“Most people are in a constant state of falling for whatever the most interesting thing is. Falling for whatever the most popular person is doing . . . This introduces the endless cycle of constantly ‘shopping’ for experiences. An endless search for novelty, hedonism, and just a dash of escapism. Because they do not conduct the orchestra of their own lives, they search out the best possible maestro to do it for them.” —Eric Brown, High Existence blog, article “Conquer FOMO Forever: Embracing the Joy of Missing Out“

The simple creation of an acronym such as FOMO (the fear of missing out) creates exclusivity. Consequently, creating yet another acronym to combat it is hypocritical as it too requires one to know the meaning without being told, but it was the apprecation for pushback on the former social media acronym that I applauded as while it may have been designed to speak about the current moment one is posting about, it is a celebration of living one’s life with courage, thoughtfulness and clarity.

The quote above speaks to social influence of a mass population: If we don’t know what to do, at least we know if we follow along, we will not be left out or behind. As I mentioned in the introduction of my first book, the only maestro that will create a fulfilling life for each of us is the one we see in the mirror.

But taking on the job of being the maestro is frightening, intimidating and brimming with uncertainty if our journey doesn’t emulate the crowd’s.

But it also opens the only door that will lead to joy and thus true contentment.

When we make decisions from a place of fear, we are not in the driver’s seat. And in order to remain in the car, so to speak, we don’t have our hands on the wheel and must go along with with the journey someone else is navigating. We don’t have the opportunity to respond to our curiosities, something we see out the window that grabs our attention unexpectedly or even stop at the rest stop when our body needs a break.

When we give fear the driver’s seat, we may live, but we have given up the opportunity to live well. Because only we know what is inside of us, consciously or unconsciously, that wishes to be realized and shared with the world. And if the form that it takes is at odds with society’s “approval”, then there will be great pressure to conform. But by living a life ascribing to FOMO dictates, we lose the opportunity to experience true joy.

The Benefits of Choosing JOMO (the joy of missing out)

When we understand how to cultivate joy in our lives, we come to realize as Eckhart Tolle teaches, that joy is found within us, whereas, pleasure is found outside of ourselves. Therefore, when we choose to live a life of joy, we can experience said emotion which is equivalent to contentment, every single day whether we are doing what the masses are doing or not.

~Read a detailed post on The Difference between Pleasure and Joy

We can be happy for others when they do what they enjoy doing and all the while not feel envy or jealousy as we have discovered how to cultivate our own joy in our lives.

The key, as with everything when it comes to living a fulfiling life, is to begin with getting to know yourself (discover how in TSLL’s 1st book and captialize on what you learn with tools shared in TSLL’s 2nd book). Such knowledge remedies what the quote above shares in the reason so many people gravitate and fall into following due to the FOMO: We don’t exactly know what to do, so we do what others are doing.

So much of historical trends, societal expectations and norms are fertilized with the constant sprinkling of FOMO. However, if you choose to live a life inspired by the JOMO, your journey will be like no one else’s even if it has similarities at times to others living now or in the past.

Reading a recent post of Garance Doré’s (which has since been removed, as to why, I am not sure) , in which she speaks about the limiting clichés that American society attempts to place on women, and men as well, based on their age, relationship status or whether or not she or he is a parent, she offered inspiration for celebrating as demonstrated by where she finds herself along her journey – being single, something she has stated is the first time since she was 13, and being child-free at 43, – advocating for society to embrace the variety of ways women and men can live, and live well, while being themselves sincerely, relinquishing the games, the disingenuousness and instead, liberate ourselves.

When we let go of the societal clichés and refuse to let the culture berate us emotionally for not cowering and acquiescing, we cast off the doubt society would have us put on ourselves and the life journey we have discovered to be aligned with our unique strengths and cultivated skills.

Such assumed clichés of desperation if one hasn’t chosen to be married or is no longer married at a certain age or has chosen to live child-free or is without children at a certain age, is the tool society attempts to use to limit people, confine them and attempt to guilt them into being what it wants and supposedly understands. In other words, it wants you to be less if for some reason you have elected not to follow what society applauds collectively.

Modern men as well as modern women perhaps are going through a struggle of consciously letting go of society restraints, and upon doing so, are setting themselves free to be who they fully are and can be, thus strengthening society as a whole if all people recognize the vise grip that unconsciously wanted them to stay within the confines of societal expectation.

It appears to me that a movement is strengthening as more modern women and men are exemplifying lives of being content within themselves and bringing calm and acceptance to those around them without tossing aside their boundaries when society pushes back.

When we refuse to follow because it doesn’t align with our sense of well-being, we begin to lead ourselves along a more authentic path that aligns instead with the person we enjoy being and we begin to build a life we are enthusiastic about living each day. And it is in such a moment that we reach the state of JOMO.

Funny enough, it is by sort of an accident, that we do lead, but it is not a leadership by force, but instead with organic inspiration.

The world will always change, evolve and continue to try to suggest what is better or preferred or “right”, but it is with an open mind and curious attitude dedicated to continuing to learn that we can recognize what is an aha moment and what is a “thanks, but not for me” idea.

When we understand ourselves, but also how the world moves, gets along, and how it has done so in the past, including the knowledge of social, psychological and economical motivators, we can observe, contemplate and feel confident in how we will move with or speak out (either with our actions or our voice) against or suggest or model a new or adjusted ideas that has not yet been introduced. Such is the case with JOMO. A simple concept, but a 180-degree shift in perspective of what had been put forth as the motivation for leading one’s life.

Specific examples of living a life inspired by the JOMO:

A modern woman or man embracing JOMO understands . . .

. . . there will be pressure from society to conform, but when we recognize it for what it is — ignornace, fear of the unknown, a want of power or control over another — we can say no confidently, liberating ourselves and others.

. . . romantic love is not the only rich, nurturing, kind, respectful, enriching love that is available to welcome into our daily lives.

. . . respecting others, no matter how little or significantly they play a role in our lives, is an exercise in respecting ourselves as well. This understanding requires us to communicate clearly and without falsehood or insincerity. And it also recognizes we may have to correct ourselves as bad habits and defaults take time to change, especially if society has rewarded us for behaving disrespectfully (either in subtle or not so subtle ways).

. . . loaded language is a common way for societies to nudge (or guilt) individuals into ascribing to a particular way of living (i.e. “childless”, “unmarried” – both include a negative connotation in either the suffix or prefix to suggest something is lacking). It is when we live more consciously, welcome more knowledge into our lives about the constructs of society, why they were put into place, we can recognize the defaults others may fall into unknowingly when they use such diction in conversation.

. . . meeting, engaging and conversing with people – men or women – during our everyday lives can be a bright moment. Simply being friendly and sincerely engaged in the exchange is a reflection of who we are as a person and not of a wanting something more than the current moment which offers friendly human connection and kindness.

. . . the potential the future holds upon recognizing and refusing to be limited by the confines of societal expectations and savors the present moment in which they find themselves as they, by simply living a life of joy, can model and inspire others to feel comfortable to do the same.

Enjoying the journey moving forward

A modern woman need not be defined by their romantic relationship status or parental status (neither should a modern man, but fewer stigmas are attached to men as opposed to women in our current culture). Welcoming love into our lives, good, real love, is available in so many forms and for each of us will follow its own timeline. It begins with a love for the life we find ourselves in at this very moment — not wishing for something more or fearing we are missing out if certain events or outside opportunities don’t present themselves “on time”.

Love, and thus a discovery of joy, is available via a multitude of avenues and communities. Explore, embrace and nurture where the love is in the journey you are on at this moment because it is uniquely yours and most certainly worth celebrating.

—Queer Eye, Season 3 premiere, Netflix

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #251

~Subscribe to The Simple Sophisticate: iTunes | Stitcher | iHeartRadio | YouTube | Spotify

[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/9039287/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/d0d4b9;color: #6f7056 !important/” width=”100%” height=”90″ scrolling=”no” class=”podcast-class” frameborder=”0″ placement=”bottom” use_download_link=”” download_link_text=”” primary_content_url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/thesimplesophisticate/251JOMO.mp3″ theme=”custom” custom_color=”d0d4b9;color: #6f7056 !important″ libsyn_item_id=”9039287″ /]