von Dr. Nikolaus Braun
Dear Sir or Madam,
Before you set out to achieve or experience as much as possible in the coming year, take a moment to pause:
FOMO, the Fear of Missing Out, seems to be the epidemic of our time.
• Dozens of emails every day
• What’s happening on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Insta?
• Daily hot investment tips on financial entertainment sites
• When was the last time you checked your news app—or (like me) The Onion?
• 17 dessert options at the buffet
• So many new series on Netflix, Amazon Prime, ARD Mediathek, or Disney Plus
• 3,353 ETFs available for investment in Germany—396 of them covering the U.S. market alone
• 48 vacation rentals in Tuscany that match your search criteria
• Where to go at all? Italy, Spain, the U.S., or maybe the North Sea instead...?
• 25 books stacked up for summer vacation
• Two dozen fascinating tutorials, blog posts, and YouTube videos on investing
We will miss out on almost everything anyway
Whether it’s toxic, entertaining, or meaningful options—one thing is certain: We will miss out on almost everything. With every decision we make, we forgo—whether we like it or not—100 other possibilities. And that leaves us with the unsettling thought: I didn’t get the best possible option. The suspicion creeps in: Others must have had better experiences, chosen better things—the better e-bike, the optimal investment, the more beautiful vacation.
The Internet accelerates FOMO
This has always been the case, but the internet has only made the problem worse. At times, we seem practically glued to our smartphones. Constant busyness and distractions wear on our nerves. Even trying to cram more and more into our limited time through better time management is a dead end—it only intensifies the problem instead of alleviating it.
Life is not an endless to-do list
Once again: We will miss out on almost everything. But that’s actually a liberating realization—if you change your perspective. Life is not an endless to-do list. It is the scarcity of time, resources, and opportunities that gives our decisions meaning. Trade a little (or a lot of) money for time: Put your phone on airplane mode and go for a run, take a walk, spend a weekend in the mountains, visit the zoo with your children, curl up on the couch with a book… Do just one thing—nothing else.
There is a cure for FOMO: JOMO, the Joy of Missing Out. Give it a try.
Wishing you a happy, healthy, and fulfilling 2024,
Your
Nikolaus Braun
Neunundvierzig Honorarberatung
30/12/2023
