900 years ago, Pompeii became a city that would never be forgotten. Lives, homes, and/or hope was lost for almost 20,000 people when Mount Vesuvius erupted, leaving the city under ashes. Pompeii was established in 600 BC and for the most part remained a city untouched by major natural disasters. There were occasional shallow earthquakes and minor seismic activity – no big deal. This all changed in 79 AD.

The signs of Vesuvius’ volcanic eruption started off subtle. First, the familiar shakes, but that wasn’t new. Then the gusts of ash coming from the mountain, thick enough to cover the sun and quickly making the day seem as if it were (literally) night. Finally stones of solidified ash fell from the sky. This became the point in time when people decided if they were going to stand their ground or flee. Thousands took to the city gates and escaped, but thousands also stayed to protect their assets.

You can guess how this story ends.

Over the past few months I’ve continually realized that trusting my instincts is infinitely more valuable than trusting what I can rationalize. In context, the problems I’ve faced typically revolved around my reluctance to make life changing decisions due to the fear of what the ramifications could be, e.g., regret, failure, and perception. Now, having developed the appetite to make these decision for the benefit of my overall well-being, I can finally say that fear isn’t something I pretend I’m not afraid of. It’s something I evaluate and use to determine my next course of action.

We can’t act like we’re always bigger than our fears, because trust me, sometimes we need to run to save our lives. The best we can do is to react quickly and with a calculated disposition.

The Pompeiians who were too proud to buckle at the idea of fear, remained buried in ash until their rediscovery in the mid 16^th century. However most of the able-bodied residents who ran from Vesuvius’ signs of danger lived because they trusted their instinct.

Trust yours.

-JO