A Canadian article about my decision to quit Harvard to live in the woods for a couple of months recently started spreading around the world. Versions were published in the USA, UK, Italy, and even Vietnam and the Czech Republic. Throughout its iterations the article became a bit sensationalized, but I’ve received so many supportive messages and feedback about my journey that it has warmed my heart and encouraged me to keep moving forward.

Another consistent response to the article has been criticism. Some readers perceive me as a privileged white girl who took a vacation between two jobs. Others question why someone leaving a prestigious academic institution to take time off is such a hot topic.

Before I get into what I learned from this experience, I think it’s important to clarify a few logistical factors. First, I made the decision to leave Harvard before knowing what I was going to do next professionally. I went to live in the woods to give myself some time to contemplate what I value and what I want my life to look like. Second, my time off was unpaid. I didn’t make a lot of money as a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard, and I had to save up enough to buy myself two months off. And yes, I am privileged in the sense that I live in an environment and time period that allows me to contemplate my life, but I am no more privileged than anyone who had the time and money to read the original article or this blog.

Logistical factors aside, I want to address a fundamental problem that I think underlies many of the negative responses to the articles about my work-life sabbatical. The problem is that many of us have stopped believing that it’s possible to create a life we love.

We’ve become jaded – thinking that two month sabbaticals are only for the rich and privileged. We think that taking time and space for ourselves is a luxury that we just can’t afford – both personally and professionally. We think things like, “She was able to do this because she’s white and has a PhD and probably makes a lot of money. Who am I to think I could do something similar?”

My question for you is:

Who are you NOT to believe in your own greatness? @BethanyButzer (Click to Tweet!)

My life currently looks the way that it does because I’ve been courageous enough to make choices that align with what I value. And I’ve realized that what I value is my mental and physical health and quality of life – above any type of prestige or fame or material possession.

This means that sometimes I might piss people off. Or burn bridges. Or take personal or financial risks. To be honest, it often scares me shitless.

My life is far from perfect. But I’m doing my best every day to create a life I love – both for my personal health and happiness and to serve as an example for others to realize that it is possible for them to do the same.

To be clear: I think it’s fundamentally wrong to believe that creating a life you love is a naïve pipe-dream.

On the contrary, I think that those of us who are privileged enough to contemplate what our ideal life might look like have a duty and obligation to do our best to live it.

Because the more of us who are courageous enough to shine and share our light, the more we will inspire others to do the same. And that will make the world a better place.

This week I’m at the Mind & Life Europe Summer Research Institute in Germany. It’s a conference that brings together people who are interested in the science behind contemplative practices like yoga and meditation. The attendees are varied. There are neuroscientists, psychiatrists, yoga teachers, Catholic priests, Tibetan monks, and everything in between. A common theme that’s been emerging this week is that living a contemplative life isn’t a luxury reserved for religious freaks who hide far away in the mountains of Tibet. All of us – from all walks of life and professions – owe it to ourselves and to the world to contemplate our lives.

I don’t think it’s naïve to re-envision a world where people are consistently living in ways that make them feel joyful and alive. Change-makers throughout the ages, people like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., accomplished what they were able to accomplish by envisioning worlds that didn’t exist (yet). People told them that they were crazy, that the problems they were trying to address were too complex, and that things would never change.

But things did change.

Right now, I’m envisioning a world in which, more often than not, people are feeling psychologically healthy, doing things that bring them joy, and using their unique gifts to serve themselves and the world. I’m imagining a world in which we have compassion for ourselves and for others, and where we treat Mother Earth the way She deserves to be treated.

As John Lennon said, “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.”

Over ten years ago, a group of people pictured a space where scientists, practitioners, Catholic priests, Tibetan monks, and people from all walks of life could come together to contemplate mind and life. I’m so grateful that those people had that vision, because this week I’m reaping the benefits.

To those of you who are supporting my journey: Thank-you. To those of you who think I’m being foolish: I send you nothing but compassion and love. May you be happy, may you be healthy, and may you live with ease. I encourage you to create a life that serves you and the world. Because ultimately, this is my wish for all of humanity. And that’s why I’m living my life the way that I’m living it.

How might you begin creating a life you love?

Bethany Butzer, Ph.D. is an author, speaker, researcher, and yoga teacher who helps people create a life they love. Check out her book, The Antidepressant Antidote, follow her on Facebook and Twitter, and join her whole-self health revolution.

If you’d like tips on how to create a life you love, plus some personal instruction from Bethany, check out her online course, Creating A Life You Love: Find Your Passion, Live Your Purpose and Create Financial Freedom.

Image courtesy of Sergey Zolkin.