FOMO – What are you missing out on?

FOMO happens. Don’t let it control you.

 

How do we define FOMO? It’s the fear of missing out.  But for many parents who work, it goes well beyond FOMO and into other territory.

When we work from 9-5, we inevitably miss precious moments.

You know those things that happen in life that we wish we could keep bottled forever?  When we work, we miss out on them.

This is not designed to make parents feel guilty, and it is not about whether parents should work or stay home and look after children.  Far from it.  Because families need to whatever they’ve got to do that’s best for the family as a whole. End of story.  There is no judgement from me on any of that.

This is for the parents that WANT to change their relationship with the 9-5 office environment to change the dynamic in their house.

We are all different.  For some, working at home is not a desirable option.  I get that.  I also get the parents who are over the 9-5 and want to spend more time with their families.  And the parents (predominantly mums but I know it happens to dads too), who start to feel the anxiety build on Sunday night, knowing that from Monday morning the family time is over and it is all systems go – packing up the kids for childcare, kinder or school, the groans about not wanting to go, and for the really little ones, the tears.  There’s the getting yourself ready and attempting to look professional. Then going to work feeling exhausted before you even begin.  And if you’re lucky, you earn enough money to cover the cost of childcare with a bit to spare.

Sometimes you have to wonder if it’s all worth it.  And you hear yourself thinking … “What am I missing out on?”

But you keep doing it.  Because you feel like you have to.  You may have the fear of running out of money. Or the fear of missing out on that promotion. Or the fear of putting that degree to waste (the one you’re probably still paying off).

At the end of the day though, is life passing you by?  Are you missing out on the good stuff – the stuff that matters?

 

 

Is a childcare worker seeing your child’s first steps rather than you?  How do you feel when you pick up your child or children from childcare, and the carer relays something awesome to you about what your child did?  Like some magic quote that your child came out with.  Or something they mastered that filled you with pride.

What are those moments you are missing out on?

• Athletics carnivals?
• Swimming days?
• Helping in the classroom?
• Dress rehearsals for concerts?
• School drop offs and pick ups?
• School assemblies?
• Awards and presentations?
• The cake stall?
• Preparing for school events?
• Helping the teachers with school excursions?

 

Where does life fit in? And family – when do you get real time for that?

When I look back, the happiest times of my life were when I was at home with our kids when they were little.  Exploring new places with them. Teaching them new things.  Watching them learn and grow and love life.

And slowly as they got a bit older I started to work more.  Before I knew it I was working all the time. Tired all the time.  Unhappy about missing out on the moments.  Desperately wanting to be at home, but wanting and needing to contribute financially.  Anxious about being called at work because one of them was sick.  Taking my phone to every meeting knowing that any time I could be called to pick them up from kinder or school. Anxious about getting to work late or having to leave early because of something out of my control.

 

Life is what you make it

Don’t stay stuck.  Don’t stay wishing that your life were different.  Don’t keep feeling sad that you’re missing out on the moments that matter to you.

 

You CAN change your life

Take action.  Seriously consider learning a new skill that will allow you to transition out of the office lifestyle into a career from home.

There are options available to you.  I see people making these choices every day, and they never look back.

Go on – research Wealthy Affiliate here.  Consider it. Let it roll around in your mind.  You can sign up for free and see if it resonates with you.  If it doesn’t, that’s OK.  If it does, you might just change your life forever, opening up possibilities that you never dreamed were available to you.  I’m here to tell you they ARE available to you.  They are available EVERYONE.

You can also read my post here about Who Wealthy Affiliate is for.  Are you on that list?

 

 

 

Leave me a comment or question below and I’m happy to help.