Happiness = JOMO: The Joy of Missing Out

I currently live in Barcelona, Spain, one of the most vibrant cities in Europe, where every day countless priorities compete for my attention. I have numerous contacts—both old and new—that I could reach out to, and endless opportunities to meet new people. There are dozens of places I could visit, and even more that I haven’t yet explored. Concerts, events, shows, city-wide celebrations—you name it, Barcelona has it. And if that weren’t enough, I could easily catch a plane to anywhere in Europe or beyond for even more mental stimulation.

What I’m trying to say is that before, I used to experience FOMO—Fear Of Missing Out. I was afraid of missing out on major activities, unsure when the next opportunity would come along. If I missed something, I felt like I’d fallen out of the loop, as if I’d missed world-changing news that would impact my life. Everyone else would know about it, while I was left behind.

Now, I’ve embraced JOMO—Joy Of Missing Out. I find joy in being left alone—to sleep, to do nothing, or simply to exist. I look forward to uninterrupted work, grinding through eight hours of focused productivity. I even tell people not to text or call me, and I don’t check messages until around 19h. I dedicate my time only to those I truly care about, with some exceptions.

Recently, I traveled to Norway to see the Aurora, the Northern Lights. People told me how lucky I was to do it and that it is on many people’s bucket lists. For me, honestly, I didn’t even want to be there. My friends really wanted to go, so I went with them, but I couldn’t fully enjoy it. I was fully in JOMO mode.

This may sound unhealthy, as if I’m an introvert. However, it’s not true, as I’m a hardcore extrovert. My JOMO comes from actually traveling a lot and seeing many things equivalent to the Northern Lights. I’m not saying this to brag or because it’s a so-called “quality problem.”

I say this because I believe JOMO is healthy. There are just too many “hungry” people—hungry for news, activities, friends, stimulation, and anything else they want to experience. They suffer from FOMO. Me? I’m JOMO, and it puts everything into perspective. I’m like that character in every teen movie who doesn’t care what anyone thinks because they live in abundance, while everyone else wants to be them.

JOMO is liberating. With FOMO, people often sacrifice their standards and self-esteem to do things they wouldn’t otherwise choose. With JOMO, you pick exactly what you want, aligning your life more closely with your ideal vision.

I hope everyone can experience JOMO, even if just for a while. Too much JOMO might lead to egoism, detachment, or complacency, but the world has too many FOMO-driven people—too much unnecessary unhappiness, negativity, and suffering.

I’m not saying everyone should move to Barcelona to find JOMO. My journey to JOMO began with my pursuit of happiness, so I can go to many other cities and experience JOMO because I’m happy, and this happiness shapes my life, environment, and lifestyle. Location matters, but it’s not a universal solution.

As I wrote in my blog post, Would You Rather Cry in a BMW Than Smile on a Bicycle?, you can give people everything they think they need, and they might still remain unhappy and unfulfilled. This paradoxically affects many wealthy people, as I explored in 100 Celebrities Who Committed Suicide & Their Stories.

JOMO is important and should be a goal for everyone—to experience abundance. Once you do, you’ll know you’ve truly made it. But you don’t need to be wealthy on paper to achieve this abundance. Internal wealth—aka happiness—matters most, and money only partially explains happiness. Most people already have enough to be happy.

To embrace JOMO, you need the “J” for Joy. You need happiness. This website teaches people how to find exactly that.

So stay happy, and experience JOMO!