not alone: welcome to the club.
Let’s name it: FONKU (Fear of Not Keeping Up). It is the pervasive apprehension that one is not doing, learning, adapting, changing enough to keep up with the latest innovations and knowledge emerging exponentially related to one’s career field.
FONKU is conceptually distinct from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out); which describes a fear of missing out on rewarding or novel experiences that others are having (and showcasing on social media).
FOMO is mostly consumption-oriented; as it reflects the desire to catch up with what others are experiencing (such as travel or eating out).
FONKU, on the other hand, refers to anxiety issues felt by knowledge workers and producers. It is the fear that you will fall behind in your career because you do not learn and adapt fast enough.
