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 life coach and author who helps retirees turn mundane into marvelous, chase away bored and depressed for an energized life of freedom and purpose. We have Sharon Rolph from Washington, United States. How are you?

I'm great, Jake. I am glad to be with you and Australia today.

Thank you for linking up with us from all the way across the world in Washington. It is phenomenal to have you and I am super excited to hear what makes you happy. So, would you mind starting with what does make you happy?

Well, you know, it is kind of sad that so many of us do not know what makes us happy. But I came back from being out of town for three, four days and I first thing I did was go to my patio and water my plants. Oh, I like growing plants, you know, I tulips and geraniums are my favorite. I want to go for a walk, I like whistling at the birds, which also made a squirrels and chipmunks you know, even the crows will pay attention to me when I whistle at them, but I also love living from my heart, and I learned one of the first things I learned as a coach was what was my essence or inner spark? At every day feels right productive, ideal? And that is what I love showing other people how to be because it is being authentically me, and how can you not be happy with that? And confidence comes with it.

Absolutely, I believe confidence comes from when you are able to just be yourself and that is something I feel like a lot of people do struggle with. I know for a fact that it took me quite a long time and I am only 25. But in recent years to get to a point in my life where I thought, hey, this is me, I can be myself and it is okay, and so much confidence came with that. So, I kind of resonate a lot with what you are saying Sharon.

Well, and I felt most of my life, invisible, now in a quiet, gentle kind of way, but as a 5, 6, 8, 10 year-old, being invisible was a strategy and now I have, in retirement, I have overcome that, that invisible illness and that happens with others as that when you do not have a job, and task and team to work with, who am I? You know, you are still educated, you are still experienced, wisdom, talent, colleagues, so you are, that did not change when you left your job.

And I can say the same for parents. When the kids fly the coop, they lose that identity. I am not, who am I outside of being a parent? So, it happens in all aspects of life where people just start to when they retire, they move on from a job but they do not work anymore they do not have their children around. They kind of start to struggle to figure out who actually am I? And I bet you have seen that a lot as a coach, right?

Yes, I interviewed one lady that was bitterly, her she was walking next to her daughter and yet her daughter was talking as if she was invisible and what hurt was that her employer made her leave her job during the pandemic because she had been sick a couple years ago and that was what was safe for them about her. And her daughter like oh, since you do not have a job you are, you know, you are invisible and that and she loved her job that was the hard part of that.

So, Sharon as a life coach and author, what would you say to our listeners, who may be struggling with those exact same scenarios and are very unhappy?

Well, when you, in some of your other shows you talk about getting in touch with your what makes you happy on the inside and being your authentic self that nobody can take away because that is your DNA. It is inside of you and you true to that. You know when I think back on how many times we have a lot of them stretch things that is being true to yourself, which is a secret you must discover before you die. Being true to yourself brings immense joy, happiness. You are right in your own skin feeling contentment, meaning, purpose. Wow, can it be better than that?

I think that is beautifully said, being true to yourself. Sharon, thank you so much for sharing all things that make you happy. We really appreciate your time all the way from Washington.

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!