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 a creative businesswoman and author of UNMASKING THE PAST, Sharon Westin from Victoria, Australia. How are you, Sharon?

Sharon Westin  00:40

I'm very well, thank you, and yourself?

Jake Pearson  00:42

Yes, quite well, we just discussed that I'd come from boxing sessions. I'm actually feeling short of breath. And you're recovering from COVID? I believe? 

Sharon Westin  00:51

Yes, that's right. 

Jake Pearson  00:52

We're here today just sort of talking about things in relation to your happiness and everything you might have gone through over the last 3, 4 weeks might pay [phonetic 00:59] into that what makes you happy?

Sharon Westin  00:59

Definitely. For me, it's the little thing I love-- I have a beautiful view in my new [phonetic 01:04] home where I can actually see a reserve. So I get lots of trees, I hear the birds, you know, I hear kookaburras off in the distance. And I always take that moment of feeling grateful for hearing that and seeing the beautiful sunsets out the window. But deep on a deeper level for me, it's definitely creativity. But that brings me back to my happiness. So I'm a lifelong creative, graphic designer, author. I take photographs, I paint. And it's all of those things that make me very happy. It gets me into a state of flow, where it's like a meditation, I can sometimes get my anger out, depending on what colors and brushes I use. But generally, it's just you know, I pop on some music and paint or draw. And that's really what gets me going.

Jake Pearson  01:53

Were you very creative as a child?

Sharon Westin  01:56

Absolutely, I've been holding a pencil or crayon since, you know, as long as I can remember.

Jake Pearson  02:01

It's very interesting. I've heard a lot of people on this podcast mentioned going back to your roots, and doing what you really love to do as a child, because that's where you felt the happiness, the most happiness in your life. And bringing that forward to the present is just something that a lot of people don't do, they seem to forget that part of them.

Sharon Westin  02:21

Absolutely. And that's part of my retreat, I actually have a workshop in there, you know, talking about your inner child. And you know, for me, that's creativity and painting. But for others, it could be sport, it could be riding a bike, it could be anything cooking with their parents. And I often go back into my inner child, and I take her for a walk. So actually visualize, meeting her, giving her a cuddle, going for a walk and talking about the things that make us both happy. And then try to bring that back into my daily life.

Jake Pearson  02:54

Do you think that would tie into what you would say to someone who's struggling a little bit with their own happiness in their life, go back to the wards [phonetic 03:01] that inner child.

Sharon Westin  03:02

Absolutely. And you know, not everyone's had a wonderful childhood, but there will be moments, there will be something in there that you can go back to and find and hold on to that has made you happy. There'll be a time in your life, even if it's not necessarily you know, 5 or 6 year old [unintelligible 03:19] but something that you can find that brings you happiness and bring that back into your adult life. Because our busy lives, work, family, they really take our time. So it's very, very important to get that happiness, that pure happiness from childhood. And bring that back in.

Jake Pearson  03:38

It's really simple. Like for you, you found out [phonetic 03:40], you've got back with him. And I was on a bike ride recently. And I was out in a bush. And that's something I used to do a lot as a kid. And I hadn't done that in a while. And then when I was just flying down this road, and into the bush with all these trees around me, I was like, 'Oh, wow, this is so nostalgic.' I used to love doing this as a kid, why don't I and I felt like that my mum was so happy and peaceful and free. I need to do this more often. So maybe-- that's my message is I need to get outdoors more and go on the bike rides that I used to do as a child. Like for you the listener, that could be anything, it could be going through a walk with your family, it could be just sitting inside reading a book, it could be doing art, like Sharon does, don't you think?

Sharon Westin  04:21

Absolutely. And you do just have to find your own theme. You know, as an adult, if you can't find something from your childhood, find something new. Speak to your friends and family, find out what they do to make them happy. You may find that you can actually join in with them and it's something that you then find a passion for.

Jake Pearson  04:42

And then that also ties into this podcast. Like if you don't know what makes you happy. You can listen to other people and hear what makes them happy and relate that into your own life. Go try all the different things that everybody else implements in their life might not find things that stick for you. But along the way, you'll cross off the things that you're not interested and one day you'll stumble upon something that really just gives you that joy.

Sharon Westin  05:01

Absolutely. And in the meantime, you can just pop on some music and do a silly dance that'll make you smile.

Jake Pearson  05:08

I'm probably going to do that after this. 

Sharon, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. And if you would love to connect with Sharon and learn more about her creative retreats, that sounds like a fantastic thing you can do by visiting the podcast episode description below. Sharon, thank you for coming on and sharing things that make you happy. 

Thanks for listening to the podcast. We hope it gives you something to think about on your quest to discover what makes you happy. Don't forget to leave a review or a comment and follow us on all our social media platforms so you can see our upcoming guests calendar. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time !