Suffering From FOMO? Prepare to Suffer Even More.
I’m not here to brag, though.
Fear of Missing Out — FOMO — is a widespread source of suffering these days. And for good reason: after being bombarded by tons of perfectly curated photos on Instagram, you suffer because you believe you could be living a better life. With so much cool stuff going on in other people’s lives, you must be missing something.
And you know what? You are.
But I’m not talking about that perfect beach in Phi Phi Islands or that insane Vegas party. What you are missing out on is wisdom. And this — trust me — this is something worth being dreaded.
Why? Because you could be living a better life if you were wiser.
A better life
To begin, you wouldn’t even suffer from FOMO, since you wouldn’t fall prey to the illusion that you are having a mundane existence while everybody else is living spectacular lives.
The unquenchable thirst for likes? It would be over. The need for external approval would be replaced by a clear understanding of what is important to you. You wouldn’t be afraid of being your true self.
You would be more prepared to deal with the challenges life throws at you. Credits to the Stoics.
You would not be too stingy or too prodigal with money. You would be a parent who, instead of being too permissive or too rigid, gives his children autonomy within clearly defined limits. Thanks, Aristotle, for teaching us that virtue is the mean between two extremes.
You would apply the 48 laws of power and be promoted, instead of being fired. What a masterpiece from Robert Greene.
You would not incinerate your life savings in a doomed endeavor thanks to Josh Kaufman and Warren Buffett. From Seneca, you would learn how precious time is and, from James Clear, how to build good habits.
Mindless scrolling on social media would be replaced by good times with your loved ones and doing whatever is important to you, like exercising, painting, or — why not — writing on Medium.
You see, there is a better life waiting to be lived. Don’t miss out on it.
So go, take the first step. Grab a good book and start becoming wiser. Or do you prefer to write a “I wish I knew that when I was younger” review at Amazon a few decades from now?
“So many books, so little time.” — Frank Zappa
