The New FOMO

Once upon a time, I feared missing out on the fun.

Not being at the party, not getting the latest game, not keeping up with the new TikTok jokes. I was worried I was a loser in the realm of pleasure—relationships, novelty, drunken nights, dopamine rushes.

But now?

Now I’m scared of missing out on the work.

I find myself anxious, not because I’m skipping social plans, but because I’m not sharpening my mind. Because I’m not writing. Because I’m not learning. Because somewhere, there’s a conversation being had—a meaningful one—that I’m not equipped to participate in yet.

It’s not about keeping up appearances anymore. It’s about catching up to my potential. Tonight, I’ll watch an episode of Survivor. I’ll tell myself I deserve a break. That I don’t want to be one of those work-obsessed people who can’t relax. But I’ll know, in the back of my mind, that I’m delaying my growth. That the fire in me wants to study, write, improve my speech, and contribute to the moment I live in.

Instead of becoming the dude my friends would like, I’m developing into the man my family will look to for help—the man I want my children to become.

The fear of missing out hasn’t left me.

It’s just evolved.