Unlearning the Fear of Missing Out

We live in a world where people measure success by the things they own–the new luxury bag, the car upgrade, the next trip abroad. Conversations often circle around who has what, and it’s easy to start questioning yourself. Am I behind? Am I doing enough?

I’ve never been the person obsessed with collecting luxury things, but when you hear people around you constantly talking about them, it seeps into you. I used to feel like maybe I was lacking, maybe my achievements weren’t enough compared to theirs. It’s strange how easily comparison sneaks in–whether it’s about things you don’t own or the people you want to belong to.

That same feeling showed up in friendships too. There was a time I joined a new group who made me feel included and alive. But slowly, they started leaving me out of plans. I’d see their pictures together and immediately think, Maybe I’m not good enough. Maybe that’s why they’re excluding me. That sting of missing out wasn’t just about the plans–it was about questioning my worth.

But here’s what I’ve slowly unlearned: FOMO feeds on the idea that life is happening better somewhere else. The truth is, life is always happening right here, with me. The more I compared, the smaller I felt. The moment I stopped measuring myself against what others were doing, I realized I had my own version of abundance–in quiet nights with my journal, in slow mornings, in building things that felt meaningful to me.

Missing out no longer feels like a loss. It feels like space. And in that space, I’ve discovered that my life doesn’t need to look like anyone else’s to be full.

Maybe missing out was never the problem. Maybe it was the gift. Because in that space, I found JOMO–the joy of belonging fully to my own story, without needing to borrow someone else’s.