Fear of missing out is such a strong phenomenon. In fact, it even has its own shortened hashtag on social media- #FOMO.
In recent years, social media has heightened feelings of FOMO and created a vicious cycle that is often hard to escape. This feeling of missing out extends even into our professional lives. For example, a professional networking event can make you feel like you are missing out when you have to choose between two interesting seminars.
Now, how do you solve professional FOMO?
The answer is in technology.
In general terms, the FOMO cycle stems from social media. You see something your friends or colleagues are doing on social media, you feel left out.
So, you vow to do more cool or interesting stuff. You end up doing something you probably don’t want to do just so you can post about it on social media. This sets off someone else’s FOMO cycle. It’s such a problem that 48% of event attendees say that they attend live events just so they can have something to post about on social media.
If you have colleagues or friends who travel to large events, you might find yourself feeling a little bit of the FOMO.
CES in Las Vegas is one of the biggest trade shows, boasting nearly 110,000 visitors each year. This is where they roll out all the cool futuristic inventions everyone is going to be talking about in the next coming weeks. Wouldn’t it be great if you can be there in person?
SXSW is another major event with more than 70, 000 attendees. It’s where things like Twitter have been rolled out in the past. Could you imagine being able to brag to your friends and colleagues that you were there when they rolled out Twitter?
Event FOMO is not unique to young people and it doesn’t only happen with music festivals. Professionals can have FOMO on cool professional stuff, too.
Now, imagine that you are at a conference and you have to choose between two awesome speakers who are giving their presentations at the same time. Both are topics that are important to your profession and they are both well-known and respected in their fields.
How do you choose? And what do you do when you find out that you missed a really groundbreaking talk about something that is super relevant to your field?
In this day and age, you shouldn’t have to choose.
These days, event organizers are starting to realize it’s all about the tech. Nearly 80% say that their tech budgets have increased since last year and that increase accounts for an additional 10% more of the budget over last year.
What’s more, increases in event tech spending on things like live streaming, podcasts, and event apps account for a reported 20% increase in event attendance. It marked a 27% increase in productivity and a shocking 20-30% decrease in costs, too.
It may seem counter-intuitive to spend money on technology that can allow people to participate without being there but that is what is happening right now. People want choices and tech gives them choices.
No longer do professionals have to choose between two seminars they want to attend. Now, they can catch the podcast later!
Giving people more options is always a great way to ensure they are satisfied with attending and that they keep coming back.
To avoid FOMO at professional events, here’s what you can do:
In this day and age where technology is a cure-all for what ails you, there’s no need to miss out on anything anymore. Event organizers are starting to take notice and adjust accordingly. People want options and event tech gives them those options. Learn more about preventing professional FOMO and networking events from this infographic!
Source: Evia Events
The post The Solution To Professional FOMO appeared first on Dumb Little Man.
You’re reading Here’s what happened after I decided to write a gratitude journal, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
One thing I have learned from some incredibly successful, extremely happy people is to start writing a gratitude journal. A gratitude journal is more than your diary. You don’t write everything that happened to you in your journal. You only write the things that you are grateful for in it.
You can be thinking this right now.
“What on earth does a journal have anything to do with my dream?”
“OK, I will give it a try. But if it is just another mean of positive thinking, I don’t have to write it down, I will remember to remind myself and that should be enough.”
I used to have the same thought, and I didn’t take it seriously.
I started writing my journal many times, and yet I quit after couple days. Unsurprisingly it never works.
But it has to be something so good that so many people recommend, right?
I decided to stick with it this time, as an experiment, to find out the reason why it is so important.
After 30 days, I’m a new person and never think of going back where I was ever again. Here’s what a gratitude journal has helped me.
We tend to linger on the negative feeling because it annoys us. But when you only write about things that you enjoy, you will forget about your pain and focus only on the positivity.
I used to get mad, upset or sad about some certain things. Even though when the reasons that caused those bad feelings were gone, I was still in the bad mood. By writing the good things happen in my life, I can let go such negative feeling.
There are things I wrote about on the first day of gratitude journal that I entirely forgot, but just by looking at the things I wrote, the exact happy feeling came back to me. It eased my pain and motivated me.
Just by simply writing down what I feel good about, I let go a lot of chaos in my life. If you think about it, your chaos is because of all the wild thoughts and crazy feelings you have in your mind.
When I focus on the positivity in life, I feel calm and peaceful.
And when I feel calm and peaceful, I am very more grateful for life, appreciate it more and end up writing about that in my gratitude journal.
It is the start of the happiness and calmness loop, where you feel good about your life, you write about it and it makes you feel good again.
I become happier. Even though that is something I feel and tell myself every day, people around me feel the same too.
Who do you prefer to be around: someone who is depressed and always complains, or someone who is full of laughter and energy? Such an easy choice.
I become the happiness magnet, people want to be around me, want to get me into their conversation because I spread the joy over them.
You might think confidence has nothing to do with gratitude, but it does. It reduces the urge to compare myself with others, it motivates me to do things that I was once afraid of, because it will be ok.
I hated my body for some layers of fat I have in my stomach. But when I shifted my perspective and appreciate my body for being healthy, being strong and allows me to follow my passion, those layers of fat don’t bother me anymore.
I used to set very high expectation of myself, leading me to work until exhaustion and beating myself up when I failed, which was more than often.
All the self-judging and nagging are not good for my self-esteem. I fell into the loop of setting unrealistic goals, failing, beating myself up even more and trying to make up by setting even higher goals.
All of those stopped ever since I wrote my gratitude journal.
I become more self-aware. I respect my body and myself. I spend time to cherish and take care of myself. I create a positive aura in me and it increases my productivity.
I used to let my negative thoughts control my life. I left my thoughts and my mind go wild without any attempt to control them. Unsurprisingly, I wasn’t a ball of joy.
Now with my gratitude journal in life, I started to see things from different perspectives.
Every day I wake up, and I am grateful for another day that life gives me to live. And I am determined to live to enjoy every single minute of it.
Imagine one day you wake up, before even walking out of your bed, you smile because of all the sweet things happened the day before, and you are grateful for everything in your life. A day starts with a smile can never go wrong.
You decide to have a wonderful day today. Because it is up to you now. And you know it.
Your new life awaits. Start writing.
Mai Pham believes we can create our own happiness. She helps overwhelmed and frustrated people to ditch their stress and enjoy their lives again. Grab her free actionable cheatsheet: 5 Simple Tips to Release Stress and Bring You Calm in Under 5 Minutes and join her free 7 Joyful Days Challenge email course. Find her on Facebook and Twitter.
You’ve read Here’s what happened after I decided to write a gratitude journal, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
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Photo: Ben Kolde
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It’s no exaggeration that social media has changed the way we live. This is especially true if you’re a creative small business or an artist wanting to sell your work. With the right online strategy, you can gain attention from millions of people who are not only fans but potential customers. Instagram is one of the most powerful tools you have to market yourself and your work. If you need proof, consider this—actor Leonardo DiCaprio famously bought an artwork that he first spotted on Instagram.
Whether you’re looking to ramp up your Instagram presence or start an entirely new account, it’s never too late to start growing your business this way. It can seem daunting, especially at first—the company (now owned by Facebook) has made many improvements and features since it began in 2010. But the app is a lot of fun and we encourage you to stick with it. To assuage any fears, we’ve compiled a list of 10 Instagram tips to help you in your creative career.
Photo: Rawpixel.com
One of the most important things to remember is that everyone starts from zero. Even Kim Kardashian once had an account with no one following it—and now look at her! It can feel discouraging to send posts out and feel like no one is seeing them, but if you can push through the low follower rates, the first six months will prove worth your while. Once you start steadily gaining followers, the rate in which you gain them will increase exponentially.
Hashtags are the key to others finding your content. They are valuable (and powerful) search tools, and so it’s best to use at least seven hashtags in your post. There are some hashtags, however, (like #art) which have millions upon millions of posts. Super popular hashtags like that will push your content down the timeline almost immediately since people are constantly posting to it. So, add some hashtags that have fewer posts to ensure that your content has a chance at being seen.
Instagram is a social media platform for a reason—it encourages you to interact with others online. Engaging with your audience will also help gain more followers. You can do this in two ways. One is to like your follower’s posts; they will notice and do the same. The other way is to leave comments that show that you’re interested in the content that this person is posting. Don’t say things, however, like, “Nice pic! Check out my shop.” It sounds spammy and disingenuous—you won’t win any new fans that way.
A business account sounds serious, but it’s essential to make the conversion. One of the biggest perks is that you’ll get to add links to your stories (once you have 10,000+ followers)—it’s perfect for when you have a new product launch or are advertising an exhibition. Additionally, a business account also gives you access to analytics that will show you peak times for your posts; study the stats to see when your followers are most engaged, and post at that time.
Photo: Jaelynn Castillo
A great social media strategy takes planning. Apps like Tailwind and Planoly allow you to schedule posts ahead of time on Instagram, but they both come with a caveat; Instagram won’t let them automatically post on your behalf. So when it’s time for you to post, they will send you an alert letting you know it’s time. You still hit the “share” button yourself. Despite this fact, they are great for if you’re on the go but still want to remain active on Instagram—it’s one less thing to remember.
The post 10 Easy Instagram Tips to Help Grow Your Creative Career appeared first on My Modern Met.
For months, wildlife photographer George Turner had heard tales of Ghost, a large male leopard that had gained quite a reputation at the Ruaha National Park in Tanzania. And he had just one week, after careful planning, to get a shot of the elusive animal. Fueled by his love of the natural world, Turner patiently waited day after day before finally capturing this magical image of Ghost asleep in his favorite acacia tree.
Turner first heard about Ghost during the planning phase of his trip to Tanzania. At almost 8,000 square miles, Ruaha is Tanzania’s largest national park and filled with interesting animals. “Most big national parks tend to have their big characters and I knew Ruaha would be no different,” Turner tells My Modern Met via email. “Upon hearing about Ghost, I was transfixed!”
Guides at Jabali Ridge first alerted him to Ghost, telling him about the large leopard’s ability to appear seemingly out of nowhere—and disappear just as fast. “Leopards are elusive cats but Ghost was extra special; he was massive. I was sent a few snaps beforehand and he’s (almost) the same size as an average lioness… that’s big!” Turner was determined to show a softer side to the animal, in contrast with the leopard’s reputation as a fearsome animal.
With the help of local guide Sebastian, Turner was able to understand Ghost’s territory, carefully taking in his environment and selecting the perfect location for his photograph. Ghost didn’t make it easy, as Turner wanted to capture the image during the “blue hour” at dusk. It seemed as though they always spotted Ghost lounging in his favorite tree right during the mid-day sun, but never during twilight.
All that changed one day, when they did a quick check of Ghost’s tree after an evening drive. And there he was, fast asleep on a branch. Turner grabbed his shots and then simply watched the leopard for about 30 minutes, soaking in this rare opportunity. “Ghost looks so calm and serene in the image and that’s exactly how it should be and indeed, continue to be.”
Leopards like Ghost are at risk due to local poachers who kill the animals for their skin. Organizations such as the Ruaha Carnivore Project help develop conservation strategies for large carnivores that reside in Ruaha. Aside from leopards, 10% of the world’s remaining lions and one of the largest cheetah populations in East Africa are located in the national park, making their efforts vital to maintaining the ecosystem.
The post Photographer Captures Softer Side of Elusive and Feared Leopard Sleeping Peacefully appeared first on My Modern Met.
Four years ago, just a month before her 17th birthday, Bailey Sellers’ father Michael passed away from pancreatic cancer. But before he died, Michael found a way to be with his daughter every year on her birthday, even after he was gone. Facing a future where he wouldn’t be able to physically be there for his teenage daughter, he arranged for her to receive a bouquet of flowers and a card every year up until her 21st birthday. Last week, Bailey turned 21 and received one last bouquet from her dad, along with a love letter, as a final goodbye and a reminder that one day, they will meet again.
This year—being the last one that she would receive her father’s gift—was particularly emotional for Bailey. “When I opened this card, I especially felt him with me. It’s a cold feeling, then a happy feeling at the same time.” she said. She tweeted images of the beautiful flowers, the touching letter, and a childhood photo of the pair, together at the beach. This year’s heartfelt message read: “This is my last letter to you until we meet again” and “I will still be with you with every milestone, just look around and there I will be.”
As of today, Bailey’s tweet has received well over one million likes, 350,000 retweets, and over a thousand replies with kind words from strangers. Bailey has even appeared on the British breakfast show, Good Morning Britain, live from her native Knoxville, Tennessee, where she talked to Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid about her late dad’s gifts.
My dad passed away when I was 16 from cancer and before he died he pre payed flowers so i could receive them every year on my birthday. Well this is my 21st birthday flowers and the last. Miss you so much daddy. http://pic.twitter.com/vSafKyB2uO
— Bailey Sellers (@SellersBailey) November 24, 2017
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Happy Birthday. Your Dad truly loved you. I am so sorry for your loss. May this be a wonderful year coming up for you. I’m sure you’ve made your father proud.
— Jeramie Rain (@jeramiedreyfuss) November 26, 2017
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I’m a cancer survivor so I feel like I can understand how your dad was feeling then and how much he loved you. He must’ve been so brave. Happy Birthday Bailey!
— Yoshimi Hikawa (@durian_24) November 26, 2017
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@SellersBailey Happy belated birthday from Russia
your dad is definitely the coolest dude in the world— Джон Дориан (@JohnyDorian) November 27, 2017
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Bailey Sellers: Twitter
h/t: [Neatorama, Reddit]
Bride Is Walked Down the Aisle by the Man with Her Deceased Father’s Heart
Cancer-Stricken Father Walks His 11-Year-Old Daughter Down the Aisle
Loving Dad Makes Time-Lapse of Daughter Growing Up From 0 to 18 Years Old
The post Daughter Is Surprised with Letter Every Birthday From Her Father Who Died 4 Years Ago appeared first on My Modern Met.
When adventure enthusiasts Cynthia Bennett and her boyfriend Andre decided to adopt a puppy, they thought they wanted a Golden Retriever mix. That’s until they met Henry—a “mix of Shepherd, Husky, Boxer, Aussie, and Staffordshire Terrier”—at an adoption event. Henry became an instant member of their little family, and after just three days, the pair took him on his first hike. A natural climber, Henry scaled the steepest rock he could find, and since then became their “little mountain goat.”
A few months later, in search of a feline friend for Henry, they came across a Siamese kitten mix named Baloo at their local shelter. After introducing him to his new big brother, the pair became inseparable. It wasn’t long before little Baloo was demanding to be brought along on their hikes and would cry at the door if they didn’t take him along.
Hiking in the breathtaking national parks of Colorado, the adventurous rescue pets love to explore forests, sand dunes, mountains, and reservoirs. “Baloo’s little legs do get tired,” says Bennett, so he often hitches a ride in her backpack, perches on Henry’s back, or even on top of his head. Since bringing Baloo along on their adventures, “Henry has become the best big brother and always checks on him to make sure he is doing okay,” says Bennett.
Keep up to date with Henry and Baloo’s big adventures on Instagram.
Henry + Baloo: Instagram
h/t: [Bored Panda]
Man Sells All His Belongings and Quits Job to Travel Australia with His Rescue Cat
Beautiful Bengal Cat Explores the Canadian Wilderness with Gorgeous Travel Photos
Woman Creatively Restores Old Van to Travel the World With Her Dog
Pygmy Hedgehog Packs His Tiny Bags and Goes Camping in Adorable Photo Shoot
The post Adventurous Cat and Dog Best Friends Love Exploring the Great Outdoors Together appeared first on My Modern Met.
“Theater of the World” is an account of two important decades in that tortuous journey and it revisits the era of China’s global emergence from an academic and inclusive curatorial perspective. Crucially valuable is the effort made to redress an imbalance in the general international understanding of contemporary Chinese art, one which has previously over-emphasized what the art critic Jed Perl has called “radical chic with blood on its hands.” Regardless, the curators of “Theater,” partly under the influence of Wang Hui, an establishment “new Marxist” favored by left-leaning Western academics, follow the trend of earlier exhibitions to celebrate too readily vacuous critiques of capitalism, to unearth supposed acts of resistance in artistic gestures, and to extol experimental forays as rebellions in miniature.
An abstract from the interview of Alex Markovich for “Radio of Russia”. September 2015. Elena Ovcharenko: As far as I am concerned your “Travel to Russia” project is being developed for years. Will it have a final official launch? I mean a special site, social networks accounts, advertising campaign online and offline. Alex Markovich: I tried many […]
Brexit – Where are we now?
Well at the Brexit juggernaut trundles down the narrow country lanes following its out of date Satnav which now tells it it’s off the road and heading for a nonexistent destination it is time to ask where the hell are we.
So where the hell are we?
Nobody knows.
So perhaps it is time to look at what we do know.
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Sig Nordal 