FOMO fundamentally stems from a deep-seated human fear—the anxiety that life is passing us by while we remain stationary. This instinctive fear is rooted in our desire to belong and avoid being left out. In the modern world, it manifests as a relentless pursuit of the next event, opportunity, or possibility that seems to promise everything. However, if everything is significant, then nothing truly holds value. Gary Keller’s book, The One Thing, emphasizes the importance of focus—selecting what is most important and allowing it to guide our decisions. The principles of essentialism and Marie Kondo’s advice to retain only what ‘sparks joy’ reinforce this notion: life becomes clearer when choices are made deliberately rather than being cluttered with excess.
Nonetheless, life is not one-dimensional. Design thinking promotes exploration, testing, and experimentation before arriving at decisions. This reflects the philosophy of Designing Your Life (DYL)—to approach choices as experiments, trying different paths instead of feeling trapped. The true skill lies in achieving balance: permitting ourselves to explore broadly during times of uncertainty, while also honing in with certainty when something resonates. While FOMO keeps us perpetually wandering and hesitant to commit, JOMO allows us to close doors without regret, understanding that what remains is more significant. Social media exacerbates FOMO by showcasing endless highlight reels that make us feel perpetually behind.
The solution lies not in more scrolling, but in embracing stillness—taking a step back, making conscious choices, and resisting the urge for constant comparison. Just as a painting requires blank space to be impactful, our lives also need moments of emptiness—not always filled with activity, but simply with presence. Choosing less does not equate to missing out; rather, it means fully appreciating what we have selected. This subtle yet profound shift transitions us from a mindset of fear to one of love, where JOMO signifies not emptiness, but a richness that emerges from uniting ourselves fully.