Many people today are buying into a very big lie. A lie that I would like to call “the way of the rational.” Over the past few hundred years, humanity has made astounding innovations and progress, largely due to what has come to be known as the scientific method. The scientific method is very, very rational.

It goes something like this: You come up with an idea, test that idea using rigorous standards, and begin accepting that idea as it gets proven over and over through multiple studies. The scientific method relies on statements like, “Don’t believe it unless you see it.” The logical, rational brain is given supreme power, and if you dare mention anything that’s considered “out there” or “woo woo,” you will be laughed out of your lab (and perhaps out of a tenure-track position).

For the vast majority of my adult life, I’ve been living by these rational standards. I was trained as a research scientist, and I was taught to trust my logical mind above all else. I think that many people, regardless of whether you have a PhD or not, have been raised with similar values. This obsession with rational thought has brought us many luxuries, scientific breakthroughs, and innovations; however, I also believe that it has caused us to stray too far from our True Self.

In other words, we are worshiping our brains and ignoring our hearts.

Cheryl Richardson put it perfectly:

“For too long, I bought into a lie. You might be doing it, too. We’ve been taught to believe that ignoring [the wise voice within] will insure our safety, bring certainty, and allow us to maintain a comfortable, easy place in life. But ignoring your inner voice doesn’t bring these things. It brings inertia, despair, and apathy—the kind of slow soul murder that eats away at desire.”

Have you been buying into this lie? I sure did. When I finished school, I chose a logical job that brought me everything I was supposed to want: a great paycheck, nine to five stability, a house, a car, and a short commute. Within a few months, however, I started to feel what Cheryl describes so beautifully: inertia, despair, and apathy. Talk about soul murder! Don’t get me wrong. I learned a lot of skills from that job that I still apply in my work today, but ignoring my inner voice by staying at that company for almost two years really took a toll on my mental health and well-being.

Listening to my inner voice, on the other hand, caused me to do some pretty irrational things. I quit my job and lived off of my savings for six months. I self-published a book and started a health and wellness business that combined the four things that I love to do: writing, speaking, research, and yoga. Within a couple of weeks of leaving my job, my inertia, despair, and apathy were gone. The process wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.

The “way of the rational” is so pervasive in our culture that, many times, we don’t even realize that this lie has us in a headlock.

How many times have you thought to yourself, “I would love to do X. But there’s no way I would make enough money to live. Besides, what would my friends and family think?” Feeling defeated, you order a triple espresso to get you through the day and then head back to your cubicle to surf Facebook and get jealous about other people’s lives.

The good news is that many of us are starting to wake up. There’s a movement happening, and if you’re reading this blog, you’re part of it. (Welcome!). What is this movement, you ask? We are a group of people who have had enough of the lie. Even if your life doesn’t look perfect right now, you are working on it. How? By reading blogs like this. By starting to listen to your True Self. By starting to pay attention to that part of you that knows you deserve better.

This is one of the main reasons why I do what I do. I refuse to believe that any of us deserves to live a substandard life. I refuse to believe that my rational brain has all of the answers. Because when I follow my heart, miracles happen. Doors open for me that used to be walls. Even when life gets hard, I’ve started to be able to tap into the calming energy of my True Self, which can get me through anything. My goal is to be a catalyst to help you to do the same.

So, I’d like to leave you with a question:

What lies are you currently buying into?

Are you telling yourself that you have no talents? That no one would ever pay you to do what you love? That you’re too old to follow your passion? That the world is a cruel place? That you’ll never lose that last ten pounds? That you’re too ugly to find your soulmate? That your brain has all the answers, not your heart?

Please let me know in the comments below!

The first step to listening to your True Self is to clearly identify the lies that are coming from your false self. Then, take action, no matter how small, toward what feels True.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “Don’t be too timid or squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better.” 


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 the topic of manifesting your dream job, 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.

*Photo Credit: Wikimedia