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Polly King, Publicist | (260) 437-8468 | publicist@loyolapress.com
CHICAGO, May 10, 2022—In his new book The Freedom of Missing Out: Letting Go of Fear and Saying Yes to Life, Michael Rossmann challenges readers of any age or stage of life to discover the power of narrowing down one's manylife options to reveal opportunities to say "yes" to what will bring peace.
The title is a play on the term "fear of missing out," a phrase made popular in social media, which usually refers to the almost-obsessive need to check in with social media, email, or news to ensure that a person sees all options available. Rossmann suggests that this phrase has now broadened in the culture to include the fear of making decisions that lead to later regret, the fear of something outside our control causing missed opportunities, or the fear of being told "no" to something one is pursuing.
"The truth is, we are always missing out," Rossmann said. "We can never do it all. Saying yes to one path means saying no to many others." Yet how does one deal with this reality in a way that quells anxiety and brings peace?
In The Freedom of Missing Out, Rossmann offers readers a three-pronged approach: "saying no," "accepting no," and "saying yes."
Rossmann identifies several triggers for people struggling to settle on a direction or meet a goal and for those who do fear "missing out." One is the old saying "keep your options open." While he submits that there are times when one needs to evaluate several options, doing so too much can become an problem. Rossmann explains, "The problem occurs when we keep our options open for so long that we never commit to anyone or anything. The uncommitted person is the unremarkable person."
Other triggers for people who fear missing out include the constant search for perfection in situations and relationships, and complaining about situations outside one's control.
His counter-cultural approach to embracing the "freedom of missing out" is backed by recent data which he combines with stories from popular culture as well as his own experiences and those of others to challenge and provoke readers to strive for what will bring joy and peace. "When we truly give ourselves to something or someone," Rossmann states, "much of our anxiety around missing out goes away."
Each chapter concludes with a "What Can I Do Now?" challenge, that includes a thought-provoking quote as well as a few questions to consider. This provides some structure for a group discussion or book club, but is also useful for the individual reader.
About the Author
Rev. Michael Rossmann, SJ, is a Jesuit priest and doctoral student at the Gregorian University in Rome. He previously served as the editor-in-chief of The Jesuit Post, where he started the popular YouTube series “One-Minute Homily.” He continues to produce short-but-substantive "One-Minute Jesuit" videos for social media and his own YouTube channel. He is a native of Iowa City and a graduate of the University of Notre Dame.
About Loyola Press
An apostolate of the USA Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus, Loyola Press embraces the Jesuit passion for helping people find God in all things. We continue the Jesuit tradition of excellence and service by providing inspiring content for children and adults and by being people for others.
To request a review copy, contact Polly King, Loyola Press Publicist: publicist@loyolapress.com.
The Freedom of Missing Out
Michael Rossmann, S.J.
July 1, 2022
Loyola Press | $15.99 | Paperback | ISBN-13: 978-0-8294-5433-8
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