Perfectionism: Your Progress Killer

Perfectionism: Your Progress Killer – Embrace Imperfection, Live Lucky®

Trapped by perfectionism, endlessly planning, never doing? It's a powerful limiting belief that kills progress! Join Jason and Jana Banana to unlock radical personal development by embracing imperfection.

Jana's story proves it: she signed up for a national water ski competition with 2 days' notice, despite zero experience. Last place, yes, but it ignited a journey toward the USA team! This episode shows progress, not perfection, drives extraordinary achievement.

Discover "just go chop wood" – how any action creates opportunity. Learn to give yourself "permission to suck," embracing messy beginnings for joy and mastery. Resilience grows from doing, not flawless planning.

Ready to shatter the chains of perfectionism and activate your dreams? Tune in to gain actionable mindset shifts and positive thinking strategies that empower you to take that crucial first step. Stop waiting for "ready" and start Living Lucky® today!

Here’s what you’ll discover:

• Perfectionism Paralysis: Why aiming for flawless stops you cold.
• Action Over Inaction: The "just go chop wood" philosophy for momentum.
• Embracing the Arena: The courage to show up, even when unprepared.
• Permission to Suck: Unlocking joy and growth through imperfection.
• Resilience Building: How perceived failures become powerful stepping stones.
• Ego vs. Progress: Recognizing how ego fuels perfectionism.
• The Living Lucky® Mantra: Why progress, not perfection, defines your journey.

Key Nuggets: Perfectionism kills progress. Action over perfection. Embrace imperfection. Give permission to suck. Resilience from doing. Progress is key.

How to overcome perfectionism paralysis? Strategies for taking action despite fear of failure. Why is perfectionism a progress killer? The importance of embracing imperfection in personal growth. Giving yourself permission to be imperfect. Building resilience through consistent action. What is the difference between perfectionism and high standards? Mindset shifts to stop procrastinating due to perfectionism. What is perfectionism paralysis? How does perfectionism prevent progress? How to overcome fear of failure? Is perfectionism a limiting belief? Why is progress more

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Episode Transcript

Jana Shelfer (00:00):
Are you ready to create a life you crave?
Let's spin that doom loop ofnegativity into an upward
success cycle and start LivingLucky®.
Good morning.
I'm Jana, I'm Jason and we areLiving Lucky®.
You are too.
Perfectionism.

(00:21):
Does anyone here suffer fromthat?
My arm is up.
Perfectionism is the nemesis ofprogress.
Yes, let's just keep it insimple terms Perfection is the
enemy of progress.

Jason Shelfer (00:39):
Yes, and we see this in all kinds of areas and
to me it's very evident in ourjourney of our ski competitions.
Tell me more, jason.
So when we first started, yougot this hair, this wild idea of
competing again.

Jana Shelfer (00:55):
Yes.

Jason Shelfer (00:55):
And on a Wednesday you said there's a
tournament on Friday.

Jana Shelfer (00:59):
Yes.

Jason Shelfer (01:00):
I want to sign up .
I did and I thought what You'recrazy Like, is this a great
idea?

Jana Shelfer (01:08):
Yes.

Jason Shelfer (01:08):
And you're like, it's kind of like this bug in me
right now.
I want to compete and I don'tknow if I'm going to be good at
it, but I want to try.

Jana Shelfer (01:16):
I don't even know if they're going to let me in
the competition.

Jason Shelfer (01:18):
Right and we didn't know if there were
qualifications or anything, wequalifications or anything.
And we found out yes, there arequalifications, but you said I
want to give it a go, and that'svery outside of your character
and your nature.

Jana Shelfer (01:30):
You know it is outside, because a lot of times
I get it's almost likePerfection paralysis.
Yeah, I get paralyzed.
I hate to use that word, but Iget paralyzed because I don't
think something's going to begood enough or I'm not going to
be good enough.

Jason Shelfer (01:45):
And you like to win.

Jana Shelfer (01:47):
I like to win and I've had this problem in every
aspect of my life.
However, I also look at everyaspect of my life and there has
been a point where I just saystart, remember the year that I
literally put start as my wordand I started building a career.
I had no idea what I wasbuilding or where I was going.

(02:10):
I just started and it wasalmost like I got out of my head
and into my heart and just saidwhat is it that I want to be
doing?
And I literally startedlearning video production and
video editing.
I had no idea why I was.
I wanted to learn this, but Ijust started following what my

(02:32):
soul wanted to do.

Jason Shelfer (02:33):
You got very much back into creative mode and to
like the beingness and thedoingness and just kind of just
being in the world, the way youwanted to be in the world.
And so when you said let's doit, I was like, okay, let's just
do it.
And I was super excited.
I was also a little bit nervous.
However, you got in, youqualified for the tournament and

(02:54):
you put up scores.
And I started seeing what waspossible because I started
seeing the people around me andyou didn't win, but I was super-
.

Jana Shelfer (03:02):
No, I came in last Seeing the people around me and
you didn't win, but I wassuper-.
No, I came in last.

Jason Shelfer (03:04):
I was super proud of you for doing it, and you
also saw that you got progressfrom just day one to day two.

Jana Shelfer (03:15):
I did.

Jason Shelfer (03:15):
And then we got a coach, we made more progress
and then you started seeing morepossibilities and it just got
bigger and bigger and bigger.
And from where we are now towhere we are back in October,
when you started, yes.
It's crazy.

Jana Shelfer (03:32):
Night and day, to the point where in my head I've
already made that USA team andthe USA coaches are like.
You mean that girl in October.
We don't even remember what shelooked like.
We just remember that sheprobably shouldn't have been
there.

Jason Shelfer (03:51):
Yes, so that all the listeners are clear.
The tournament Jana signed upfor was the Nationals tournament
.
I know.

Jana Shelfer (04:00):
But you know what In that?
So again back to perfectionismand signing up for the national
tournament when I really was notqualified at all it was your
first time skiing, yeah.
I feel that sometimes there is afear of rejection, a fear of
failure, a fear of making a foolof myself.

(04:22):
And again, when I get outsideof my head and I face that fear
with, okay, well, let's just gohave fun, let's just go play,
let's just go connect withpeople which are my values, and
if I can, if I connect with myvalues instead of living in that

(04:42):
fear, then miraculous thingsstart to happen and I want to.

Jason Shelfer (04:48):
I want to um re-say what I said earlier it
wasn't your first time skiing,it was your first time in a
tournament.

Jana Shelfer (04:57):
I'd never done the course yeah.

Jason Shelfer (04:58):
We had recreationally skied for 10
years, but the first time doingthe course and wondering, okay,
can I do the course?
But so it was, it wasn't awaste of other people's time
putting you out there.

Jana Shelfer (05:12):
So it wasn't like.

Jason Shelfer (05:13):
I've never held a basketball and I want to go out
there and be on someone's team.

Jana Shelfer (05:17):
Okay, Well, let me also say this so sometimes
these activities or these sports, it's almost like you have to
kind of force your way inbecause they already have, like
they already knew who was goingto be on the USA team before
nationals even started.

(05:38):
They didn't even have to have atryout because they already know
who the top 12 tier skiers are,and once the same 12 are on the
team year after year, theneveryone else starts, stops

(05:58):
trying really, and then those 12people just get better and
better and better.
Do you know what I'm saying?
Yeah, so sometimes you have toum and, and then here's the
thing at the same time, thenthere's a problem of why isn't
this sport growing?
Yeah, so sometimes you have tobulldoze your way in.
Then here's the thing At thesame time, then there's a
problem of why isn't the sportgrowing?

Jason Shelfer (06:16):
Yeah, so sometimes you have to bulldoze
your way in.
It's basically boxing your wayinto the lane.

Jana Shelfer (06:19):
And saying, hey, okay, well, teach me so that I
can open the door for otherpeople to start coming in too.

Jason Shelfer (06:28):
You know, and we see that happening right now as
we speak, with this tournament.
I mean, you've had multiplecalls of hey, what was it like,
can I get involved?
What's it take for me to getinvolved into the water skiing?

Jana Shelfer (06:42):
Yes.
So again, when we get stuck inbeing perfect or showing up and
winning, I mean, I don't knowwhat the vernacular is, it's
different for everyone, right,but for me there is this I'm
Jana and I have this highstandard, high expectation of

(07:05):
myself, and sometimes that'sreally just my ego speaking.

Jason Shelfer (07:10):
Yeah, and I can't remember who gave the speech,
but I feel like it would go backto Marcus Aurelius in a way.

Jana Shelfer (07:16):
Okay, everything goes back to.

Jason Shelfer (07:17):
Marcus Aurelius, it's giving credit to the person
who gets into the arena.
Yes, so it's not the person whowins or loses, it's the man who
got into the arena, or theperson who got into the arena
and gave it a try and said hey,arena, or?
the person who got into thearena and gave it a try and said
hey, and said this was my soul,saying I want to be involved, I
want to make a difference, Iwant my life to matter and when

(07:41):
life matters to me, I'm going atlife with gusto and I want to
give it a try.

Jana Shelfer (07:46):
That is so true.
That is so true Because a lotof times, the people who are
criticizing or who say look atyou.
You went into that and you camein last.

(08:11):
It is that their soul wants todo.

Jason Shelfer (08:12):
They're the ones the spectators on the outside
going told you so, and thenthey're subconscious, they're
wishing that they had thefortitude to actually put
themselves out there and go forit.

Jana Shelfer (08:26):
Yeah, and sometimes we do fail in public
and it's hard.
It is hard because, trust me, Ihave faced that.
Jason knows.
I've had several speakingevents where I literally have
come home and buried myselfunder my pillow, under my
heating blanket, and just criedsaying, oh my God, I just look

(08:51):
like, I feel like, such a fool.
That's what I would say.

Jason Shelfer (08:55):
Yeah, and true champions don't count the times
they get knocked down.
They know that they're going toget back up.

Jana Shelfer (09:01):
Yes.
And sometimes we need to allowourselves to have that
experience, to take the punch.

Jason Shelfer (09:12):
Because we grow from it.
It's the whole thing that we'regoing to get bruised, we're
going to get broken, but we'regoing to heal, we're going to
get stronger and we're going togrow through it.

Jana Shelfer (09:22):
Life is not about what happens.
It's how we react.
How we respond how we show up.

Jason Shelfer (09:30):
Yes, and keep showing up powerfully, because
we are.
If you have, if you have thedrive, if your soul is pulling
you towards it, just try, justallow that room, just chop wood.
Just chop wood.

Jana Shelfer (09:44):
We talked about this saying this morning.
You know, yesterday wasfather's day and we were talking
about things our fathers wouldsay growing up, and one person
said you know, my dad alwayssaid just go chop wood.
You know, stop sitting here andtalking about your dreams, your
goals, your aspirations, justgo chop some wood.

Jason Shelfer (10:04):
And when you start putting action into your
life, it's amazing what opens upyeah, if you can't like and I,
I when I read into that just gochop wood.
It's like just any type ofmovement, any type of movement,
is going to create something,cause when you have a pile of

(10:25):
wood there, you can go sell it,you can go make a fire, you can
go build a house, you can.
All these different things fromJust start, from the starting
of some type of action, juststart, but if you're just
sitting there thinking, or ifyou're just sitting there
wishing nothing's going tohappen.

Jana Shelfer (10:41):
Oh my gosh, I'm having light bulbs all over the
top of my head.
I wish you could see me rightnow.
I needed this podcast Progressover perfection.
I once had a coach that saidaction over perfection, jana,
action over perfection.
And I'm like, yeah, but I'mJana, I can't just show up and

(11:04):
be unprepared.
I can't just show up and get onstage and start blabbering.
You know, that's not who I am,that's not who I want to be.
And the truth is that the firstfew times that you get out
there, it may feel like you'reblabbering, yeah, or it may feel

(11:27):
like you're just sputtering wedid a podcast a long time ago
about give yourself permissionto suck.

Jason Shelfer (11:32):
Yes, and so that's me with dancing right?
I told myself a long time agoback when I was 12, that I would
never dance in public again,and then I gave myself the
permission to suck.
However, I also gave myselfpermission to have fun, because
my soul wants to dance.
Like my soul, there's a lot ofenergy and fun in me that wants

(11:54):
to come out, and I love dancingwith you.
And I will say we went and didour competition in Miami a
couple weeks ago.

Jana Shelfer (12:04):
Yes.

Jason Shelfer (12:04):
I forgot where we were.

Jana Shelfer (12:06):
30 seconds into the competition, you looked at
me like a deer in headlights.

Jason Shelfer (12:09):
I know I started shouting out the moves.
I was like I almost forgot wewere in Miami.
It was so bad I blacked out youhad an Alzheimer's moment.
I need beta blockers orsomething You're like where am I
?

Jana Shelfer (12:20):
Who?

Jason Shelfer (12:21):
am I?
What am I doing?
But I was still having fun andit was and we won because I knew
it wasn't perfect Everyone onthe outside didn't know it
wasn't perfect, because it stilllooked good.

Jana Shelfer (12:33):
There's one point in the dance where Jason goes to
grab my hand and I like push itaway, Like no, not yet.
We're not there yet.

Jason Shelfer (12:41):
We're not at that point.
That's the part I remember.

Jana Shelfer (12:44):
Just spin around, smile.

Jason Shelfer (12:48):
But yes, so perfection is the enemy of
progress, and also there's atheory out there that nothing is
perfect.
So, you're not going to hitperfection, because everything
can always be improved upon.
Oh my gosh.
So why not just allow forprogress?

Jana Shelfer (13:06):
Okay, so once again, I'm just going to
reiterate the saying for todayis perfectionism is the nemesis
of progress, Nemesis is rival orsomeone that keeps you down.
It's the challenge in life thatis your highest mountain.

Jason Shelfer (13:29):
It's your roadblock.

Jana Shelfer (13:30):
It is, and I know for myself a lot of times
perfectionism is just Jana's ego.
And I know for myself a lot oftimes perfectionism is just
Jana's ego.
That's all it is.
It's my ego.

Jason Shelfer (13:39):
Yep, it's going to keep you from it.

Jana Shelfer (13:42):
Show up and give yourself permission to suck.
I love it.
Thank you so much for joiningus.

Jason Shelfer (13:48):
Keep Living Lucky®.

Jana Shelfer (13:49):
Bye-bye.
If the idea of Living Lucky®appeals to you, visit us at www.
LivingLucky.
com.