Throughout my life, I’ve struggled with confidence and stepping outside my comfort zone, which often left me with FOMO (fear of missing out).
That fear pushed me to make some big decisions:
- Joining peewee hockey at age 12 to experience being part of “the guys”
- Moving thousands of kilometers across Canada in my early twenties to carve out my own path
- Starting a coaching business & podcast with the hopes of using my life experiences for a greater purpose
- Each of these decisions was scary because the outcome was unknown. They were risks.
When Risks Don’t Go As Planned
Not every choice born from FOMO turns out the way we hope:
- After graduating high school, I tried out for a Canadian junior A football team with my best friends. They made the cut, and I was sent back to the drawing board.
- After passing three of my real estate exams, my passion faded, and I gave up the journey to become a realtor.
- I even took a chance on love and married a woman from Central America—but just over a year into the marriage, it all fell apart.
These weren’t failures as much as they were lessons in risk, resilience, and redirection.
The Deeper Struggle
At a deeper level, the real struggle isn’t FOMO itself—it’s the fear of missing the mark for meaning in our lives.
It’s the fear of not living up to the hopes and desires of our hearts… and the impact that has on our self-image, reputation, and relationships.
We often wrestle between two forces:
- The desire to grow, expand, and embrace the unknown
- The comfort of safety, predictability, and routine
If you find yourself caught in the middle, ask yourself:
- Is the pain of staying the same becoming greater than the pain of risking change?
- When I look back on my life, what would leave me with more regret—playing it safe, or taking a chance on myself?
Getting Back on the Path
This week, spend intentional time reflecting on the big moments that pushed you out of your comfort zone—the risks you took, the ones that gave you an adrenaline rush, and the leaps of faith that paid off… or didn’t.
For each event, ask yourself:
- How did this experience shape me?
- Did it teach me to adapt to future challenges?
- How did it help me grow, improve my confidence, or learn new skills?
- Even in failure, what lessons did it teach me that contributed to who I am today?
Finally, take some quiet, uninterrupted time to tune in to your inner guide—the instinct, intuition, or gut feeling that’s been nudging you toward change.
This time, answer the call.
After all… you’ll never know until you try.
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