Struggling with Entrepreneurial FOMO? 4 Ways to Deal with It

Log in to any social media platform and you’re likely to see beautiful images of people living their seemingly perfect lives. While many discussions of social media focus on its effect on individuals, entrepreneurs can be just as vulnerable to its effects.

According to the Oxford Dictionary[1], the fear of missing out (FOMO) means, “anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on social media.”

But, in the midst of today’s highly digital society, how can entrepreneurs cope with FOMO?

Dealing with Entrepreneurial FOMO

For entrepreneurs, dealing with FOMO can mean hard work. As you interact on social media, you may find yourself surrounded by news, images, and clips of people working in prestigious locations, attending conferences, achieving business awards, and getting a constant stream of business deals.

But remember, as with all marketing, entrepreneurs carefully choose what they present on social media. What you see may even have been constructed by a marketing agency, photographed professionally, or have been staged and heavily edited.

Dealing with FOMO isn’t always easy. The fear of missing an opportunity to do a podcast, promote your products, or interact with your audience can be overwhelming.

As a virtual assistant in a highly competitive market, I’ve even encountered such moments too. And as a virtual assistant to coaches, podcasters, and other entrepreneurs, I’ve seen some of my clients deal with it as well.

So, I’d like to share some of the ways that I’ve dealt with FOMO in today’s highly digital world.

1. Recognize FOMO as superficial.

Be honest: Do you actually want to do the things you feel like you’re missing out on when scrolling through social media?

For instance, as my virtual assistant team started to grow, I wanted only a few specific things: respect, success, and financial security for my family.

What I never coveted? Going to high-end gatherings and looking significant. Yet, that’s exactly what I started to feel I was missing out on. Why? Because that’s what people who were suddenly my ‘peers’ seemed to be doing – attending high-class social events, driving fancy cars, and making high-end deals. So, I thought that these were things I was supposed to be doing.

But then I asked myself, ‘Why?’ Why do I think I should do these things?