Living Lucky® Podcast with Jason and Jana Banana

Dancing with Destiny: Embrace Your Uniqueness and SHINE

• Jana and Jason Shelfer • Season 5 • Episode 34

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Dive into the Living Lucky journey! Subscribe, listen, and get inspired. Let's dance through life together! 🌟🎙️🕺💃🎧

From the bustling podcast studio of Living Lucky, comes an unforgettable tale of dance, passion, and imperfections. Dive deep into the world of hosts Jason and Jana, a dynamic duo like no other. They're not just your average podcast hosts; they're an able-bodied and paraplegic couple exploring the world of ballroom dancing.

While some might see their unique pairing as a challenge, Jason and Jana view it as a thrilling adventure. From an initial hesitation filled with self-doubt and questioning their dance capabilities, to receiving standing ovations and requests for national performances, their journey is nothing short of inspiring.

There's something uniquely raw and genuine about their experiences. Whether it's the candid confession of a slight footwork error by Jason, or the heartwarming discussions about the pressures of fitting in, the duo makes it clear: it's okay to be "imperfectly perfect". Embracing flaws and transforming them into strengths is the cornerstone of their narrative.

But it's not just about dance. It's about life, connection, and the rhythms that bring us closer. It's about battling the inner critic, letting go of baggage, and dancing freely without fear of judgment. And above all, it's about challenging oneself to be extraordinary in a world that often pressures us to be normal.

So, what are you waiting for? Dive into the rhythm, embrace the imperfections, and let the mesmerizing tales of Living Lucky lead you to a world where every step, twist, and turn is an opportunity waiting to be grasped.

Join Jason Shelfer and Jana Shelfer on this exhilarating journey. And remember, don't focus on what could go wrong. Imagine what could go right. Tune in to the Living Lucky Podcast and start making your own dance of life. 💃🕺🎧

 #LivingLuckyPodcast #DanceWithYourFears #EmbraceImperfection #LocalStarsShine #LeanIntoUniqueness #DanceDreamsRealized #BallroomBreakthroughs #EmpowerThroughDance #ExtraordinaryJourneys #FromDoubtToDance #StepIntoSuccess  #FindYourRhythm #ChallengePerceptions #DanceBeyondLimits

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The 4 pillars of Living Lucky
Believe in yourself
Believe in the people around you
Believe in your circumstances and
Believe that God is working through you, for you, and always conspiring in your favor.

*Previously Recorded

Jana:

Are you ready to create a life you crave? Let's spin that doom loop of negativity into an upward success cycle and start living lucky.

Jason:

Good morning I'm.

Jana:

Jana, I'm Jason and we are living. Lucky, are we?

Speaker 2:

on a high today, or what I am. We had our dance spotlight this weekend.

Jason:

A 10 from Len.

Speaker 2:

Ah right, how do you think it went, Jason?

Jason:

Well, the feedback was incredible.

Speaker 2:

From one critic we were the best spotlight in six years.

Jason:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

That he has ever seen. That touched me. We got a standing ovation, we got flowers. People were coming in to hug us. It was rushing the stage. They were. They were rushing the stage.

Jason:

Which just floored me, because A one of the things is I knew that I'd messed up my footwork a little bit.

Speaker 2:

I know you got this deer in the headlights and I was like what do I tell him to do? What do I tell him?

Jason:

to do and one of the professionals said no one could tell. And this is what I talk to clients about all the time. Is that a lot of times we worry about because we know what we want to say and no one else knows what we're planning on saying. So it's okay. It's okay if the plan doesn't go on. Well, it's okay to be imperfectly perfect, as long as the message is still the same.

Speaker 2:

You're imperfectly perfect.

Jason:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

And it's okay to show up and it even makes us more authentic and more relatable when we're like that.

Jason:

And sometimes we get caught up in what we think is a mistake. Perfectionism yes.

Speaker 2:

It's perfectionism.

Jason:

That's what it is, Well let's go back to the front, like when we started the front side yeah. Because we're going in this as an able-bodied, paraplegic couple.

Speaker 2:

No, I want to start from the very beginning. When the idea even came up, would you like to take dance lessons? We both came up with every reason of why we wouldn't.

Jason:

Yeah Well, my hands started immediately sweating.

Speaker 2:

We were like no, we're really concentrating on putting our energy into our business. It's an hour drive round trip?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, an hour drive is on Wednesdays, oh my gosh, wednesdays at 1.40. That's in the middle of the week and the middle of the day. Yeah, I just don't think so. It's how much money Are you kidding me? Like we were looking for reasons of why it wouldn't work, and it literally was listening to our own Living Lucky podcast, listening to our own advice, and after one day we were talking on the air of we shouldn't be looking for what's wrong in the world or why we can't do something. We should be looking for why we can, yeah, and being open to new opportunities. And I looked at Jason and said we need to take our own advice.

Jason:

Yeah, does it give you goosebumps? Does it excite you more than it scares you? Yes, do we want the connection? Do we love dancing? We do. But this thought of structured dancing just scares me so much because working within a framework makes me feel like I have to do something a certain way.

Speaker 2:

And that was the second thing. Once we showed up, then it felt like we were in this box of having to do it a certain way, and yet we aren't the certain people were different we are definitely different, so everything that they would say no, you have to do it this way. I'm like I'm on wheels, he's standing up. How do you expect us to have a frame like this and hold this posture when I am sitting at four feet tall and he's six foot one?

Jason:

when I learned to dance with a partner, I learned to dance side to side, move one leg over, bring the next foot to it so this is where the next thing came in.

Speaker 2:

Is we felt stupid. We, we did. We felt like we were sticking out like a sore thumb and we felt like everyone was looking at us and it just felt awkward and silly, don't you think?

Jason:

look out cuz here I come. Now. I feel that way.

Speaker 2:

And it just felt like this is we're trying to fit a square peg into a round hole yeah. And we would get in the car and we literally would both complain about why we didn't like it. And again it goes back to we were looking for what was wrong instead of what was right.

Jason:

And I think we all have these little blind spots where we don't recognize where in our life are we looking at these things, right? So, and that's that's where we had ours and luckily we got through that and we leaned into this new process, just literally from listening to our own podcast.

Speaker 2:

We did it from listening to our own advice.

Jason:

We are our own here. Luckily, we do our own editing.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, no, seriously, it was almost like I was editing our own podcast each time sometimes we know what to do when we don't do what we know. And it was also zooming out. You know, when you're in the picture, you don't always see the frame. Or when you're in the frame, you don't always see the picture, but yet when you zoom out, it's like well, wait a minute, I'm starting to notice that we are having fun together and we are laughing, and this is definitely needed in our life, right now, relationship is growing.

Jason:

I feel closer to you.

Speaker 2:

We're touching we're communicating At 1.40 in the afternoon on a Wednesday right, and it was like date night, date day.

Jason:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

And it just felt like you know what this is needed. I felt our energy was growing. We were surrounding ourselves with people who were creating and having fun and laughing.

Jason:

I'm getting a little bit more just rhythm in life, like it's, it's like I. I don't feel like I have a lot of rhythm in general and through this whole dancing routine I feel like I have more pep in my step throughout the six other days in the week.

Speaker 2:

It really was starting to learn to dance with our fears, our feelings dance with our feelings, dance with our communication, dance with our collaboration dance with each other. Yes, I mean there's been so many lessons In learning to take dance lessons. And then I mean seriously, we both said we're going to stick it out for these 10 lessons and once these 10 lessons are done, word, word, word done yeah, and this is a recreational thing. For us it's been a fun little hobby.

Jason:

And really the goal was, as we are speaking on stages, to have kind of that, that walk out music, and have some fun choreography to walk out to.

Speaker 2:

And then what happened was we started getting some momentum and we started getting some Cheering from people around us. We started getting some feedback from the people that were in the studio going. You know, you guys have some talent. Like this is. You're really fun to watch.

Jason:

You're having fun and we're having fun, and now we're all lifting each other up. It's so contagious. The whole process became a. We got on the same bus together and cranked up the speed and once.

Speaker 2:

Once that started happening, once the momentum started and once they start saying you know what, I think we should start planning routine for some sort of performance, then I started getting excited because then I started, that started to connect with my values. I'm like, ooh, performing and now I get to start thinking about costumes and the creating of Themes and music and putting it all together the whole routine of it all like what, and then the what does work?

Speaker 2:

and then when Jason started to see his wife being happy and bringing out that creative side of his wife, then I'm talking for you, right?

Jason:

now right.

Speaker 2:

Feel free to jump in anytime well, of course.

Jason:

So that just brings in my Energy, energies contagious. That brought me into the whole conversation to say yes. And how do we build on this?

Speaker 2:

It's kind of like when you first start dating and you see you bring out the best in each other, and that's what this has done. I mean, when we first started we were Dragon our feet. We're bringing in our forty, eight year old selves thinking in our baggage and that's what we're doing.

Speaker 2:

we're bringing in our baggage to dance with and we realize, you know, if we want to dance, if we really want to dance, we're gonna have to let go of some of these preconceived notions. We're gonna have to let go of some of these limiting beliefs of I can't do this. We're gonna have to let go of some of these fears of looking different and we're gonna let go of these, this fear of standing out, and we're just gonna have to step into it and really there's.

Jason:

there's this real strange dichotomy for me, because I do want to stand out and I want to fit in and because I want to be a leader and I feel like I am a leader and I always and I have been a leader in so many different areas that dancing has never been that area.

Speaker 2:

My whole thing is I've always wanted to be normal. I don't know why. I've always wanted to be normal and it goes back to fitting in, and I've I've just recently come to the conclusion that I'm not meant to be normal, I am meant to be extraordinary, and that is the, the shift in my mindset, and so you know what God has made me to stand out and that is where I am meant to shine, and lean into the uniqueness and that's a, that's a, just an empowering transition to be able to figure out what are my uniqueness is.

Jason:

How do I lean into that and how do I, how do I use that to make myself extraordinary and have and build on that and that's the. I've got goosebumps again right now and who?

Speaker 2:

knew it would be through ballroom dancing. At any rate, I hope this is has been as insightful as it has been for Jason and I, because we not only signed up for another package of lessons, but we also met with a choreographer and we are now planning our next competition dance and there was the owner of the franchise there and he asked us if we would mind performing a demonstration at the Nationals.

Jason:

Yeah, so we have some big dance shoes to step into? Yes, so don't do what we did. If that first question does come up what do I fail? What if I fail? What if you are just wildly successful? Or what if something wonderful comes from it? So lean into your uniqueness is lean into the what if something amazing happens.

Speaker 2:

Shift your focus to what you can do and start living lucky.

Jason:

I love it. Have a great day, bye, bye.

Jana:

If the idea of living lucky appeals to you, visit us at startlivingluckycom.