The Joys of Missing Out
No one can better experience the ‘joys of missing out’ than someone who had always lived with the ‘fear of missing out’.
Living with the constant fear of missing out had made me realize one thing that I have indeed missed out on the important things that were right in front of me. Reaching to this realization cost me a hell lot of time, mental breakdowns and a self-inflicted low self-esteem. But finally, I am happy that I am in the position now to replace ‘fear’ with ‘joy’. This did not happen overnight, nor was it some kind of a miracle. When I started to miss out on real things in life like opportunities that mattered, love that was real, companionship that was true, it’s only then I started to sit back and take stock of things.
Where was I heading? How much am I trying to grab? How long can I keep running directionless?
I had to stop.
I stopped and let everything pass by. It was difficult no doubt, my hands trembling, legs shaking, at the thought of missed opportunities. But I stood there. And gradually, I started sensing this calm around me. My hands and legs were relaxed. Things were passing by, people were moving on, opportunities came and went. But I had no intent to run after them frantically. I was at peace. I could think, decide, sleep over an idea, slow down and then sift through the zillion immaterial things to finally lay my hands on things that really mattered to me. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth every knot in the heart.
The fear was finally replaced by joys. Joys that I did not know was around me all the time.
- The biggest joy of missing out is the assurance that you have more time to do fewer things and utilize that time to do things that really matter to you. I spend more time now in things like reading, cooking, calling my parents every day for a wholehearted chat, watching some good foreign films that were lying in my wish-list for quite some time now.
- You now have to care a lot less about a lot of things. That means more mental peace. I stopped caring about attending all the music festivals of the month and this helped me not to worry about the ticket sale prices, what to wear, with whom to go, getting used to the new rock bands etc. I just accepted that it’s not worth my mental peace to care and run after everything.
- You can walk slow, smell the flowers on the way, stop by at the food truck for some unplanned Chinese food. Basically, you are not bound by the shackles of the daily ‘to — do list or missing out bucket list of the day’. You can do whatever you feel like doing at that moment. Freedom!
- You realize that you have so much more in terms of talent, abilities, material things once you have time to appreciate what you have. I could see so many things in me, in my loved ones, in my pretty little city, my neighborhood, my house, my close friends. The blessings of life suddenly amplified once I stopped running after anything and everything.
- And finally, the joy of missing out introduced me to the joy of the present moment. I still have plans, still dream of things, still have a bucket list, but they don’t run my life now. I am more content, at peace, extremely self-aware and happy.
This joy of missing out, and letting the world pass by is what may be is the greatest accomplishment in today’s chaotic world.
