Jake Pearson  00:00

Are you trying to figure out the secret to happiness? We're here at What Makes You Happy with Jake Pearson. We want to make that happiness more accessible for you in your life. So stick around as we interview everyday people, inspirational leaders and your favorite celebrities on what makes them happy.

Welcome back to the podcast where we ask the question, what makes you happy?

My name is Jake Pearson and today we have with us an author of 40 books that help children's souls shine; Bracha Goetz from Baltimore, Maryland, USA. I almost butchered that. Bracha, how are you?

Bracha Goetz  00:29

Wonderful. You did a great job. Thank you!

Jake Pearson  00:46

I was falling over my words there. But it's a pleasure to have you here on the podcast to talk about all things that make you happy. Would you mind starting off with what makes you happy as a children's author?

Bracha Goetz  01:00

Yes, what I love to share-- I hope there's this amazing thing, this is why I wanted to come on the show, I learned about something called the pleasure ladder. And it's based on ancient mystical wisdom. But it's timeless. So it totally relates to today. There's five levels to the pleasure ladder, and it corresponds to the five fingers on our hands. In other words, we have the power to bring happiness into our lives at any moment. It's in our hands. 

1. The lowest level or all the physical pleasures. This means like- In other words, being in nature, eating healthy foods, or the natural foods, dancing, movement, music, think of anything, that is a sensual pleasure, that is designed to bring us pleasure. That's the purpose of it. 

1. And then above that on the ladder of pleasure is love, and love- How could it be empowering, if it's dependent on other people, it really isn't. We can bring love into our lives at any moment by focusing on what we appreciate about someone else. So, even if we're in prison, if we're stuck in prison, if a person thinks about a grandmother that once did a kind thing for them, they are filled with this pleasurable feeling of love. So that lowest level physical pleasures, natural physical pleasures than love. 

1. What's higher than that, a higher more lasting pleasure is meaning doing something meaningful, good and meaningful in this world. 

1. And what could be higher than that? Is doing something creative. When we do something, we put a unique part of ourselves into the world, we're adding our creativity, that's an even higher pleasure we get, we go into a zone where we don't feel like eating or sleeping even we're on such a high when we're being creative. 

1. What could be higher than that is Transcendence. Transcendence is when we overcome our own limitations. We make the first crack and a bad habit, we make a big- Begin to do something new that we've never tried before. And it's also when we see how we're all connected to everybody everything and to source energy. It's that feeling under a Starry Starry Sky where we're a part of a greater universe, and we carry that with us forever. It's like an eternal kind of pleasure. 

Those are the things that bring not only me happiness, but really just about everybody because those five levels, they correspond to the five levels of the human soul. So it's universal. It's what fills our souls and helps our souls to shine.

Jake Pearson  04:30

That was very beautifully said and I have never heard of the pleasure ladder [phonetic 04:33]. So that's something I will be looking into myself to understand that concept as well. What would you say to our listeners; just a couple pieces of advice for those who are struggling to find what makes them happy? What should they focus on?

Bracha Goetz  04:48

Yes, I forgot to say the most important thing. And that is the answer to this question. There's only one price you have to pay to climb the  pleasure ladder. What could that be? 

It's gratitude- It's experiencing mindful gratitude. Because that's what changes everything, when we eat that orange, when we are filled with mindful gratitude, then it fills up both our body and our soul and nourishes our body and our soul. When we feel gratitude for another person with someone's done in our life, that's what brings us joy. In other words, everybody already has in their life right this minute, what can bring them happiness? We just have to open our eyes and experience gratitude for what we have. 

There's actually a saying in the Talmud, it says, 

"Who is rich? Those who are happy with what they have."

Jake Pearson  05:52

Yes, I agree. Those who are happy with what they have are rich. And I, for one, from personal experience, do feel happy, because of what I have, you know, I don't feel all rich in a money sense. But I want to share my happiness with other people. 

Bracha Goetz  06:11

Yes. 

Jake Pearson  06:12

Bracha you put everything very beautifully today, and you've given myself a lot to think about as well. I hope the listeners in the audience there have something that they can go explore on their journey to becoming happier people. So thank you so much for sharing what makes you happy.

Bracha Goetz  06:28

Thank you! Thank you for this great opportunity. I love what you're doing.

Jake Pearson  06:33

Thank you. And if you'd love to connect with Bracha, you can do so by clicking the podcast episode description below. Bracha until next time! 

Thanks for listening to the podcast. We hope it gives you something to think about on your quest to discover what makes you happy. Make sure to check out whatmakesyouhappypodcast.com to connect with today's guest and follow us on all our social media platforms. And to stay up to date on what's happening next and what makes you happy. Don't forget to share this episode with a friend and we'll see you next time.