The Accidental Guide: How Sharing Your Dreams Changes Everything

The Accidental Guide: How Sharing Your Dreams Changes Everything (Living Lucky® Podcast)

What if sharing your dreams could turn a skeptical stranger into your greatest ally? ✨ In this deeply personal Living Lucky® Podcast episode, Jason and Jana Banana share a powerful story of revisiting a childhood lake house after 30 years and learning a profound lesson in human connection.

This episode is a true lesson in personal development and self-help, packed with "nuggets of wisdom" to help you:

• Turn Skeptics into Guides: Discover how articulating your genuine intention can instantly transform a potential conflict into a moment of connection and support.
• The "Guide" in the Hero's Journey: Learn how real life mirrors a classic narrative structure. Just like in epic stories, help often appears precisely when you are ready to give up.
• Overcome Obstacles with Intention: Understand that people inherently want to help because it makes them feel valuable and purposeful. By sharing your goals, you give them a chance to contribute to your success.
• The Power of Vulnerability: Hear how sharing personal, nostalgic memories with a stranger broke down their wall of skepticism and led to an unexpected invitation and new friendships.
• Live Your Dreams Out Loud: This story proves that articulating your dreams doesn't just clarify your own path—it invites others to join you on the journey, transforming potential obstacles into unexpected opportunities.

Ready to invite a little bit of magic into your life? This conversation will shift your mindset and inspire you to share your dreams openly, paving the way for the unexpected guides and allies you need to Live Lucky®. 

How to get help from others. The power of sharing your goals. Finding purpose by helping others. Overcoming obstacles with human connection. The 'guide' in the hero's journey. How to turn a skeptic into a guide. The importance of vulnerability in relationships. Getting allies for your goals. Turning a tense situation into a positive one. How to find motivation to keep going. Why is it important to share your dreams with others? What is the 'guide' in the hero's journey? How can I get people to help me with my goals? How does sharing intentions affect others? How can I turn a tense situation into a positive interaction? Why do people want to help others? 

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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

Chapters

• 0:00 Creating a Life You Crave
• 0:19 Journey to Jason's Childhood Lake House
• 2:16 Suspicious Neighbor Ron Approaches
• 5:22 Meeting Bonnie and Jack
• 9:35 Sharing Dreams Opens Doors
• 12:50 The Hero's Journey in Action

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®.

Jana Shelfer: 0:14

Good morning.

Jana Shelfer: 0:15

I'm Jana, I'm Jason and we are Living Lucky®. You are too.

Jana Shelfer: 0:19

Yesterday we had such a little treat. We are in Tallahassee and Jason said to me let's go drive over to my childhood lake house.

Jason Shelfer: 0:32

Yeah, let's go visit the town I grew up in, the little village I grew up in.

Jana Shelfer: 0:36

And, believe it or not, I've been married to you for 20 years. We've gone to Quincy the town, but you've never taken me to the lake house, which I've heard so many stories about.

Jason Shelfer: 0:48

Yeah, well, it left our family pretty much shortly after I went to college, okay, and I haven't been back to that area in 30 years, so I didn't. I wasn't sure exactly which house it was, what it looked like, all all the things. There were a lot of memories there, but I was like, okay, is it worth the drive but there was also some curiosity.

Jana Shelfer: 1:12

And is this what I remember, because I have such fond memories? I remember it a certain way and then sometimes, when we get older, when we see it, we're like that.

Jason Shelfer: 1:21

I remember it. Yeah, we build a lot of nostalgia around something and we only remember the best parts.

Jana Shelfer: 1:28

Now, on the way over, I actually heard you telling stories to me that I've never heard before Now, when you spend as much time with someone as Jason and I do-.

Jason Shelfer: 1:41

And we tell as many stories as you and I tell.

Jana Shelfer: 1:44

We overshare. We overshare everything, to the point where we're like hey, you got to come see what just came out, my ass.

Jason Shelfer: 1:51

Oh gosh.

Jana Shelfer: 1:53

I'm like, oh no, honey, you can keep that one to yourself.

Jason Shelfer: 1:56

Let's keep the curtain of privacy up a little bit.

Jana Shelfer: 1:58

Yeah, but my point is we share everything On the way over to the lake house. Is we share everything On the way over to the lake house? You started telling me stories that I have never heard before, which I always find so fun to like unveil a new layer of your partner.

Jason Shelfer: 2:15

Right, yeah, that's really fun. For me it's kind of fascinating. It's fun to just remember them.

Jana Shelfer: 2:20

So then we get there and we're driving down this little street and he's like, yep, this is the street, this is it. And then, as we're down this little street and he's like, yep, this is the street, this is it. And then, as we're going down the street, he's like, oh, that's where Drew and Clay caught a rabbit. And that's where blah, blah, blah and, like you, had these little tiny moments, almost micro memories.

Jason Shelfer: 2:41

And one of the interesting parts about this is we're 20 miles out of the town.

Jana Shelfer: 2:46

Yes.

Jason Shelfer: 2:47

And we're about. So. The last three miles are down a one-way street that ends at the lake. So you end at this point that you can't go anywhere, but it dead ends into the lake.

Jana Shelfer: 2:58

There's nowhere else to drive in the lake or turn around.

Jason Shelfer: 3:01

Yes, so you don't go down here unless you know where you're going, and when we got to where I remembered the house being, I couldn't find it.

Jana Shelfer: 3:13

You were like it was a white house and it was big. And I'm like in my head, I'm thinking how can you not remember?

Jason Shelfer: 3:21

your childhood house Four bedrooms, two and a half baths, huge dock all these things Now granted, it was just a vacation weekend house. Yeah, it was brick house like a cinder block house. It wasn't like super fancy or anything.

Jana Shelfer: 3:37

It was a weekend getaway but it was on the water and it was in your family, and so all of your cousins.

Jason Shelfer: 3:43

That was where you would meet, and the reason that was the house that my dad bought was because when he was growing up, his family and another family owned it, and so that was part of his childhood, which was really crazy the way it kind of left his family came back into our family 15, 20 years later and then I got to experience for a time, and then 30 years later, we're going back to visit, but now I can't find the house.

Jana Shelfer: 4:11

Okay. So to make a long story a little longer, as we're driving, jason starts taking photos. First of all, he pulls into this yard because there's no driveways in these houses. So he pulls into this yard just on the edge and he starts taking a photo. And then he texts his mom and dad and he says is this the house?

Jason Shelfer: 4:31

Is this our old house? Because it's not how I remembered it.

Jana Shelfer: 4:35

And your parents immediately came back and said nope.

Jason Shelfer: 4:39

Nope, that's not it, and I'm like Jason.

Jana Shelfer: 4:41

Ok, so then we go two houses down and he says this is the house, and he's telling me about the big dock in the back and-.

Jason Shelfer: 4:49

The yard, how it slopes down. We'd have to drive into the yard and one time we accidentally had a party there.

Jana Shelfer: 4:55

Accidentally.

Jason Shelfer: 4:56

Well, just people started showing up, and then word got out, and so the yard was completely full of cars.

Jana Shelfer: 5:02

And I'm thinking, okay. So then he takes a picture of the house he's telling me about and he texts his parents and he says is this the house? Because you would start telling me these stories. And then you would say wait a minute, something isn't quite fitting here, like not all the dots are lining up. And I'm thinking, I think he just dreamt this whole.

Jason Shelfer: 5:24

He's making shit up.

Jana Shelfer: 5:26

Yes, because sometimes that's how you get when you start making things up Right. So then we Notice that a man is out there and he's taking our photo.

Jason Shelfer: 5:39

He's walking down the street behind us taking pictures of our tag the car. Just suspicions building.

Jana Shelfer: 5:47

He's very suspicious.

Jason Shelfer: 5:48

Why is someone down here pulling into driveways? Because these houses aren't full-time houses for everyone.

Jana Shelfer: 5:55

Yes, so they keep an eye out for each other.

Jason Shelfer: 5:57

Yes, full-time houses for everyone. Yes, so they keep an eye out for each other.

Jana Shelfer: 5:56

Yes, and then, all of a sudden, I noticed Jason rolls down his window and this man is literally at the driver's window.

Jason Shelfer: 6:09

Yes.

Jana Shelfer: 6:10

And you start a conversation and you can tell this guy is about to call the police on us. Oh, I'm sure.

Jason Shelfer: 6:17

I'm sure.

Jana Shelfer: 6:18

He's thinking they're scoping out the joint. That's what they're doing.

Jason Shelfer: 6:23

And it was funny because his name was Ron. So I got his name and I explained to him that I haven't been here in 30 years and everything looks very different. And he knows it looks different because he's in the process of completely redoing a house that he bought 10 years ago.

Jana Shelfer: 6:41

He's renovating and it was weird because you could tell when you rolled the window down.

Jason Shelfer: 6:48

And he was still skeptical after probably two minutes of conversation.

Jana Shelfer: 6:52

And that's what I was about to say is you could tell there was definite, there was a wall of skepticism, like should I trust you? I don't know. But then, when you said I was just a young boy and I have very fond memories and you started naming some of the neighbors that you remember, when the dock was that is no longer there.

Jason Shelfer: 7:16

Like it was a boathouse. At the point where several neighbors shared a boathouse. At the point where several neighbors shared a boathouse, like there were four stalls in it and I remember that because it was the fish were there. Like that's where, that's where you would go with your little cane pole and you would catch the fish.

Jana Shelfer: 7:30

And you'd come home and be like hey, I caught the biggest bram.

Jason Shelfer: 7:34

Yeah, it was so fun and we would camp on the peninsula that was across the inlet. So he recognized that this was a basket full of childhood memories and he said I think I know the house that you're talking about. It was bought several years ago and it was torn down to the chimney and rebuilt and it's just next to the house that you had first pulled into.

Jana Shelfer: 8:02

And that's when you could start seeing him unveil the kindness that was in his heart.

Jason Shelfer: 8:10

He started telling us about the neighbors, about the history of what had happened in the last 10, 15 years.

Jana Shelfer: 8:16

To the point where he said here I'm going to walk you down to the house I think that you grew up in, and next thing you know we're going down this driveway and Jason's getting out of the car, knocking on the door, and then Bonnie and Jack come out.

Jason Shelfer: 8:30

And I got to go in and Jack walked me through. Jack gave you the whole tour, the whole tour and brought out the photo album of what the house looked like when they bought it and I was like that's it, that's the house, that's our yard.

Jana Shelfer: 8:43

And Jason, you're sharing memories. They're sharing how they have rebuilt it. They're so proud of the house that they have now and you can see the joy and the love that they have for this place and they kept little pieces of it.

Jason Shelfer: 8:57

They took a lot of the they actually had pictures the tongue and groove, ceiling and wall and made a whole office down below. All out of that, because they loved the architecture and the feel of it.

Jana Shelfer: 9:09

Yeah. And then Bonnie was like yeah, there's this big stain on the deck and we've always wondered what happened there.

Jana Shelfer: 9:16

What happened there? Was it a murder?

Jana Shelfer: 9:18

Was there a fire and Jason was like, oh, that was my cousins and I. We were trying to cook a turkey.

Jason Shelfer: 9:23

Trying to fry a turkey and we didn't know how much grease to put in. The pot Overflowed on the dock.

Jana Shelfer: 9:29

So I mean, there were just all sorts of little nuggets like this that just made my heart smile really. But as we drove away, what I found to be the most impactful of this whole experience was the fact that Ron, a total bystander, was seriously about to call the police on us and then, all of a sudden, when you actually told him who you are and what your intention, and what my goal was.

Jason Shelfer: 10:01

yeah, For being there, was he became the way to success in that journey.

Jana Shelfer: 10:06

He became our guide. Yes, and almost he became the connector and he became the historian and started telling us. And so I just want to really reiterate this whole story, and what I came away with it, or what I came away from it with, is that sometimes you know, people are skeptical of us or you think, oh, they're not friendly. But if you tell them your dreams, you tell them your goals, you tell them articulate so that they understand what it is you're trying to do.

Jason Shelfer: 10:52

It takes away their skepticism and it lends to them their willingness to help.

Jana Shelfer: 10:54

And not only willingness.

Jason Shelfer: 10:55

I think people inherently want to help Because they want to matter, we all want to matter. It makes them feel valuable.

Jana Shelfer: 11:03

It makes them feel like they are contributing. And when we left, not only were Bonnie and Jack, the owners of the house, now beaming and, like you said, tickled that we even showed up, but Ron left with a sense of I think that I had my purpose today.

Jason Shelfer: 11:26

I created this connection. I was able to facilitate this, and Jack and Bonnie both said we hope y'all come back anytime you want.

Jana Shelfer: 11:35

No, they were inviting us out on the boat. Both of them Not only Bonnie and Jack, but Ron was like, hey, come up here any day of the week, I'll take you out on the boat. I'm like, okay, that sounds fun.

Jason Shelfer: 11:49

Yeah, and Jack said you didn't even know if we were serial killers or not. I was like, well, what are the chance of two serial killers being in it? Just kidding, I tried to make that a joke, but it's-.

Jana Shelfer: 11:57

They probably got a kick out of that yeah.

Jason Shelfer: 12:00

I was trying to pull in this old joke. Yeah, you know.

Jana Shelfer: 12:02

Bonnie. You can never trust a Bonnie. That's right Bonnie and Clyde.

Jason Shelfer: 12:08

Bonnie Never trusted Bonnie. That's right, bonnie and Clyde, bonnie and Jack Doing crazy things in Quincy Florida.

Jana Shelfer: 12:11

So I guess the nugget of wisdom that I just want to share with everybody that I feel we experienced yesterday is tell people your dreams.

Jason Shelfer: 12:23

Yeah, and let someone be your guide. Tell people your goals.

Jana Shelfer: 12:26

Tell people your wishes, because when you do, they will actually get on board and help you.

Jason Shelfer: 12:33

Yeah, especially if they're clear about what you want and let them know your intentions so they can be intentional about helping you.

Jana Shelfer: 12:42

I have studied the hero's journey. The hero's journey and if you're not familiar, it's a philosophy of how every epic story in the world works. There's a formula and Hollywood knows this because that's why they have such great movies, especially Disney. Disney and Pixar have really nailed in on the hero's journey philosophy. In the hero's journey there's always a guide that comes to help. Yes, and it's usually at the point when you're ready to give up, you're ready to just throw in the towel which we were.

Jason Shelfer: 13:19

We were. I was turning around. I was literally turning around, ready to head out, like I don't know where it is. I don't know how to get there.

Jana Shelfer: 13:25

Your parents had texted and said you know what? You can't even see the house from the road anymore.

Jason Shelfer: 13:28

Can't see it from the road. You're not going to be able to find it All this.

Jana Shelfer: 13:31

Yes, and right at that point was when Ron showed up at our window. And it's just so funny because that whole interaction could have gone a couple different ways. Yeah, it could have ended very badly Like, hey, this is private property you need to get out.

Jason Shelfer: 13:51

Yeah, I could have gotten out. Oh, I could have been like a Karen and been like why are you taking pictures of our car? We're just looking around.

Jana Shelfer: 13:58

Yeah, we're on a public road here, so I mean this could have gone in a couple different ways, but this is how it ended up.

Jason Shelfer: 14:05

We create our own reality and we all created a solution in there.

Jana Shelfer: 14:09

I love it, so I hope that our little adventure yesterday can help someone who's listening today.

Jana Shelfer: 14:17

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