Stop Waiting Start Creating

Waiting feels responsible, patient, and mature—until you realize it is just fear wearing a calm outfit.

Most ambitious creators and entrepreneurs live inside a passive, self-limiting loop. They sit on the sidelines waiting for their "lucky break," their ideal sponsor, or a mythical "fairy producer" to swoop in and remove the high-stakes friction of execution. But passive hope is an absolute trap. The longer you wait for external conditions to align before taking action, the more your subconscious stacks toxic limiting beliefs: I’m not enough, it’s available for others but not for me, and the sneakiest one of all—I’m different.

In this historic, re-shot milestone episode of the Living Lucky® Podcast—marking their official video broadcast launch across Apple, Spotify, and YouTube—Jana and Jason drop the curtain on six years of audio-only studio hesitation (and the messy tech re-records it took to get here). Facing a pre-show Bluetooth studio light bulb meltdown, they pull back the curtain on what it actually takes to stop waiting and start creating, laying out the exact cognitive steps required to convert real-world friction into performance capital.

What you’ll discover when you hit play:

• The Fairy Producer Illusion: Why waiting for a savior to do the heavy lifting liquidates your creative authority and keeps you in neutral.
• The "I'm Different" Trap: How hiding behind the belief that your problems are uniquely unsolvable insulates your ego while starving your business of momentum.
• The "Pick a Door" Directive: Why waiting to discover whether you are a speaker, creator, or artist is a scam—and how pure physical motion creates the data you need.
• The Technical Meltdown Protocol: A raw, behind-the-scenes look at Jason’s studio light bulb crisis and how to pause instead of burning your game plan to the ground.
• Building Proof-Based Confidence: Why self-trust isn't a feeling you wait for, but a direct compound metric earned through repeated action.

Stop letting minor speed bumps rewrite your life story. If you are ready to stop waiting for permission, start collecting raw feedback reps, and step through the door your brain filter has been hiding, hit play now.

Listen to the audio, watch the official video broadcast, subscribe, and pick your door today.

NUGGETS

• Motion creates information. You do not need a flawless blueprint to start; you pick a door, execute the rep, and let real-world data dictate your next course correction.
• Failure is simply unrefined data. A flat audience response or a technical glitch isn't a verdict on your identity—it is objective feedback showing you where to adjust.
• "I’m different" is a high-level self-sabotage script. You are not an isolated island with unsolvable problems; you share the exact same human fears, hopes, and baseline parameters as everyone else.
• Confidence is earned proof, not a mood. You cannot think your way into authentic self-trust; you must collect repeated execution reps until your mind surrenders to the data.
• Never let a speed bump rewrite your entire destination. When a system goes wonky or requires a complete re-shoot, step away to clear your cache, regroup, and return to the game plan without starting over from scratch.

Questions:

Why is the belief "I'm different" considered a subtle form of self-sabotage? The belief "I'm different" acts as self-sabotage because it isolates an individual from proven solutions, mentorship, and community frameworks. By convincing the mind that one's personal circumstances or business problems are uniquely complex, it creates a logical excuse to avoid taking risks, asking for help, or investing in growth, ultimately locking the individual in passive waiting.

What is the "Pick a Door" mindset framework for overcoming decision paralysis? The "Pick a Door" framework is an action-oriented model that solves overthinking by prioritizing physical motion over absolute certainty. Rather than waiting to confirm the perfect career or creative identity before taking action, an individual selects any available, reasonable path ("picks a door") to initiate real-world execution. The resulting feedback generates the exact data required to refine directions dynamically.

How does reframing failure as feedback build sustainable self-confidence? Reframing failure as feedback decouples an individual's personal worth from operational outcomes. When setbacks, low engagement, or technical errors are treated strictly as cold, objective data points rather than verdicts on character, decision fatigue and fear of exposure collapse. This allows the individual to execute repeated reps, generating tangible proof of resilience that forms authentic confidence.

• The Official Video Launch: Stepping into the visual studio era across Apple, Spotify, and YouTube Jana and Jason kick off their official video broadcast after six years of audio-only podcasting (and the re-record it took to get it right). Learn why shifting from passive audio to high-visibility video required shattering years of studio perfectionism.
• The Three Limiting Beliefs: Unpacking the subconscious wall keeping creators stuck A clinical breakdown of I'm not enough, It's available for others but not for me, and I'm different. Discover how these three hidden scripts stack over time to justify total inaction.
• Step 1: Start Like a Kindergartner (The Spaghetti & Marshmallow Prototype) Revisiting why kids beat top corporate executives in building tests. Learn why adopting a messy, play-first mindset allows you to innovate before overthinking sets in.
• The "Pick a Door" Directive: Overcoming identity confusion through direct motion Jana recalls the exact advice her mentor gave her when she didn't know if she was a speaker, artist, or podcaster. Discover why choosing any door creates immediate momentum and clarity.
• Step 2: Failure Is Feedback (Stop comparing your start to Mel Robbins) Dismantling the pain of empty rooms and low download numbers. Learn how to disconnect your personal ego from cold data so you can execute course corrections without hiding in the bathroom.
• Step 3: Speed Bumps vs. Game Plans (The studio tech re-shoot reality) Jason drops a raw, vulnerable story about studio light bulb failures and re-recording video takes. Discover how to pause and regroup instead of blowing up your whole production pipeline.
• Proof-Based Confidence: The math of repeated action over time Jana and Jason wrap up their milestone video broadcast with the ultimate performance takeaway: confidence is an undeniable compound asset built through repeated, messy action.
• how to stop waiting and start creating
• overcoming limiting beliefs in entrepreneurship
• shifting from passive waiting to active creating
• video podcasting workflow tips for beginners
• building confidence through repeated action
• growth mindset failure as feedback framework
• why do i keep waiting for the right moment
• three limiting beliefs keeping you stuck
• how the i am different belief causes isolation
• overcoming tech frustration when starting a podcast
• pick a door mindset model for career choices
• dealing with technical meltdowns in video production
• how to stop comparing your beginning to someone else's middle

Make sure you check out the full blog that accompanies this podcast at https://www.startlivinglucky.com/blog/stop-waiting-start-creating-overcoming-limiting-beliefs-amp-building-proof-based-confidence-s11-e11

passive waiting vs active creating, fairy producer myth, limiting belief audit, pick a door framework, failure as feedback data, studio production friction, proof based confidence, living lucky video debut, the four-minute formula, living lucky frameworks

Transcript

Stop Waiting And Start Creating

Jana Shelfer 0:00

Are you stuck just waiting for that big break to come?

Jason Shelfer 0:04

Stop waiting for opportunities and start creating your solutions.

Jana Shelfer 0:10

And we're gonna show you how. I'm Jana. I'm Jason. And we are Living Lucky®. You are too. Stop waiting and start creating. That's the philosophy of Living Lucky®, by the way.

Jason Shelfer 0:39

It's it's one of those things where sometimes we sit around and we wait for our ship to come in. We wait.

Jana Shelfer 0:44

Wait, you did say ships, right?

Jason Shelfer 0:46

S-H-I-P like Patrick. Yeah, it's it's we're waiting for that lucky break, you know. We're waiting for our lucky opportunity. We're waiting for someone to show us the door.

Jana Shelfer 0:58

We're waiting for the universe to provide for us.

Jason Shelfer 1:01

Yeah, passive waiting.

Jana Shelfer 1:03

Instead of showing up and saying, How can I contribute to this whole process?

Jason Shelfer 1:09

Is it turns into this passive hoping or passive it it can be it's just a a lot of passive non-action. And what I want to what I think we're trying to do is just encourage people to get active in the creating what they want in life.

Jana Shelfer 1:26

Well, the more we wait, the more we start stacking limiting beliefs of why it's not

The Video Podcast Limiting Beliefs

Jana Shelfer 1:34

happening.

Jason Shelfer 1:34

Right.

Jana Shelfer 1:35

Because I mean, this podcast is a prime example. We have been doing this podcast audio style for six years now, and we have toyed with the video portion many, many times, and yet every time we step into that realm, we have limiting beliefs, like, oh, it's not professional enough.

Jason Shelfer 1:58

Hit a roadblock.

Jana Shelfer 1:59

Yes, we we can't do this ourselves.

Jason Shelfer 2:01

This is too technically difficult.

Jana Shelfer 2:03

Help, we so we're constantly I'm sitting here waiting for my fairy producer to come and say, No way. Yes, I I'm like waiting for that perfect person to say, I have all your answers, and I'm gonna figure this out for you, Jana, and I'm going to take all of the hard work of recording it and all those little challenges that you're facing, and I'm gonna upload it for you, and I'm gonna even help take away the pain if nobody listens, because I'm gonna do all the promotion for you and all the little clips to run on your social media.

Jason Shelfer 2:43

I'm gonna give you the pack and play. All you gotta do is just take it out of the box and run it.

Jana Shelfer 2:47

Yes. And I realize, you know what? I'm avoiding the reps. It's like going to the gym. I'm avoiding.

Jason Shelfer 2:58

Yes. And oftentimes that's what we we think that we're we think we're putting in the reps by showing up at the office or showing up in our relationships, you know. We think we're putting in the reps.

Jana Shelfer 3:10

Because that's what I've been thinking. I'm like, you know what? I'm showing up three times a week, doing this audio podcast. I'm we're spending the time in between researching and doing the thought process, changing thousands of lives, helping people transform their limitations. I I've been doing the work. What's up? Help me out, universe. We've even been working with our own coaches, and I've realized the universe is waiting for me.

Jason Shelfer 3:37

There it is. Ah, it's always waiting for us. And we talk about this. So we talk about this because we see it in ourselves and other people. Yeah. Where it's like it's easy to see looking out.

Jana Shelfer 3:51

It's easier to see other people stink, isn't it?

Jason Shelfer 3:56

That's so funny.

Jana Shelfer 3:57

I mean, I hate to say it like that, but it's so true. Like I can smell other people, but I can't always smell myself.

Jason Shelfer 4:03

It's it's why we're so good at giving our best friends advice. You know, because like I can see the label on your box, girl.

Jana Shelfer 4:11

I should start giving that best friend in the mirror advice. That's what I need to start doing.

Jason Shelfer 4:15

That's all it is. It's saying, it's how can I look at what's going on here in my life objectively?

Jana Shelfer 4:21

Because it's so easy to look at your best friend and go, you know what, I could solve their problem. I just don't want to say it to them, you know, too directly because I don't want to hurt their feelings.

Jason Shelfer 4:33

I don't want to sometimes we will solve them, but we won't take we won't listen to ourselves like because there's that I'm not enough, you know, it's gonna hurt, it's gonna be hard, all these all these little things that we tell ourselves behind the wall.

Three Beliefs That Keep You Stuck

Jana Shelfer 4:48

Deep down, we are avoiding those emotions, and it usually comes down to there's three limiting beliefs. I'm not enough, it's available for others, but not for me. And the third limiting belief is I'm different.

Jason Shelfer 5:06

Different. That was that was one of my biggest things when we would go to self personal development conferences and things like that, and that final offer was made of hey, we can get you through this, we can help you make that major transition in life for $57,000. And I would say, you know, I appreciate that, and I I know you can because I see it happening for everyone else. I'm different. My problems are different. My I'm I'm on this island by myself, and I know I'm smart, I know I can figure it out. I will figure it out because I'm different from these people.

Jana Shelfer 5:43

And you know what? By just having those thoughts and those feelings, you are waiting. Um yes, exactly 100% for the universe to provide for you instead of stepping into it and saying, Okay, I'm all in. And the truth is, I'm gonna do this, even if it means making some sacrifices.

Jason Shelfer 6:04

I may be unique, but we are all traveling on a very similar highway.

Jana Shelfer 6:09

We are all the same, we are all the same, we're all connected. I read hundreds of books, I watch so many documentaries, and I start looking at people from all over the world, which we've traveled and spoken, and people come to us, and when you start really listening to what people are thinking, feeling, what they want, the challenges that they have, what their goals and dreams are, we are all the same. The thing is all the same.

Jason Shelfer 6:38

And what I'm trying to say is we're all the same, we all have our own unique flavor, so it's our own unique individuality, and that's that's the spice that we add to the world.

Jana Shelfer 6:50

Oh.

Jason Shelfer 6:51

So there, so we are all what kind of spice am I?

Jana Shelfer 6:55

I'm I'm very spicy. I know this.

Jason Shelfer 6:57

Your Chipotle with a flare of like lemon lime and I don't know. I don't know. You got a little bit of all of it in there. Ah what's the right spice for me? I'll tell you. It's one of those things where we can get around those beliefs of I'm not enough. You know, it's available, but not for me. Because if it's available for anyone,

Step One Just Start Playing

Jason Shelfer 7:20

it's available for everyone. That's that's a that's a fact.

Jana Shelfer 7:22

Okay, so let's go through. I want to chunk this down into three steps. How do we stop waiting and start creating? Well, what's the opposite of stop? Start.

Jason Shelfer 7:37

There you go. And that's the that's that's one of the things we talked about it in a in a podcast a couple times ago where we talked about the kids working with the spaghetti and the marshmallows. Yes. They just start playing. You know, they don't worry about is it right, is it wrong? They just start playing to build this little tower out of marshmallows and spaghetti sticks.

Jana Shelfer 7:58

What he's referring to is a study where they had CEOs, they had geniuses, they had college graduates, engineers, engineers, different groups of people, and then they had a group of kindergartners, and they gave them the challenge of making a tower out of spaghetti sticks and marshmallows. And believe it or not, out of all the architects and all of you know the educated adults, the kindergartners went. The kindergartners actually won because they just started playing, they still making mistakes, they also weren't afraid of speaking up or overthinking, or overthinking, their feelings weren't getting in the way, getting offended that someone didn't like their idea, right? And they just started playing.

Jason Shelfer 8:51

And I think that's one of the things, just movement, you know? Yes, get movement, and then we can course correct from there.

Jana Shelfer 8:57

Okay, so step number one is start.

Jason Shelfer 9:01

Just start doing the thing.

Jana Shelfer 9:04

Doing the thing. It doesn't matter what direction you go. Just pick a door. There's pick a door.

Jason Shelfer 9:09

There's so many um personal development people out there saying, do it scared, do it messy, do it angry, do it naked, however you however you have to do it. Just do it. Just do it, just start. Nike says it, you're right.

Jana Shelfer 9:21

That logo's already taken.

Jason Shelfer 9:22

It's just just start. Just put the journey of a thousand miles starts with that single footstep.

Jana Shelfer 9:28

You know, when I first started Living Lucky®, when we first started Living Lucky®, actually, it was I was the one that started it, and then Jason joined me. But I had a coach or a mentor that said to me, Janna, just pick a door. And I said, Yeah, but I don't know which one to pick.

Jason Shelfer 9:46

I don't want to pick the wrong door.

Jana Shelfer 9:47

I don't know if I'm a speaker, I don't know if I'm an artist, I don't know if I'm a creator, I don't know if I'm a podcaster, I don't know if I'm a media person, I don't I don't know what I am. And he was like, just pick a door. None of them are right, none of them are wrong.

Jason Shelfer 10:07

Just get in one of the cars and drive.

Jana Shelfer 10:09

Just

Step Two Treat Results As Data

Jana Shelfer 10:10

pick a door because as you start moving forward, you learn what works and what doesn't. Yeah. Which leads us to step number two, which is there is no failure. Failure is only feedback.

Jason Shelfer 10:24

And that was a huge And that's where the course creation create course correction gets a little bit. Say that five times. That's where the course correction gets to come in. You get to start saying, What does this feel like for me? Does this feel true and authentic to where I want to go? Does this does this bring me joy? Does this bring me happiness? Like, what are the things that this is is it pushing me and pulling me?

Jana Shelfer 10:51

Well, I know for myself, starting something new, I have very high expectations in life, right? Really? So many times when I do put myself out there, I immediately feel disappointed or that I've let myself down or that I've let other people down around me. And I've had to overcome it.

Jason Shelfer 11:13

A lot of people can relate to this.

Jana Shelfer 11:15

I've had to overcome that and realize, you know what? I'm I'm a newbie. I'm just starting.

Jason Shelfer 11:22

Yeah, I just started. I'm not I'm not serving hundreds of thousands and millions of people. I'm not gonna get that result yet.

Jana Shelfer 11:30

Why am I comparing my downloads and views to Mel Robbins?

Jason Shelfer 11:36

Right.

Jana Shelfer 11:37

Right?

Jason Shelfer 11:38

I can't I can't judge my beginning to someone else's middle or end.

Jana Shelfer 11:42

I go and speak on stage and I'm thinking, well, you know, people weren't crying and clapping and laughing, and so I'm all of a sudden I'm I'm comparing myself to Tony Robbins.

Jason Shelfer 11:53

I didn't get the standing ovation every single time. Yes. Yet.

Jana Shelfer 11:56

Yet. But that doesn't mean stop.

Jason Shelfer 11:59

Right.

Jana Shelfer 12:00

And that doesn't mean go in the bathroom and hide, which done that many times.

Step Three Handle Speed Bumps

Jana Shelfer 12:05

Just gonna get off stage, go in the bathroom and hide for a minute.

Jason Shelfer 12:08

And to me, that kind of brings us to the third step is don't let speed bumps rewrite the story. Like, don't let one thing or even a couple.

Jana Shelfer 12:23

Which is so much easier said than done. And we all have had areas of our life where we have reached a speed bump and it has it has wounded us so deeply that we're like, I'm not going down.

Jason Shelfer 12:37

It doesn't even have to wound, it can just frustrate. Like technology for me can frustrate enough to where it almost gives me a mental meltdown to where I'm like, I there I cannot do this anymore. Which is why stop.

Jana Shelfer 12:52

It's taken us six years to get out our video podcasts.

Jason Shelfer 12:56

Yeah, I had a moment this morning, so and this is so recent.

Jana Shelfer 13:02

Okay, get vulnerable here.

Jason Shelfer 13:04

We're 30 minutes ago, yes, where we have these cool light bulbs from Aperture. Oh my gosh, they're so cool. That they don't have to be plugged in or anything, they have to be charged. They light up in your hand, it's like a little magic trick.

Jana Shelfer 13:17

Yeah, you put them over your head and you're like, Woo!

Jason Shelfer 13:19

I don't have an idea. You can change the color, the hue, all this stuff. But one of the bulbs went out, they're they're not cheap bulbs, but it's what we rely on to get the lighting in the studio.

Jana Shelfer 13:31

Yes.

Jason Shelfer 13:32

And I could not get it to update to Bluetooth, I could not get it to to s to light up. I mean, they're not old.

Jana Shelfer 13:40

Yeah, I know.

Jason Shelfer 13:41

They're they're they shouldn't have any issues right now. And I was troubleshooting the word is shooting. Troubleshooting, troubleshooting, and I were shooting all over. I was shooting, I was shooting all over that light bulb. But the it's it got to a point where I was like, okay, walk away for five minutes, regroup, because I've I I knew that we've gone through challenges like this before. Yeah, we get through them every single time, but in the past, I know I would have thrown that light bulb, and I probably would have said, the system doesn't work, we have to upgrade to a whole new system. And we would have spent more money, we would have done all these different things. Um we might have even changed the whole game plan. And that's and when you change the whole game plan, then what happens is you end up in this pattern of recreation and starting messy again somewhere new instead of starting in from experience. It can even be starting from experience, but it feels new again, which sounds like I'm starting over, and that hurts deeper. That hurts deep inside.

Jana Shelfer 14:53

You just recapped the whole podcast for today. Step number one, just start. Just get moving because the opposite of being stuck is creating. It's creating, it's starting. The opposite of stop is starting. The opposite of stuck is create. So just start moving. Step number one, start. Step number two, our failures are feedback. There are no failures. And when you actually realize this, you will have a breakthrough beyond.

Jason Shelfer 15:29

Yeah, it's just an area for course correction.

Jana Shelfer 15:32

It's just data. Anything that any kind of result you get, any kind of, you know, people will give you their, I don't want to call them criticisms, but they you get to choose what you accept and what you don't. Or they will give you some sort of reaction maybe of their face.

Jason Shelfer 15:55

Sometimes people are gonna just give you that blow smoke up your rear end and be like, oh, you were amazing. You were great, you were wonderful. Which we can feel that as well. Sometimes it's not true though.

Jana Shelfer 16:05

And and also you know, sometimes it's maybe it comes in the form of monetary value, and you think, oh gosh, maybe I'm not making uh an impact here because it's not coming back to me money-wise. Like, show me the money, then I'll know I'm doing it.

Jason Shelfer 16:22

Is it a hobby or is it a business?

Jana Shelfer 16:24

There is no failure, it's only feedback. Look at your data, look at the data, and don't get offended. Don't don't try to attach feelings to it, which leads us to step number three. When you

Confidence Comes From Repeated Action

Jana Shelfer 16:40

do face a challenge, which you will, because that's how life is designed. It's designed to help us grow, evolve, learn, expand, learn, expand. And so when you do face a minor speed bump or a challenge, how are you perceiving that?

Jason Shelfer 17:00

What's your perspective on that? And are you gonna let that change your whole story and whole direction, or are you gonna say, you know what, I've been through this before, I've been through something similar to this before. I know that I can get through this also.

Jana Shelfer 17:13

Now, the way Jason recapped the story of the technical difficulties and our podcast is a story in itself of how we have persevered, we have found the tenacity, which I want to use this not to say, look at us, look at us, but to show that when you follow these three steps, you will grow confidence in yourself. This is how you start believing in yourself, and the more you start doing this, the easier it gets, and the bigger the dream can become because you have more confidence and you know that no matter what you face, you can get through it.

Jason Shelfer 18:00

Confidence just comes from repeated action proving itself.

Jana Shelfer 18:04

Stop waiting, start creating because you are Living Lucky®.

Jason Shelfer 18:11

Thanks for joining us.

Jana Shelfer 18:12

Bye bye.