I AM fond of making up acronyms. But my children call some of them jargon, which we have learned to be barriers to effective communication. Will I stop making new ones? Maybe not. But I should start phasing out seldom-used ones. I have started to mark them for phaseout soon.
Why do I use acronyms? As I use certain terms frequently and repeatedly, it saves time. I also believe that when you read an acronym you are familiar with, the whole word pops up in your mind, and gets embedded and retained longer. For example, our acronym of "JDI" is not read as "JDI" but as "Just Do It," or "YYC" is read as "Yes You Can"; at least, that's how I believe most people who know their meanings, would read and think.
I was so happy to find confirmation for use of acronyms when I was reading a book entitled "Stress Less," recently gifted to me, by my favorite eldest brother, Sunny Junior. One of the articles, "Fear Of Missing Out" had the acronym "FOMO" written below it.
What does FOMO mean?
Nowadays, most people are on social media and do Facebook. I don't. I chose not to have a Facebook account. I know it takes time to be browsing and communicating, sometimes, needlessly.
I am also not updated on friends, acquaintances, and celebrities.
What do people post? Usually, people do not post pictures of themselves when they are at work, in challenging situations, or in sad circumstances. People post pictures of themselves on vacation, in beautiful places, in happy circumstances. Online lives look greater or cooler than they really are. One wouldn't know if that beautiful vacation trip, brand new car, or new house posted online was the result of savings accumulated over many years from backbreaking work, or a result of swiping a credit card to be paid over the next few years.
Offline, they could be in worse circumstances than ours.
What messages do the amazing and fun pictures "create" in our subconscious? We find ourselves asking: "What am I doing here? Why am I working here? I like to be in their place!"
Suddenly, your contented bubble pops! Now you feel inadequate, insecure, demoralized, jealous, envious, and sometimes, even lonely. As the writer Jasmin Kirkbride said, "We have all been there - FOMO is a beast. Don't let FOMO win!
How? Don't visit or follow the profiles of people who you know will make you feel sad or envious.
Yes, the key word is envy.
The popular poem, "Desiderata," says it perfectly: "If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself... Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time."
MY DEAREST MICHAEL, FAMILY, FRIENDS AND STAFF,
I would be laughed at and scorned if I say, "Don't do Facebook."
Billions have Facebook and the number keeps growing every minute.
Marketing has gone digital. People shop and purchase online. Even your favorite McDonald's Chicken McDo and French Fries are just a click away. I can only say, choose what you want to see in social media. You know what negatively affects you, makes you dissatisfied, makes you unhappy, makes you envious. Avoid them.
Chances are, even the most beautiful face, skin, and body you see on social media, that makes you envious and dissatisfied with yourself, has been altered, curated and even photoshopped!
Just get out. Don't look at that profile or open his or her page.
To sum it up, address FOMO, with "Be happy. DNC!" (do not compare) Galatians 6:4-6 "Do not compare yourself with others. Just look at your own work to see if you have done anything to be proud of. You must each accept the responsibilities that are yours."