I was in Mallorca and Menorca this past September for a bike trip with a group of 12 friends. The bike riding was epic, hard, and beautiful. You didn't come here to this blog to hear about my bike ride. You came for the enlightenment. Here it is.
On the first day of the trip, our trip leader reiterated to all of us that this is your own vacation. You get to do with it as you please. If you aren't feeling it that day, then don't do it. If you want to do more, than do it. Just because this trip is organized doesn't mean there are limits to your activity. And then she said, "you have heard of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), but what we like to teach is JOMO (Joy of Missing Out)."
My mind was blown. How did I not ever come up with this on my own? I loved it instantly. This phrase has become mine ever since. This phrase exactly represents how I feel without the guilt of saying "no" to that activity, event, or concert.
This JOMO, gives you permission to sit out, and frees you of the constraint of self-doubt when something else is going on. You now have the acronym that says, "hey, you chose to miss out and you're happy about it, good for you, enjoy the time alone, life is too short."
A caveat: This does not give you the permission to not do anything, over and over again. That is just plain Missing Out.
On the trip, there were meals that I was late to or skipped because I preferred to make my rides longer. My joy was in the ride, while I was willing to miss out on some killer tapas.
Visit Spain. You won't be disappointed.
-Adam