The Real Cost of Living

The Real Cost of Living: Why Joy Isn't Purchased, It's Chosen

What truly costs more: the financial investment in a life fully lived, or the immeasurable emotional drain of merely existing? Join Jason and Jana for a powerful, heart-opening conversation that redefines what it means to live a life you crave, focusing on intentional choices over passive consumption.

Discover Jason's surprising budgeting revelation: their biggest "expenses" are actually investments in experiences that ignite their souls – from exhilarating ski trips and competitive dance to creating a home they deeply love. You'll learn why true happiness isn't found in what you buy, but in the feelings of fulfillment and purpose these activities generate.

Prepare to be inspired by Jana's incredible testimony as a paraplegic for 35 years. She shares how movement-based activities like dancing and skiing transcend physical limitations, creating powerful "flow states" where pain fades and joy multiplies. This episode highlights how consistent action and unwavering belief, even in the face of setbacks (like consistently placing last in dance competitions!), are the true catalysts for manifesting success.

We challenge you to confront life's inevitable hardships and choose your "hard": the difficulty of growth or the pain of regret. By embracing activities that authentically fulfill you, you'll unlock abundance and discover that joy is an intentional choice, available to everyone. Stop letting limiting beliefs dictate your potential. Tune in and choose joy!

Here’s what you’ll discover:

• The Hidden Cost of "Not Living": Understanding the emotional toll of passive existence.
• Invest in Joy: Why Experiences Outweigh Possessions.
• Movement as Medicine: How physical activity unlocks higher frequencies and well-being.
• The Power of Flow States: Transcending limitations through immersive activities.
• Choosing Your "Hard": Growth vs. Regret – Your Life-Defining Decision.
• Happiness is a Choice, Not a Purchase: Embracing Abundance Through Intentional Living.

Key Nuggets: Joy isn't bought, it's felt. Invest in experiences, not things. Movement transforms. Consistency creates success. Happiness is a choice.

What is the real cost of living vs. not living? How to find joy in  life. Why consistency is key to success. Can happiness be purchased? Ho

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Believe that God is working through you, for you, and always conspiring in your favor.

*Previously Recorded

Chapters

• 0:00 Creating a life you crave
• 1:42 Budgeting reveals true priorities
• 3:12 Joy comes from feeling, not purchasing
• 5:04 Winning momentum in mind first
• 7:21 Movement: physical and emotional benefits
• 9:14 Choose your hard: living vs. not

Transcript

Jana Shelfer: 0:00

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®. Good morning, I'm Jana, I'm Jason and we are Living Lucky®. You are, too. What is more?

Jason Shelfer: 0:20

expensive the cost of living or the cost of not living.

Jana Shelfer: 0:28

You just struck a chord with me, sir.

Jason Shelfer: 0:30

I think there's a lot of people that don't really think about that. They just complain about the cost of living.

Jana Shelfer: 0:35

No, I have been budgeting secretly. I haven't even told you about this, so let me just air our dirty laundry on the international airwaves here. I have been budgeting my money, not necessarily saving money I have just wanted to know Well, we've been spending a lot. I have just wanted to know where am I spending my money?

Jason Shelfer: 1:00

Where is it all going, holy crap, where is all?

Jana Shelfer: 1:02

this going and we spend a lot almost all of our money on dance skiing.

Jason Shelfer: 1:14

And repairs, and lake maintenance. Lake and home maintenance.

Jana Shelfer: 1:18

Lake. And yeah, we're right at that point in our house where I think we're 10 years into our house and so all of the appliances we've had to replace just within the last two months, including, like the pool, hot tub heater, and I mean some expensive items.

Jason Shelfer: 1:37

Right, I don't want to share it because people would probably crap their pants. You mean you would crap your pants?

Jana Shelfer: 1:43

Yeah, because people would probably crap their pants. You mean you would crap your pants. So I guess what I'm saying is, as I have been budgeting our money, I've been thinking, oh my gosh, we spend a lot of our resources on hobbies, and yet why not? Because that's what lights me up in this world. If there's two things that really get me going and make me want to get up in the morning, it's going skiing, it is being proud of our home and it's doing a dance competition.

Jason Shelfer: 2:23

Yeah, I think for too many years, a lot of things that I would spend money on would be fast food. It would be just frivolous things I didn't recognize or I didn't take note of, kind of where the holes were in the bucket. Yes, and I know where things are going. I didn't make a conscious effort, like you have, to see okay, where's the money going right now, because I know I do know where the money's going. But it's one of those things where I hear a lot of clients, a lot of the world, saying the cost of living is high, I'm struggling, but we're not taking note of where are the areas of life that give me joy, what are the things that I can do in my immediate surroundings that make me feel alive, that bring me fulfillment and make me happy? And it's not little specific things, it's not tangible items. I think it's in the doing and it's being grateful for what we have. There are things that we already have that give us joy.

Jana Shelfer: 3:26

Yes.

Jason Shelfer: 3:26

There are things that are in our current surroundings that can bring us joy, because that's a feeling. It's not a purchase.

Jana Shelfer: 3:36

It's a feeling.

Jason Shelfer: 3:38

Yes, it's not a purchase.

Jana Shelfer: 3:39

I promise you, happiness is not a purchase, and I think for both of us there is a feeling that gets your juices going.

Jason Shelfer: 3:48

Yes.

Jana Shelfer: 3:49

And I'm not trying to be naughty here, not trying to be in- the but we can go there In the gutter.

Jason Shelfer: 3:55

Let's go there in the bonus material. No, let's don't go there.

Jana Shelfer: 3:59

But there is a feeling and when you start to feel it, it is unstoppable, and it's this excitement that you get. And I know that when we started, when we signed up for three competitions this past week, we signed up for three ski competitions and Jason was in charge of getting the hotel and making the logistics of how we're going to get there, and you know, and that's stuff and that's getting all the equipment there, which getting adaptive ski equipment there, getting hotels. It's a little more than.

Jana Shelfer: 4:36

It is more than what you would probably expect yeah, like we probably should rent a van to go Heck. No, we're getting a camper.

Jason Shelfer: 4:44

Oh, okay, tents, we're taking tents, so we have shade, because if you're out by a ski pond it is sunny baby, it can get a little hot Anyway.

Jana Shelfer: 4:55

so when you started making those arrangements, there was something inside you that just started to soar.

Jason Shelfer: 5:03

And what's funny is when you have this energy, we talk so much about energy being contagious and winning begets winning. Yeah, because there's momentum. So we've had this momentum for a while. I mean, we're winning dance competitions. Can I just tell you I never in my life, never in my life, imagined that I would be the one, the person who said I would never even dance in public. You did that. I would win some type of dance competition. And Michigan. I'm proud that we placed and I say we placed, we placed last, we did. And now we're winning dance competitions and we're signing up for these ski competitions.

Jana Shelfer: 5:44

But we've been winning in our mind way before winning. It came to fruition on the podium. Yes, Like we've been winning in our mind now for several years, which is which is that weird place which has been frustrating to me, because in my mind I have been really just kicking butt and then we would go to these competitions and get last and I'm like what's happening here, like something's not aligned.

Jason Shelfer: 6:15

Wait for it to come, wait for it, wait for it.

Jana Shelfer: 6:17

It's being patient and just continuing is what it is Because consistency breeds success. Consistency is going to make it happen. You are right on that. And so back to our quote for the day does it cost more to live or does it cost more not to live? And I just want to throw one more thing out. There is that I've been a paraplegic now for 35 years, and sometimes your body you know an aging paraplegic body can be a little difficult at times.

Jason Shelfer: 6:52

I live with one.

Jana Shelfer: 6:56

And I must say that dancing and skiing are. It gets me out of my head and it gets me out of feeling any kind of pain or any kind of feeling sorry for myself or any kind of. This is my circumstance.

Jason Shelfer: 7:14

It gets you into that higher frequency, higher vibrational mode.

Jana Shelfer: 7:18

And I get out of my head and I just live. So so powerful flies by, Like I lose track of time, whereas sometimes in a gym, I'm sitting there counting reps.

Jason Shelfer: 7:48

Do you know what I'm saying? Yeah, and I submit that there are millions of people that, whether they're disabled or not, are sinking into a couch when they could be soaring into a cloud.

Jana Shelfer: 8:00

And so I guess what I'm trying to say is it has helped me immensely, physically, physically. So, yes, a lot of times on this podcast we talk about the emotional health and the mental health that it brings you. But physically it has done so much for me, Don't you think?

Jason Shelfer: 8:23

Yeah, and this is just so. Movement does it all right.

Jana Shelfer: 8:28

It's just the movement, Movement is one of those secret hacks and I know it's not even secret. It is like wide open out there. Everybody says move your body, move your body, because if you don't move your body you're going to pay for it later. And again it goes to what's the cost?

Jason Shelfer: 8:47

What's the cost of living?

Jana Shelfer: 8:50

versus cost of not living. Both of them can be hard at times and you get to choose your hard Woo.

Jason Shelfer: 9:00

Mic drop. I love it and we've come full circle. Awesome.

Jana Shelfer: 9:05

Any final thoughts?

Jason Shelfer: 9:06

That's it. Just decide what do you want to pay? Do you want to pay for the cost of living or the cost of not living? And just choose. Just choose to start Living Lucky®.

Jana Shelfer: 9:18

And if you have thoughts, oh, I can't really afford it, I can't, I can't, I can't. Those are just limiting beliefs because you can, and the minute you start doing it, the universe is going to say oh my gosh, look at this, these feelings that this person is having. I'm going to provide abundance so that this person can have more of these feelings.

Jason Shelfer: 9:37

Yeah, and it's not. Happiness and joy are not purchased. It's just something you choose. You choose and just figure out what that is. If you need help, text us, email us.

Jana Shelfer: 9:48

Thanks for joining us.

Jason Shelfer: 9:49

Keep Living Lucky®.

Jana Shelfer: 9:50

Bye-bye. If the idea of Living Lucky® appeals to you, visit us at www. LivingLucky. com.