Welcome to the era of FONKU: Fear of Not Keeping Up
Let’s name it: FONKU (Fear of Not Keeping Up). It is the pervasive apprehension that one is not doing, learning, adapting, changing enough to keep up with the latest innovations and knowledge emerging exponentially related to one’s career field.
FONKU is conceptually distinct from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out); which describes a fear of missing out on rewarding or novel experiences that others are having (and showcasing on social media).
FOMO is mostly consumption- oriented; as it reflects the desire to catch up with what others are experiencing (such as travel or eating out).
FONKU, on the other hand, refers to anxiety issues felt by knowledge workers and producers. It is the fear that you will fall behind in your career because you do not learn and adapt fast enough.
Although the phrase FONKU is not yet as established and widely accepted as FOMO, I think the experienced phenomenon is as real, as relevant, and as widespread.
FONKU phenomenon, as far as I am aware, has been first described by Jam Gamble here and here.
I think “Fear of Not Keeping Up” is real and it is witnessed by millions of employees across diverse sectors, including me — and perhaps you.
The more you read and learn, the more you feel compelled to take action. Yet, it is very difficult to maintain your focus and momentum in the midst of the knowledge and technology explosion we are witnessing today.
I sometimes cannot sleep at night for hours because my brain does not shut up or shut down. I know I am not the only one feeling this way.
In this article, I want to analyze this problem (FONKU) from the perspective of the knowledge professional and offer some practical solutions to tackle it.
We do live in interesting times. There is information overload, accompanied by constant anxiety and stress about an unknown future.
There is no job security now — all traditional jobs are in decline. The career ladder is long gone.
We face constant shifts and economic turbulence, along with a perfect storm of technology. As the trade wars between the US and China forecast shadows over the landscape of world economics, we are closer than ever to a risk of an economic crisis.
International markets are more connected and fragile than ever.
Industries are rapidly disrupted and reinvented.
There is no safety, and there is no safety net.
We know that we cannot be ‘saved’ by the governments. Or by corporations. Or by employment. Or by pensions. The world as our parents know it is gone.
Let’s look more closely at the rapidly changing landscapes of business and technology.
The rate of change we are witnessing is spectacular.
According to A.T. Kearney’s Turbulence Index, our operating environment is twice as volatile compared to the last decade.
We live in times of constant change — VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity).
89% of Fortune 500 companies from 1955 are not on the list in 2014.
The average age of a company listed on the S&P 500 was 67 years old in the 1920s. Right now this age is 15 years only and it keeps dropping.
In 2028, 40% of all S&P 500 companies are expected to disappear from this list.
Similarly, 75% of S&P 500 firms are estimated to be replaced within 15 years.
A Dell report claims 85% of jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t been invented yet.
Technology is disruptive and it keeps transforming workplaces, business practices, and work processes.
It is now a cliche that Uber owns no cars, Airbnb owns no property, Netflix owns no theaters, Facebook owns no content, and Alibaba owns no inventory. These are world leaders or contenders in their own categories. They are all monopolies — they own the whole category without owning anything physical. Yet, these companies are hungrier for smart ideas and innovations than ever before, because they know they will go extinct unless they learn, improve, evolve, innovate, accelerate, and create constantly.
Disruptive innovations create new markets and disrupt existing ones. Remember the case of Kodak. In 1996, Kodak had nearly 150 thousand employees and $28 billion market cap. In 2008, the whole market was gone.
In cases of disruptive innovation, the problems are not well defined, the markets are largely unknown and unpredictable, customers have no idea about future products, and technologies are dramatic and game-changing. Think about the printing press, the compass, the PC, cell phones, and satellites. These innovations created entire markets and categories; along with disruptive companies or organizations who were able to dominate these categories.
Many of our everyday products and services — that we take for granted — such as Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, Tesla, iPad, Spotify, Whatsapp, 4G, Blockchain technologies, and cryptocurrencies did not exist before 2007.
Imagine the year 2027 — what kind of exciting innovations, companies, products, and technologies will we witness? What will be the exciting innovations of the next decade? Where will you be in this picture? Perhaps YOU will create or play a role in some of these innovations!
The technology landscape has been changing very fast as technology accelerates on an exponential growth curve.
There are already signs that Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror dystopia (or utopia, you might call it) is turning into a reality.
Our phones are a million times cheaper and thousand times more powerful than a supercomputer from the 1970s.
Kurzweil states: “We won’t experience 100 years of progress in the 21st century — it will be more like 20,000 years of progress.”
As we have grown up in a linear environment, we have a hard time grasping how exponential progression works.
Multidimensional technological forces involving automation, 3D printing, augmented reality, machine learning, Industry 4.0, internet of things, and blockchain are rapidly transforming the future of work, organizations, and jobs.
We are at the beginning of the fourth industrial revolution. Developments in artificial intelligence, robotics, nanotech, biotech, and 3D printing are all building on and amplifying one another.
Exponential innovations are rapidly moving across boundaries and industries. Traditional borders among disciplines, functions, or industries are collapsing and blurring.
New categories — some call them sectors without borders — that combine diverse fields are emerging (e.g. nano-bio). These lead to new industries and ecosystems of interconnected businesses.
Our brains deceive us by making linear projections. In reality, changes are non-linear.
Moreover, new fields such as AI, Blockchain, or IoT witness incremental — even disappointing — improvements for years and years (and people ignore them and call them ‘hype’) … until the tipping point when things are suddenly accelerating and breakthrough advances occur on a daily basis. Nowadays, things are evolving so quickly that entire industries will either change or disappear.
Look at the field of Artificial Intelligence and how there seems to be a breakthrough almost every day.
Algorithms — from Google searches to Netflix recommendations — already dominate our lives.
As smart speakers and voice assistants (i.e. Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Google’s Assistant, Samsung’s Bixby and Microsoft’s Cortana) are becoming a prevalent part of our everyday lives, they are also learning and getting smarter every day. As the voice revolution progresses in the next decade, these devices are expected to gain much more power, and even act as teachers and psychologists.
Waymo’s self-driving cars are already on the roads — we know millions of driving jobs will be transferred from humans to machines in the next decade.
Wal-mart has already added thousands of robots to its stores — we know millions of retailing jobs will also be transferred from humans to machines in the next decade.
We are not ready for these radical transformations. Not as a society. Not as universities. Not as individuals.
I feel as anxious as hell.
In times of such transformation, we need to question everything that makes us successful today. We need to ask ourselves if what we do today is relevant to the future.
I am teaching Employability, Creativity, and Personal Development at Norwich Business School at the University of East Anglia, where I am trying to help my students prepare for the job market.
I feel like we are still preparing students for jobs that are becoming obsolete, and replaced by automation and machine learning.
According to World Economic Forum’s “The Future of Jobs” Report, machines are expected to perform more current work tasks than humans in 2025 (compared to 71% being performed by humans as of now).
When the job markets are being transformed so rapidly, it is not easy to keep our courses relevant and useful for the next decade.
Moreover, our educational systems are still largely stuck within the industrial paradigm. We are still preparing our students for large organizations and bureaucratic systems, which are themselves struggling to cope with change and to survive.
I will not discuss how we can disrupt our educational systems and our courses; as it is the topic of another post.
My point in this article is this: The world is changing fast and we need to learn, re-invent and disrupt ourselves every day.
We need to be as open to learning, adaptation, and change as babies. We need to start over. We need to re-invent ourselves every day.
If we stop learning and if we stop being curious, it will be too late for us to react to sudden tectonic shifts around us.
When an exponential change happens, our time to react will be minimal.
If we cannot adapt and learn, we might just fade into insignificance.
An organization that is not trying to disrupt itself is destined to be disrupted.
The same goes for individuals.
However, as human beings, we are creatures of comfort. We do not like change — let alone exponential change.
We have two choices ahead of us: Freaking out or bewilderment.
To advance in the path of bewilderment, we have to constantly learn, be open to change, and disrupt ourselves. We also need to find our own strengths, meanings, and voice in the middle of all the chaos and noise surrounding us.
I will discuss strategies for you to tackle your FONKU (fear of not keeping up), turn it into a mechanism for advancing your curiosity and learning, and make rapid progress in your career.
Individual Strategies for Tackling FONKU (Fear of Not Keeping Up)
You need to apply the following strategies and principles for learning at the speed of life.
Whenever you are overwhelmed, focus on the present moment only. Take a deep breath. Take it one slice at a time. Do not think about the past or the future. Try to be more present and attentive. Think about what you need to do right now and in the next few minutes. Even if you are facing an enormous challenge or you are working on a very difficult project, you can break it down into small pieces. Focus on what you can do right now and start by tackling the smallest task in front of you. After you start, focus on the critical few tasks that really matter. If you survive today, then celebrate yourself and start again tomorrow.
What can you do to increase your focus on the present? Identify small actions and write below.
2. DISRUPTION & RE-INVENTION:
Robots and algorithms are not going anywhere — you need to be open, learn, adapt, and develop advanced skills to work with them. You need to be prepared to work alongside robots and machines soon. Those who develop advanced skills and knowledge will have their own robots at work, whereas those who do not have these skills might need to apply for ‘job mortgages’ to upgrade themselves. So what?
As human beings, we have managed to fly and even reach outer space. There is no way but to learn to fly. It is time for all of us to innovate.
You need to innovate everywhere and all the time. Instead of giving yourself excuses for keeping the status quo, give yourself challenges and stretch yourself. These challenges might be professional, physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, or creative challenges. Think of this as pure play and adventure to excite yourself. To get inspired, I suggest that you check out 65 fascinating challenges Richard Branson set himself for his 65th age.
Try to reinvent yourself constantly. Get out of your mental comfort zone and always stay eager to challenge yourself. Even if you have no idea on how to solve a problem, you can still figure out what to do and improvise. You may not know how to go forward, but you can always learn, figure out a strategy, iterate, develop, practice, and improve.
Take more risks — it is OK to look stupid and try out new things. Change is always frustrating and uncomfortable, but it is the only way forward. Treat every experience as a learning experience. Go out there and start again. Perhaps you will suck and that is fine — stop taking yourself so seriously. If you really want to get lucky in the long term, give yourself more opportunities for failure. Fail early, fail often, fail again. Failures are merely stopping points along the bigger journey. Celebrate your failures. Use them as learning opportunities. Develop more grit and resilience to get back up after a failure. If it does not kill you, it makes you stronger. It will be all right after all.
When you are learning in a new field, be kind and patient to yourself. Do not seek perfection. Ask dumb questions and let curiosity guide you. Take a walk to address and solve problems. Try to see the problem with fresh eyes. Originality comes from thinking independently and creating a huge volume of ideas and work.
Give yourself time and opportunities for renewal and discovery. Expose yourself to diverse environments and influences. Travel to new places, learn a new language, climb a mountain, run a marathon, play an instrument, explore authentic food, and meet new people.
Design your own challenges and adventures now. What will be your next adventures? Write them below.
3. COMPOUNDING & SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING:
You need to assume radical responsibility for your own learning and development. Real learning starts after school and it is a lifelong pursuit. Write down your own vision and predictions of how technology will influence your career and domain. Schedule time to invest in your own self-development and learning.
Read. Read. Read. Set aside daily time to read. Double, even triple your reading time every day. Schedule sessions in your diary for reading. Be specific and strategic in your reading goals — prioritize, focus, and schedule time. Set yourself concrete targets. Read different topics from diverse sources. A great way to keep track of your reading goals is to use Goodreads.
Develop positive habits and remain committed to your learning schedule. Habits are powerful. Even if you seek %1 improvement every day, it will compound over time and add incredible value to your life and career. Be consistent and focus. The more you progress, the more momentum and excitement you will experience. You will form up neural connections among the various things you learn, which will lead to deeper knowledge, skills, and expertise. Over time, you will compound yourself through investing in continuous learning and skill development.
Which are the topics/areas that you wish to learn further and develop expertise and skills? Make a list below.
4. BUILDING CREATIVE ASSETS
Instead of relying on organizations to ‘save’ you, you need to take initiative and take control of your life and career. The best way to do this is to build your assets for the long term. That should be your personal and professional dream (alongside your day job).
Asset creation is a long term strategic game. And it is totally worth it. It is about investing in time and efforts in creating something that will generate ongoing value or rewards in the future. The process, the discipline, and the habits of asset creation will move you forward. You should start and create your game now. Remember: It is never too late to start.
This is not only about your finances or career (although they are also important). You are essentially providing yourself opportunities for creativity, love, passion, excitement, flow, ambition, and adventure. You are also finding your own voice. You are sharing your voice with the world. You are making a dent into the universe. It is a journey worth taking. You are the only one to decide and take action towards this path.
There are more opportunities than ever. Everyone can build a business nowadays — all you need is a laptop, a cell phone, and an internet connection.
Think about your unique strengths, skills, and interests: What can you offer to the world? This might be the most meaningful question that matters for your career success and fulfillment.
Curiosity, excitement, passion, creativity, and enthusiasm are the new currencies in this long term game.
Find your niche and your purpose. You can start by spending more time on your hobbies and interests. Create new ideas based on what you have learned and experienced.
Imagine fresh possibilities. Create a lot of ideas. Keep a diary. Record your emerging ideas, thoughts, and reflections. Iterate your ideas and solutions.
Would you like to create your own rap song? Your own fashion line? Your own healthy lifestyle brand? Your own crime novel? Your own app? Your own podcast? Your own YouTube channel? Your own blog? Your own product or service or business?
For instance, I decided to create an inspiration book based on doodle exercises to increase self-awareness and creativity.
What could be your projects? Brainstorm below.
Then you need to carve out time to design and work on entrepreneurial and innovative projects that will help you stand out.
Ideally, you should go to uncharted territories. Become an expert in that field. Either be the best in the world in your category or create your own niche category where you can be the best in the world.
And then, keep creating. Work hard. Be consistent. Repeat.
The sheer volume of what you produce matters. For example, if you are passionate about creating cartoons, try to create hundreds of them. Sharpen your skill set and keep experimenting. Keep producing the best work you can.
Learning the art of building creative assets is a long time journey — you need a lot of effort, practice, experience, patience, and persistence.
Be patient. Delay your gratification. It will take years for you to find and connect with your audience. It will also take much more persistence and grit than you expect.
When you are building your creative assets for the long term, you are also inviting financial, creative, professional opportunities for yourself in the future.
More importantly, you are designing your own life. You are taking control of your life and your career. You are the hero of your own adventures.
Conclusion
FONKU (Fear of not keeping up) is real and we need new ways of working to tackle it.
We do not know about tomorrow’s jobs, workplaces, and organizations. The only thing we can be sure about is the necessity of self-making: We have to constantly learn, be open to change, and disrupt ourselves.
We also need to find our own strengths, meanings, and voice in the middle of all the chaos and noise surrounding us.
In these disruptive times, the smartest action you can take is to disrupt and reinvent yourself.
In these exponential times, the smartest action you can take is compounding yourself through learning, changing, and improving every day.
In an era of non-linear change, the smartest investment you can make is investing in yourself and your asset creation for the long term.
In the next decade, we need new ways of thinking, learning, creating, and innovating.
Here are the big questions for you for closing:
Are you learning new and exciting things every day?
How can you ensure you are learning, pushing yourself and your brain every day?
Fahri Karakas is the author of Self-making Studio. You can explore more here.
Welcome to the era of FONKU: Fear of Not Keeping Up
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