Recounting Life Lessons

When is the best time to start taking action on our goals? When is it too late? 

Alana sat down with Sharon Takamori, who at 76 years old, decided to start a YouTube channel, even though she had little to no knowledge about how to get it done. They talk about how she dealt with setbacks and negativity and the driving force behind her desire to jump into a new entrepreneur journey at such a late stage in her life.

Sharon is also the daughter of the late Fujiko Matayashi, the lady who sat on the side of the highway in Waiahole for years, selling her fruits to help provide for her family. Fujiko is also the inspiration behind the iconic song, Sweet Lady of Waiahole, by Gordon Broad. 

In this episode, Sharon shares memories of her mother, what she's learned from entrepreneurism, as well as what gardening and farm life have taught her.

Want to connect with Aunty Sharon?

Find her and the rest of the Sweet Lady Legacy familiy on Instagram @sweetladylegacy or on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@sweetladylegacy808

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Making decisions use up energy and bandwidth. And it's the most urgent decisions that end up using up most of our energy. When our energy is low and the time for making those desicions arrives, it is likely that we will end up making a decision we later regret.

Not only that, the bandwidth required to make those decisions also rob us of the energy and time to do more of what we actually love and actually want or feel called to do. In short, decision fatigue can prevent us from doing our best and greatest work.

In this episode, Alana shares the 3 things she did to increase her capacity and minimize the decision fatigue that the everyday obligations brought with them. She calls them the 3 E's of decision making.

The 3 E's of decision-making can help you minimize that decision fatigue for yourself and for those that you lead. 

What more would you be able to do or enjoy if you had more time and energy?

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If we want to avoid wandering aimlessly in our lives and in pursuit of our goals we need 3 things:

1. We need a map or a plan to follow
2. We need to know where we currently are
3. We need to know what our desired destination is or where we want to go

One of the best ways to do identify those first two is by tracking our stats, habits, numbers, and data. It's by keeping good records. As we do this we'll also be able to discover our strengths, our weaknesses, and use that knowledge as a way to take advantage of our positioning to give us an edge.

In this episode, Sione and Alana talk about the lessons and tips they've picked up by being more intentional about tracking their goals and progress to help you discover ways to get or create a map for yourself and then to determine where you are on that map.

For help in determining what you want or where you want to go once you have that map, check out:

Ep. 1: Begin with the End in Mind

Ep. 2: Success as a Whole

Ep. 33: Success is a Feeling

Ep. 57: Success Starts Here

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If you don't know where you are, in relation to where you want to be, it's difficult to make progress on purpose.

In this episode, Sione and Alana discuss the various fears and reasons we often avoid getting clear about where we are. They also discuss what we can do to manage those fears and courageously push past them.

Fears like:

• fear of failure
• false comfort in the ambiguity
• fear of change
• fear of introspection
• fear and overwhelm by what's next
• fear of what others may think

Whether it be in our health, our finances, or our progress on our journey to reaching a particular goal, having a clear picture and awareness of where we currently are will give us an advantage.

The presence of these fears are normal, but do not let them stop you from taking the actions that allow you to find that clarity and the confidence that will come with it...even if you find out you are not yet where you think you should be.

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As leaders, there is always more to do than we have the capacity for at any given moment. We face the endless pull of projects, responsibilities, and obligations for our attention. As a result, it's easy to feel like there is never enough time to do more of the things we love and feel called to do.

In this episode, Alana shares 3 things that can help you and those you lead, increase your capacity to do and enjoy those things. 

When it comes to increasing our capacity to do more, it's not about doing more. It often comes down to knowing how to start doing less.

We'll need to make decisions about what to let go of or change so our energy and attention is spent on the things that will have the greatest impact for good on our results.

In this episode, as Alana shares her experience of what it took for her to increase her capacity to do what she loves and feels called to do, you'll hear about the lessons she learned. These lessons can help you make decisions about how to clear up your mental and physical clutter and increase your own capacity to do more of what you love and feel called to do.

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A few years ago Sione and Alana sat down with Jess and she shared with them a wonderful story about an experience she had while giving donkeys some water during a hot summer day and what it taught her.

The lesson was that the Lord knows what we need and what's best for our growth and ability to reach our potential. Sometimes we get exactly what we need, but we get frustrated and complain because it's not what we expected. 

In this episode, Sione and Alana revisit this story and share a few of the lessons that stuck out to them and how it can help us when things don't go the way we expect them to.

Links mentioned in the episode:

Connect with Jess: https://www.jestkeptsecret.com/

God is the Gardner video: https://youtu.be/oDrhvm9EnJ4?si=okL7guZbDfRBx-8E

Want to connect with Sione & Alana?

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Powerful questions can direct our focus and attention. They can increase our awareness and help us to recognize the value of our experiences. They can also motivate us and increase our abilities to take empowered actions to improve ourselves, our lives, and our circumstances.

In this episode, Alana shares several questions to help you reflect on the value of this past year as she recounts some of her greatest regrets and discoveries from answering these questions herself.

The questions from this episode will have you reflecting on the following:

• your growth or lack of growth this year and what it means to you
• the mistakes you've made and how to get the most out of them
• your financial decisions and what they can teach you about your priorities and values
• how your experiences this year fit into the big picture

To get a pdf version of the questions asked in this episode, go to https://sioneandalana.com/resources

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When it comes to achieving success and enjoying a life of fulfillment, there is an important step that is often underestimated. 

In this episode, Sione and Alana discuss the importance of discovering, acknowledging, and knowing what you want. 

They share some tips and ideas for how to increase your awareness to what you want and what is possible for you to go and get those things so that you can enjoy a life of success and your dreams.

Want to connect with Sione & Alana?

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Subscribe to their email list and become a Sione & Alana Insider and get updates on when new episodes drop, the behind-the-scenes scoops, and other life lessons that never make it on the podcast. 

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If goal setting is overwhelming and you often find yourself disappointed in yourself if you don't hit a goal perfectly, it very well may be because the goals you are setting are too easy. What?!

Yes, and that's even if you set goals that are big enough to scare you.

That's right, if the goal is within reach, you're doing it wrong and it's the reason you end up feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and like you aren't good enough when things don't go according to plan.

This is just one of the many reasons why Alana stopped setting attainable goals this year. And why she plans to only set impossible goals moving forward.

In this episode, she shares why impossible goals are actually more fun than any S.M.A.R.T. goal would be. Striving to achieve an impossible goal is less stressful, will boost your confidence and motivation, and your results with be evidence that we often see ourselves as less capable than we truly are.

Want to connect with Sione & Alana?

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We can learn a lot from trees.

One of the most important lessons is that we are not meant to be in Spring and production mode year-round. 

Sometimes we feel guilty about needing to slow down, to take time for rest and recovery, and not always exerting the same amount of effort in building our businesses or leading our teams. But just like trees, there are times when we need to focus on surviving the winters so we can be ready to produce again come spring.

In this episode, Sione and Alana share a few lessons that they've learned from trees and how these lessons can help us be better producers in our businesses and lives.

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Life and work should be fun.

We all have responsibilities and things that we need to get done. Especially as leaders.

The work we do matters, but that doesn't mean we have to be miserable in order to leave an impact on the world and those we lead.

We've found that by doing the following three things we've been able to increase the level of fulfillment and joy in our lives. 

1. Do more of what you love
2. Do less of what you tolerate
3. Do none of what you hate

In this episode, we discuss how we've been able to implement these three principles we learned from Darren Hardy into our lives and some ideas for ways that you can as well.

Want to connect with Sione & Alana?

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How do you snap out of a grumpy attitude when things are stressful or overwhelming?

That's the question that inspired this episode.

Sione and Alana discuss 3 practices that will increase your gratitude for your past, present, and future circumstances and the value those circumstances have for your life.

Practicing the following will not only increase your gratitude, but they also have the potential to increase your confidence and self-image as well:

1. Look at the past through a lens of gratitude
2. Savor the good
3. Ask, "Why would future me thank me for this moment?"

The fact that gratitude can continue to increase the value of our experiences makes its worth infinite.

Want to connect with Sione & Alana?

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Not all success rules are created equal. In fact some of the rules for success that you've adopted are most likely holding you back or overcomplicating your process.

In this episode, Alana shares how you can tell if a success rule you've adopted needs to go, so that you can start enjoying the process more.

Our success rules impact the way we measure our worth in the marketplace and self-image.

1. The level of success we’ll allow ourselves to maintain is directly related to the level of success we believe we deserve and are worth.

2. Many of us allow our image of success to hold our happiness hostage (in other words, we believe or feel that we won’t be happy until we attain success in some specific way)

3. The actual rules about what success is, are the very things keeping us from acknowledging success and the value we are actually bringing to the world by being in it.

It's time to get out of own way and help others recognize their value as well.

Want to connect with Sione & Alana?

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Sometimes it's worth it to focus and go faster and sometimes is more worth it to split your time and efforts between two things that are of equal importance.

In this episode, Alana discusses the saying that if it's worth doing, it's worth doing well, and how to increase the awareness of what is of greater worth and worth doing for you.

Want to connect with Sione & Alana?

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While Sione and I were in Utah we did 5 escape rooms over the course of 8 days. 

Doing that many escape rooms over such a short period of time led us to recognize a few patterns that also apply to being successful as we go after our goals.

In this episode, we'll share 7 lessons that escape rooms taught us that also apply to how to effectively pursue our goals.

Want to connect with Sione & Alana?

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Subscribe to their email list and become a Sione & Alana Insider and get updates on when new episodes drop, the behind-the-scenes scoops, and other life lessons that never make it on the podcast. 

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When we're ready to level up or tackle our next problem the most common advice we're given is to do our research, turn to experts, and put in the work. But there is one thing that we so often overlook, and it's often a treasure trove of solutions and definitely a way to feel more confident and empowered as we move forward.

In this episode, Alana talks about that one resource that is often forgotten and undervalued, even though it also often holds the answers we're looking for.

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Don't underestimate the impact of your knowledge. Even the most common lessons can turn out to be golden nuggest for someone else and perhaps even yourself.

There's something really interesting about these lessons that we've been noticing. 

Lessons have layers.

There is a significant wealth of knowledge that we may not realize we posess. 

In this episode Sione and Alana touch on the importance of looking back to find golden nuggets that will enhance your life as you go forward.

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It is so easy to get caught up in the hustle mentality, the grind, and all or nothing mindset when we see it everywhere around us. But there's a cost that comes with this way of thinking.

In this episode, Alana shares how she learned the importance of choosing the right goals, choosing the right pace to go after them, and keeping the big picture of success in mind.

The compound effect works both ways. When we consistently do small and simple things that help us progress and grow toward our best selves, the effects are amazing. But when we consistently stop doing those small and simple things, we end up going backward and creating a whole new set of problems and clutter to deal with that we didn't have before. 

Creating and maintaining success that lasts has a lot to do with being able to keep everything in its proper perspective and know when it's best to speed up or slow down. This episode will help you learn more about how to do that.

Want to connect with Sione & Alana?

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Watching Iam Tongi's journey to winning American Idol this year reminded us of the power and influence that authenticity and music can have in our lives. 

In this episode, Alana shares some of her experiences of what it was like to watch other people react to Iam Tongi's American Idol audition video and then see him perform Monsters live with James Blunt on the show's finale. See the videos she refers to below:

• Video of Iam Tongi's American Idol audition: https://youtu.be/S_MAesZsnMk
• How did Iam Tongi Make American Idol Judgest THAT Emotional video: https://youtu.be/s0NxOiEwrUg
• Iam Tongi & James Blunt: Super Emotional Duet of "Monsters" Makes Idol History video: https://youtu.be/M9hdHDXyo-8

Reflecting on the power of music inspired us to pull out a portion of an interview we did with American Idol alumnus, Katie Higley and share it in this episode. 

Katie shares more about her TEDex talk, "It's okay not to be okay", her experience in helping a friend share a message about choosing to live after attempting to take his life, and how it helped her through a difficult time in her own life.

Life Lesson:

The emotions we feel need to be expressed. When we suppress emotions it can turn into depression. And music is one of the tools that we can use to help us express and release the emotions that may be stuck in our bodies.

Want to connect with Katie Higley?

• Find her on Instagram at: @katiehigleymusic
• Learn more about how you can take music lessons from her on her website: katiehigley.com 

Want to connect with Sione & Alana?

Find them on Instagram or Facebook @sioneandalana

Subscribe to their email list and become a Sione & Alana Insider and get updates on when new episodes drop, the behind-the-scenes scoops, and other life lessons that never make it on the podcast. 

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Sometimes when we think about what it will take to make an impact or to have greater influence, we think it will take a lot of work and effort. But that isn't always the case.

Sometimes all it takes is something small and simple to increase our impact and influence on the lives of those around us.

In this episode, Alana is sharing a few experiences and examples that prove, doing just a little bit more than what is expected can have a huge impact on our ability to be a person of influence and to make a difference.

Want to connect with Sione & Alana?

Find them on Instagram or Facebook @sioneandalana

Subscribe to their email list and become a Sione & Alana Insider and get updates on when new episodes drop, the behind-the-scenes scoops, and other life lessons that never make it on the podcast. 

Have a life lesson to share with the world? Apply to be a guest at https://sioneandalana.com/sharealesson/