Suffering from FOMOMG? It's time to throw away your list of life goals...

I came across the abbreviation FOMOMG for the first time this weekend. Coined by the model, designer and writer Leomie Anderson, FOMOMG (Fear of Missing Out on My Goals) reflects her feeling that she is running out of time to accomplish her dreams.

This is something I can really identify with; I definitely thought I would have a Bafta by now. I spoke to my teenage cousins about their life goals and by the time they are my age they want holiday homes abroad, million-pound salaries and supercars – when did such wildly ambitious goals become a normal part of millennial life? The three of them are obsessed with Instagram and Snapchat, obsessed with how their peers view their lives. Immense wealth is a nice idea, but with more graduates than ever before having to do internships before making any kind of salary, a more realistic goal list might be in order. No 1: move out of Mum’s house.

It got me thinking about the list I created as a teenager. I wasn’t quite as ambitious as the youth of today, but I certainly had hope. First off: “A house, maybe two, by 30.” How precocious. No wonder I wasn’t popular. This hasn’t worked out perfectly. At 32, I live with my partner in a rented, ex-council flat in east London. While we talk about getting on the property ladder on a daily basis, it doesn’t get us any closer. It seems that, if I’m ever able to buy a house at all, I’ll manage it just before I die – so, at least my future children (if I can ever afford them) can inherit it. That’s a firm cross through ambition No 1, then.

Raggamuffin wrote:Life goals are a bit like football goals. They're generally only achieved by a lucky break, a lack of attention from the opposition, and a lucky dive the wrong way by the person trying to stop you getting the goal.

I do think it's good to have some small goals though, otherwise you just trudge on every day repeating what you did the day before. This is why people go on diets, take up going to the gym every new year for a couple of weeks, and start decluttering their houses.

Syl wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:Life goals are a bit like football goals. They're generally only achieved by a lucky break, a lack of attention from the opposition, and a lucky dive the wrong way by the person trying to stop you getting the goal.

I do think it's good to have some small goals though, otherwise you just trudge on every day repeating what you did the day before. This is why people go on diets, take up going to the gym every new year for a couple of weeks, and start decluttering their houses.

I dont really agree with that.
Not having goals doesnt mean you get stuck in a rut, it means you can take any opportunity that comes your way because it will never interfere with any long or short term plans.
Having goals is good for some...ambitious people probably get further in their careers and possibly earn more money....they probably have more stress though..