It takes real courage to leave your old life behind you and completely start over, like the woman with psoriasis who took a new approach to life. And in the case of Bethany Butze, her gamble definitely paid off.
Bethany has been on a successful career path for quite some time. She received her PhD in psychology from Western University and quickly found herself in a dream job at Harvard University.
However, Bethany soon realized that success isn’t always measured by the progress you’ve made in your career. So she took an enormous leap of faith, much like the father who trusted a pit bull with his baby daughter. Bethany found herself nearly 1,500 miles away in the most unexpected of places.
Bethany’s story about following her heart is an absolute inspiration. Not everyone would make the decision she did, but one choice changed her life and brought her that much closer to happiness.
At the age of 35, Bethany found herself in what many would consider the job of a lifetime. She was at the top of her field, studying the benefits of yoga on children and teenagers at Harvard University. But her career success kept her so busy that she felt she was missing out on an important part of her life.
Bethany said, "I felt that my professional success was flourishing but my personal health and well-being were foundering. It just didn't really feel satisfying. I just knew that I needed to spend some time outside in nature. I just took the leap."
Leaving Harvard behind, Bethany and her husband moved to this log cabin near Manitoulin Island in Ontario. Accessible only by boat, Bethany took up a brand new life in a dense part of the forest to clear her mind and readjust her direction.
Bethany said, "At first I was basically thinking to myself, 'I need to be doing something. I can't just sit here and do nothing. I need to be productive. I'm sitting here watching a chipmunk running around and that's not productive at all.'" But she quickly found herself able to forget her past and live in the beauty that surrounded her in the present.
"As the weeks went on, I was actually amazed at how content I became. I would just stare at the trees, watch the sky, go fishing and read."
Bethany continued to practice yoga, blog, and soak in all that nature had to offer her. "I felt my body and mind needed that time to just not be doing anything and not be stuck in this rat race of produce, produce, produce."
Bethany's experience was so positive that she decided to make one more leap of faith. Following the wonderful eye-opening time living in a cabin on a remote island, Bethany and her husband moved all the way to Prague in the Czech Republic. She plans to teach at a local college while her husband works as an artist.
Bethany said, "I don't think that we do that kind of thing enough in society - doing what we feel like. There might not really be a logical explanation like your parents may want. But I just feel like having this experience, so I am going for it."
Bethany's decision to take such bold leaps have been an inspiration to many around her. She wrote on Facebook, "I was scared to take the time off, scared about whether I could afford it, and scared about what others would think of my decision. But my True Self kept urging me to honor my self-care by spending time in nature. So I took the leap. Regardless of whether I go into debt or get behind on work or other people think I'm crazy - it's worth it. What fearless decisions have you made lately?"
