FOMO and JOMO

I've had to go to NYC for a tradeshow Thanksgiving weekend for the last several years. We would all commiserate about that show - it would overshadow Thanksgiving and was our least favorite trip of the year. NYC is a cool place to be during the holidays, so we would make the best of it, but the cab ride back to the airport on the way home was always our favorite cab ride of the year. 

So I was super excited to miss that trip this year. I woke up Saturday morning thinking about how all of my former colleagues were probably complaining and making their way NYC, and I had a little case of FOMO (fear of missing out). I had more JOMO (joy of missing out lol) but was surprised that I missed any of it. 

So I decided to take advantage of being home for the weekend. The weather was great, so I made my 3-mile trek around the park (I'm quickly becoming obsessed with doing this, which is so not normal for me). I thought a lot about how much my life has changed in the last two months, and it still seems surreal. Leaving my job was a difficult decision and not one that I took likely. 

I took a week off work and put myself through a decision-making boot camp so that I could weigh out my options objectively. I was afraid of making the "wrong" decision, but that doesn't exist, it's just a trade-off. I don't have to do expense reports anymore, but I do have to buy my office supplies. I don't have to hop on airplanes anymore, but I am on a tight budget while I build my business. 

It's funny because even though I know there isn't a right/wrong decision, I still expected there to be a clear sign or signal that I made the right or wrong decision. You know, like a video game. I either made it to level 3, or I have to start over and try again. Nope. Life just keeps on keeping on, and this will eventually become my new normal. 

There are many areas of my new life that I am obsessed with, and that's a new feeling. Lol. I have no idea what my life will look like a year from now, and that's pretty exciting, because it has been incredibly predictable for a really long time. 

As I was finishing my walk, I said good morning to a woman sitting on a bench, and she looked at me without missing a beat and said, "you dumb bitch!" I was like "Mom, is that you??" jk jk But it totally caught me off guard and seemed pretty intense for a 9am exchange. 

Then I realized she was a homeless woman, and just angry at the world. She kept screaming as I continued to walk, so I got my little taste of NYC after all and added "learn how to use Mace" to my to-do list. 

I will miss my coworkers, clients, and my old job from time to time, and that's okay. It's part of the process. I am also meeting new people, making new friends, and working with new clients. And I'm totally digging that action.

Machele Galloway is a Certified Life Coach through The Life Coach School. She's based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and specializes in helping her clients manage their time and their minds. She firmly believes that you can't manage one without managing the other. She virtually coaches women nationwide. If she isn't coaching clients, she is studying concepts and techniques. And if she isn't doing that, she's probably playing with a dog somewhere. If you are interested in working with Machele, click here to schedule your free consultation to find out if it’s a good fit for you.

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