Most you know that when it comes to learning, I am a sponge. Many of you also know that over the last few years I started following the cigar culture in a big way. While for me a cigar is a way to relax and unwind, what I’ve learned is that I am just scratching the surface; There are folks that like nothing but Dominican cigars, others like Nicaraguan, still others smoke nothing but Cubans (yes, you can get them in the US) and the categories go on and on.
A friend of mine has his own cigar brand. He was planning a trip to the factory where his cigars are made and invited me to come along. It immediately peaked my interest for two reasons: not only would I get to go to the islands and relax, but I would get an opportunity to learn more about cigars and the culture.
While FOMO in this situation initially made me sad, examining it further led me to JOMO (Joy of Missing Out). I told my friend that I was not going on the trip. I then came to terms with the fact that not going to the islands, no matter how much fun it might have been, was the right thing to do given all I had going on here. Ultimately, I would be happier missing out on the trip.
I soon realized I was swamped at work and it would be hard for me to get away. I then suffered a slight bout with FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). There was so much to learn, so many people to meet and so many cigars to smoke. Besides, it was the islands.
FOMO was leading me down a path of many negative thoughts. I would be missing out on all the things above. But most importantly a friend asked me to come along and I didn’t want to disappoint him. I thought about the trip and realized a few things. I had a lot going on at work, and a weekend was not enough time for me to unwind and relax. This would mean that my mind would be elsewhere, and I would not be present. I decided to tell my friend I was not going on the trip.
FOMO has come about mostly because of social media and has created a fear of missing out. Social media lets us see our friend’s posts and activities in real time. On the flip side, your friends can also see YOUR activity in real time, so you may actually be CAUSING FOMO to them. So now they have FOMO and you have JOMO cause let’s face it, YOLO!!
“That fear of missing out on things makes you miss out on everything.” – Etty Hillesum
Have a fear free and joy filled weekend.
Vijay