One of the many things us “oldsters” are learning from the younger generation is not only how to text faster and with more dexterity, but how to communicate using only a few letters.
For example: Having seen the letters LOL salted in at the end of a message for some time, I finally learned that they stood for “Laugh Out Loud.” I initially interpreted them to mean “Lots of Luck.” (A subtle, but very important difference.)
The letters FOMO had me flummoxed for quite some time, but soon they began to take on a new meaning in my “happening” alphabetical vernacular: Fear of Missing Out.
Right or wrong, I equated this uneasy feeling to a more familiar reminder… “It always appears greener on the other side of the fence.”
Marketing guru Seth Godin recently reported on FOMO and associated it with the response to blindly following the crowd in an attempt to stay on top of “everything” while not falling victim to simply “watching” the parade pass by.
Instead of fretting about missing the unknown, why not recognize all the positive things you have accomplished in your life, and all the good you have done up to this point in time. I am not referring that your work is done… not by a long shot. But as my good friend Stuart Cohen often reminds us: “You must showcase an attitude of gratitude.”
FOMO can mirror another error often made by those in the travel business. That is the tendency to avoid missing out on every profitable possibility that surfaces by trying to be all things to all people.
Without becoming too complacent, maybe it is time we stop worrying about what we might be missing, and start focusing on what we already have. And what you already have is beginning to appear like “The Perfect Storm.” You already have a number of preferred supplier relationships; You already have access to virtually every major resort and destination in the entire world; You already have an immediate market that is growing more antsy by the minute getting ready to break out of their confinement; You already have a sincere and genuine willingness to help people make better travel-related decisions; and You already have a healthy mindset knowing your life is about to become better with each passing day.
It is time we put FOMO to rest and replace it with ILMA. (I Love My Accomplishments)
**Let’s have some fun. Email me your personal definition/meaning of ILMA. mike@mikemarchev.com
Mike Marchev is always looking for a few more proactive travel professionals to join his Sales and Marketing Club. Send for details.
mike@mikemarchev.com.
