FOMO is (actually) a strategy

BASE LAYER // Issue #13
Clarity for long-term crypto holders.

GM everyone.

Let me tell you how FOMO actually works.

We imagine it’s this dumb, emotional impulse.

Like we lose all rational control and ape into something because a coin went green and we saw it on Twitter.

But that’s not quite true.

What actually happens is more subtle—and more dangerous.

FOMO starts when you confuse movement with momentum.

When you think, “If I don’t act now, I’ll miss the next Solana.”

When you assume that because others are making money, you must be doing something wrong.

So you don’t just act fast. You build a narrative around it:

• “It’s early.”

• “I’ve seen this before.”

• “This team is legit.”

• “Everyone else is buying—can’t be dumb money this time.”

You start treating urgency as due diligence.

But here’s the hard truth:

FOMO is a strategy.

It’s just a terrible one.

Because it gives you the illusion of precision without any actual edge.

You see, FOMO doesn’t hijack dumb people.

It hijacks smart ones.

The people who get wrecked aren’t always lazy or uninformed.

They’re often the ones who know enough to be dangerous—but haven’t yet developed a system to resist the hype.

And because they don’t want to look stupid for missing out…

They do the one thing worse than missing a runner:

They buy late, at the top, for the wrong reasons.

Then:

• They hold too long, waiting for validation

• They ignore red flags, because “this has to work”

• They can’t exit gracefully—because they never had a plan in the first place

That’s how conviction gets confused with denial.

Ok, so - how do you kill FOMO for good?

Here’s the tactic that changed everything for me:

Define what “winning” looks like before you buy.

That means:

• What % you’ll sell at certain milestones

• What conditions invalidate your thesis

• How long you’ll hold before re-evaluating

If you can’t answer these questions with a calm mind, you have no edge.

You're just speedrunning someone else’s playbook and hoping it ends well.

Now, remember that you will always miss plays.

And some of them will hurt.

You’ll see that friend who made $300K from a meme coin.

You’ll see people tweet 100x screenshots.

You’ll wonder why you’re holding ETH when Pepe just printed generational wealth.

But those wins?

They’re lotteries. Not systems.

And systems are what allow you to win over time—without emotional burnout.

Which would you rather be?

• The guy or gal who 20x’d one coin, then gave it all back over the next year?

• Or the one who built wealth slowly, intentionally, and still has it 5 years from now?

I know which one I’m betting on.

So, FOMO feels smart. But it’s usually a mask for doubt.

And the only way to kill doubt is with clarity.

Before you hit “Buy,” try this:

• Can you hold it during a 40% dip?

• Can you explain your thesis to a friend?

• Do you know when you’ll sell—and why?

If not, take a breath.

Because in this market, clarity compounds.

And FOMO fades.

– Alex
Founder, Base Layer