Is Your FIFO Greater Than Your FOMO?

FOMO is a buzzword that has recently appeared in our culture meaning Fear Of Missing Out. Our society is plagued with people feeling like they are on the outside looking in. With everyone’s highlight reel of their best moments on social media, others unnecessarily become discouraged with a real view of their own life. FOMO can cause you to make rash decisions in the moment. It causes a play now, pay later cycle of life.

Rather than suffering from FOMO, people need to be guided by what I call, “FIFO”…Faith In Future Opportunities. Discipline activates when you believe there is something better in the future than what you experience in the present. People that have a strong sense of FIFO tend to pay now in order to play later. They see the future with optimism and hope. This causes them to delay their instant gratification for future greatness. French poet Victor Hugo said, “The future has several names. For the weak, it is impossible. For the fainthearted, it is unknown, but for the valiant, it is ideal.”

Throughout the 60s and 70s, Walter Mischel conducted testing at Stanford University that become known as the Marshmallow Test. Children were put in a room by themselves with one single marshmallow. They were told they could choose to either eat the marshmallow immediately or wait for an extended amount of time and receive more. Only 3 out of 10 children could resist the urge to eat the marshmallow instantly. What’s fascinating is that 30 years after the study was completed, research was done to determine what happened to the test subjects later in life as adults. They found that they “Delayers” were predominately more successful in life overall. However, the “Non-Delayers” were 30% more likely to be overweight, suffer from drug addictions, and have a record of criminal activity.

Truly, something invigorating happens to us when we have patience and expectancy for the future. When there is a sense of hope for the future, there is a surge of power in the present. Those who’s FIFO is greater than their FOMO will increase their discipline to be more successful down the road.

Here are some signs your FIFO is greater than your FOMO…

• You are Patient rather than Brash
• You are Optimistic rather than Pessimistic
• You are Motivated rather than Apathetic
• You are Flexible rather than Stubborn
• You are Committed rather than flighty