Ok… I’m going to admit something now. Something that is kinda embarrassing. I am a recovering FOMO’er. Do you know what I’m talking about? FOMO = Fear Of Missing Out. Oh man… I had it bad.
Let me explain: If I was surfing in the Maldives, a bit of me would be wishing I could be in France. If I was hanging out in London, a little bit of me was wishing I was back home at the beach.
I was constantly getting pulled away from the present moment and finding myself future tripping or thinking about what I may have been missing out on.
I guess it comes from a good place. I want my life to be a rad experience and so I’m always on the lookout for adventures to go on, places to check out and ways to ensure I’m having heaps of fun with the people I care about. But here’s the lesson I’ve learnt (and holy smokes it has taken me a looooong time to learn it)… FOMO, although it feels pretty harmless, actually has a really negative impact on your life.
Why ? Because when you have FOMO, you’re never really present anywhere. You’re never really living in the moment, drinking in what’s happening around you. Which means, ultimately, you’re not really experiencing life to the fullest.
This trip to Australia has really confirmed the lesson for me. Before I left, I was having a blast at home, SUP’ing & surfing heaps, hanging out with the raddest bunch of family & friends and building my biz in a way that felt awesome.
I got on the plane super excited for the next chapter, but inside I could already feel a little FOMO creeping in. Friends were talking about summer plans, mastermind buddies were planning workshops that I wasn’t able to attend. A small part of me was thinking about all the stuff I was going to miss out on.
This is something I’ve struggled with for a long time. Social media doesn’t help one bit. Everyone is posting the highlight reel… The best bits and the funnest adventures. I’ve spent waaay too much time in foreign countries just wishing I could be at home because someone has posted a photo of a post surf bbq that I really wish I could have gone to.
But something major has shifted for me on this trip. I made the decision to kick FOMO’s ass. I decided enough was enough and made a promise to myself to really lean into the present moment and remember that really, nothing else matters.
I love this quote from Thich Nhat Hanh :
Life is available only in the present moment. If you abandon the present moment you cannot live the moments of your life deeply.
So here’s what I did.
I bought a goofy watch. It’s not even a watch. It doesn’t tell the time. All it says on the face is ‘now’. Every time I look at it, I smile and remember to pull my focus back to the present moment.
And you wanna know what’s happened? Life has gotten pretty damned amazing. Synchronicity is flowing through pretty much every area of my life. The more I’ve been living in the present, the more rad stuff keeps showing up.
I’ve had moments of almost slipping back into FOMO mode. Brought on by a wandering mind and a hint of ‘ahhh-I-wish-I-could-be-doing-that’. But I’ve snapped out of it, reminded myself to be here now. And boom, back in the flow.
When I think of that Thich Nhat Hanh quote, I imagine the universe taking notice when you’re actually grateful for the present moment, when you’re living in the now and experiencing it 110%. I think the universe notices that effort and swings some good stuff your way. Kinda like when you were a kid and you got a prize for trying hard. The universe is saying ‘I see ya… good work buddy’.
So here’s what I want you to do. Try it out. Just for one day. Being totally totally present. No future tripping. No comparison. Just breathe it all in and immerse yourself in what's going on at the moment.
Oh, and if you need a little extra help (like I did) go buy yourself a new watch☺