fomo?

What is FOMO?

FOMO is short for Fear of missing out. 

FOMO is why I started to write this blog, and FOMO is what pushes me out of my comfort zone to learn new things! I mean, you can tell by the name of this blog how badly I am affected by FOMO and Imposter Syndrome. XD

It is not necessarily a bad thing, but in this fast-paced world, it is very easy to fall prey to this newly introduced "disease". Rather, I think it's all perception! It's all fun and games till you use it to grow, but it can get depressing real fast! 

Much like my generation**, I am addicted to social media, and it is the first thing I do after waking up. Everyone is doing so much! You open LinkedIn or Twitter (X), and almost everyone is doing better than me! 

I see 21-year-olds launching startups and becoming millionaires, people publishing groundbreaking research, and my peers getting hired at a much higher package than me. And no matter how nonchalant you try to be, these things are bound to affect you one day or the other.

It is not unusual if you feel that you're too behind your peers and you have so much to accomplish!

All of us need to understand one thing: we post only the good things that happen to us on social media. Even an "I got laid off" post from someone has a hidden flaunt! Therefore, the things we see are a very concentrated set of achievements, which makes us feel bad about ourselves.

Try following the journey of a single person, and you will know exactly what I mean. Now, I understand that there are people who are overachievers and hard workers, but why do you want to compare yourself with them if you are not ready to solve a thousand LeetCode questions? 

Achievements require hard work, perseverance and mindset. And if you truly have the Fear of missing out, you will put in everything you have in order to achieve. 

In my previous organisation, I used to work at least 12-15 hours a day for all 7 days straight without rest year after year. Because I truly had the fear of missing out, and I wanted to catch up with my peers. 

Was I successful? 

Yes. 

But I lost a lot. I had to rebuild the relationships with my friends. My health deteriorated, and I lost the child inside of me. 

There is always debate about whether life is a zero-sum game, and I always find myself supporting this statement. You have 24 hours, and you have to prioritise and make peace with your decision.

A lot of people say, "There is no work-life balance in your 20s, if you want to be successful.", but is this something you really want? Are you ready to put in the work? Or do you want only the highs? 

My peers who started their job alongside me could not grow to the same level, but they were always jealous. They even debated their increment levels and demanded the same promotions as me. LOL

I always tried to help them and share resources for them to grow, but they never acted. 

"Anchit, how do you read so much?" "It was hard in the beninging."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vacJSHN4ZmY&pp=0gcJCfwAo7VqN5tD

However, not all were villains. I did have some very nice people around me who were always happy to see me grow, and I am very grateful to them. 🙏

If what I said sounds doable, and you are all in, you can make it. But you have to give up everything and go sort of underground for 6 months. LOL

How can this be a good thing?

If you are comfortable where you are, there will be no growth. 

If you feel you are better than everyone else, you will soon be left behind.

I think it's best if you channel this fear and jealousy as the fuel to drive you to your success.

For actual growth, you have to keep on pushing. It's always the bigger car, better neighbourhood and fancier restaurants. Some people went on to become millionaires and billionaires in the same lifetime from nothing, and here we are, getting depressed about not being able to get the latest iPhone!

Woh bhi toh insan hi hain?

It is something which my grandmother used to tell my mother, and then my mother later used to tell me. It basically means they are also human, so why can't you do that too? 

You really want to become an IAS or an Entrepreneur? Why don't you start somewhere first?  Read that book, reach out to that person, launch that product, but start somewhere!

How is FOMO a good thing for me? It is because it is what drives me! I never want to be the smartest person in the room because if this happens, I am in the wrong room. I always want to be the hardest-working person in the room!

And probably this mindset is the only reason I got my Job. I literally said this during my interview. XD

 If you have FOMO, it means that your brain is aware of your potential and is giving you signs that there is scope for you to do better. And this is good!

Dumb people are always the happiest!

Instead of thinking about how everyone is doing better than you, how about you try to learn what they are doing? Soon enough, you'll have your own idea! 

Being depressed or jealous is not a good choice; instead, think of it as a challenge or competition and begin your preparation.

Every success post you see online should hurt your ego. And when it does, you have already covered half your journey.

I should also warn you about the burnout. No matter how strong you are, somewhere around the 4th to 5th year at the maximum, you will feel very, very burnt out and you will have no motivation to do it anymore! 

My mother and seniors always warned me about it, but I still wanted to continue. Now, I am finding ways myself.

So it is also important to take time off from time to time. Else, you might want to change your domain entirely and start from scratch! Who knows, maybe I will? Nahhhh AI is too good! 

What do I do to overcome it?

I have two simple rules:

1. Add everything I see onto my reading list.

2. Read everything I have in my reading list.

"Really?" No, just kidding. I have a huge backlog. LOL

What I have actually done is identify some key people in my industry, and I watch their activity very closely on Twitter, Reddit and LinkedIn.

Every major tool that comes out, I get notified within 30 minutes. 

Along with that, I follow a couple of newsletters and social media aggregators relevant to my industry.

Like I said, I am addicted to social media, so why not use it to my advantage? Instead of doom-scrolling reels on Instagram, I spend time on these sources to check out what is happening in around AI.

No matter how dumb it sounds, it is enough. I have been able to come up with good suggestions for almost every problem we have faced till now.

That is all you have to do: read daily and work-hard. Filter the noise and there is no way you are not successful. 

Something which my mother suggests and I find it working always is to find your own definition of hard work. It could be 10 hours or it could be 2. All you have to do is look yourself in the mirror before you sleep and ask yourself, did you do your best?

But these are just my thoughts. Who knows, maybe something else works out for you?  Let me know, I want to try it too! 

I hope this gives you something to think about at night today before you finally sleep!

Anchit

**By generation, I mean the cool GenZ, not the other boomer A, B, C, alpha, beta, gamma. I mean the ones who saw social media come into mainstream because I belong to the 2000s millennial category who shamelessly change their teams from the 90s to the 00s depending on the situation. Real Diplomats!