Four Letters That Promote a Long Word
June, 2018
A Joy-Making Acronym
I’m in love with an acronym! It is new to me but has been around for a few years. Definitions found in the online Urban Dictionary suggest this acronym surfaced in 2013-2014.
I predict introverts are more likely to relate to this four-letter acronym while extroverts grapple with its opposite.
Any guesses?
The acronym is JOMO and it stands for the Joy Of Missing Out. Yes, the joy.
Have you ever been invited to three events all happening on the same day, or even the same weekend? (This seems to happen most often during holiday seasons.) Someone with FOMO, or the Fear of Missing Out, will scramble to attend each event even if it makes life more chaotic, or if it means they don’t really get the most out of any of the three activities. Concern about missing something (and possibly regretting it afterward) outweighs any other considerations such as costs incurred, energy levels depleted etc.
I bet someone with JOMO would be more likely to decline two if not all three of the invites. Someone with JOMO might want to attend each of the events if they weren’t all happening on the same day. That decision could be influenced by circumstances (such as a work deadline that prevents scheduling leisure or entertainment activities) or personal preferences (such as a “less is more” belief system) or numerous other factors.
JOMO is a perfect description of the payoff that comes from the pursuit of manageability. That is a long word that is not terribly sexy. In fact, it might make you stifle a yawn but I am stumping for manageability because I believe it directly correlates to joy.
When life is unmanageable, we typically feel overwhelmed. I have never met a person who was both overwhelmed and joyful. As a result, I’d argue that manageability is quite desirable.
Sometimes, there may be joy in manageability’s opposite: chaos. For example, a roller coaster brings temporary chaos, and folks wait in long lines for that kind of joy ride. But, chaos on a steady, ongoing diet? I don’t think there’s joy in that. It gets old. And it depletes our stores of adrenaline, too.
This electronic age has huge benefits but it also floods us with nonstop stimulation. We are constantly receiving enticements to overcommit our energy and time. If we can find a way to unplug not just from our electronic devices but from any other form of overstimulation on a regular basis, both JOMO and manageability await.
Who's with me in this quest for more manageability? I’d love to hear your JOMO tales.
Comments on this blog post are welcome — see the bottom of this page.
Prompts For Joy
Click here to enjoy great suggestions for those who are graduating this month, (but also for anyone, really).
Click here for a swimming experience that might surprise you.
(Thank you, Claudette Bergman!)
Click here for all previous Prompts for Joy.
Pictured Above
Curious child and praying mantis, El Paso, Texas. Or is it praying child and curious mantis? My dad captured my curiosity at a time when so much less competed for my attention. Photo by Geoffrey Clark.
