You’ve heard of FOMO, the Fear of Missing Out. Social media essentially created FOMO, this feeling of anxiety or jealousy about what others are doing that you’re not.
I rarely get FOMO. In fact, I embrace JOMO, the Joy of Missing Out.
I love when I don’t have plans. If I have plans and they get canceled, I’m not sad. I’d rather hang out with my kids and go to bed early than go to a party and hang out with drunk people.
Maybe it’s the introvert in me; maybe it’s the tired working mom side. I’m not sure but all I can say is I take pleasure in doing my own simple life and feeling no need to participate in what the masses are doing at any given moment.
Except when it comes to running full marathons.
I miss this season. I miss everything about it. But it’s not mine right now and that’s okay.
Having Marathon FOMO
I get serious FOMO whenever I see someone else running or training for a full marathon. Between the recent Boston and London marathons, plus the excitement of my upcoming hometown favorite, the Fargo Marathon, I’m feeling it big time.
See, I LOVE a full marathon. But not just the reward of running the race itself on the day. I LOVE the process of training for a full marathon.
I love planning all my runs then feeling the satisfaction of hitting my weekly mileage goals. I love the feeling of being sore and spending time foam rolling, icing, and taping up my body. I love nourishing my body even more excessively than my usual excess (code: I love to eat). I love extra weekend rest after those 16, 18, and 20 mile long runs.
Just as much as I enjoy the elation of running on marathon day, I love the routine, discipline, and the hard work that goes into it.
Odd, I know.
Be In Your Season
This all made me think about a piece I recently wrote for another blog about seasons of life. I’ve decided that life is less about your age and more about the season of life you’re in at any given time.
Think about it. We are all in different seasons, at any given time in our lives. Many people embarked on marriage and parenthood in their 20s, both of which I did not experience until my 30s. Others were career-focused early on in life, while some find their calling two or more decades after high school.
After changing priorities and lifestyle in my mid-20s, I found running. Those mid-20s to mid-30s, I was in that marathon season of my life. I ran at least one marathon every year, not to mention numerous other races. Oh, so many races.
This is my season now and I’m here for it.
Now, I have two young boys. My job is challenging and demanding. Sure, I could “make time” to train for a marathon, strictly speaking getting in the miles. It’s the rest of the process I cannot make time for right now. There are so many things that take my mental and physical energy, I simply do not have enough left over to put in all the work needed.
How to Manage FOMO
When I start feeling that FOMO for my marathon running friends, I remind myself that this isn’t my season to run full marathons. It’s just not. I am making that choice and I am very much okay with it.
I share this story to remind you to live in your season. If you find yourself feeling jealous or having FOMO, it may be because you’re not in the season to be there.
Everything in life requires time, energy, and focus, all of which are finite. Where we choose to put our time, energy and focus is one of the most powerful choices we get to make. And I know where I’m putting mine, the season I am in, is exactly where I want to be…even with those little twinges of FOMO!
I’ll end with a great quote I once heard from a CEO who shared her advice for working mothers: “You can have it all…just not all at once.”
That’s enough for now. Until next time,
Lindsay