#100 Five lessons from 100 episodes with Sharad Lal

Episode 100: What started as a passion project has turned into a full career pivot!

Four years ago, I hit record on the first episode of my podcast.
I had no big plans. Just one question I couldn’t stop thinking about:
How do we live a good life?

So I started How to Live.
Shared what I’d learned.
Stayed curious.
Kept listening.

Then something magical happened.
I got a message from my old BCG boss, Dean Tong.
We hadn’t spoken in 15 years.

He’d stumbled upon the podcast. We met.
Talked about Stoicism, Buddhism, and Purpose.
Then he invited me to speak at UOB Bank, where he was the Chief HR Officer.

I was nervous. It was a corporate setting.
I had a meditation exercise planned. Would it land?

Dean said:
“Don’t worry. I’ll take the risk. Just do your best.”

That support changed everything.

The talk worked.
It led to more sessions. More companies.
And one day I realised - this wasn’t a side project anymore.
It was a new path.

Keynotes. Workshops. Leadership Programs.
Helping leaders reconnect with purpose, reach their next peak, and navigate uncertainty with resilience.

It felt meaningful.
And it could pay the bills.

So I took the leap.
Sold my digital agency. Went all in.

Today, I’ve led over 75 workshops across four continents with companies like Google, Unilever, HSBC, and Mastercard.
And I’ve seen how powerful ancient wisdom can be in modern leadership.

The podcast has grown beyond my wildest dreams too. Ranked in the top 3% globally and listened to in 150 countries.

The lesson?

When you do what you love with honesty and passion, it’s infectious.
People are watching. People are listening, even if they never like or comment.
(Dean didn’t either.)
But sometimes, just one of them can change the trajectory of your entire life.

🎧 In today’s milestone episode, I share the five biggest lessons from this incredible journey. 

Here’s to the next 100.

Shownotes
https://howtolive.life/episode/100-five-lessons-from-100-episodes-with-Sharad-Lal

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4 Week Career Transition Program.
https://www.sharadlal.net/thrivethroughtransition

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Transcript

Hi everyone. Welcome to episode hundred of the How to Live podcast. I'm your host, Sharad Lal. 

99 episodes ago, four years ago, back in November, 2021, I had an idea I wanted to start a podcast. I was trying to figure out how do we live a good life. I had learned quite a bit over the past few years, and when I shared ideas with others, they really resonated.

So I thought, why not start a podcast to share what I'd learned and stay a student on this big question. How do we live? Well, fast forward to today. This podcast has reconnected me with old friends, opened up business opportunities. It's allowed me to have deep conversation with some of the smartest people across the globe.

It's been ranked in the top 3% of all podcasts globally. We'll listen to in almost 150 countries. but the two things that matter most to me, one impact When someone writes in to say an episode, help them leave a bad job, value a good one, reconnect with their partner, find their purpose.

That means everything to learning. I've learned so much through this journey, and today I want to share my top five lessons with you. But first, a story.

when I launched this podcast, I had no idea who was listening. Then one day I got a message from a former boss from BCG, Dean Tong. We hadn't spoken in 15 years. He had stumbled on the podcast and reached out. We had lunch and spoke about stoicism, Buddhism and purpose. Dean who had retired early from BCG, and now group Head of HR at UOB Bank invited me to give a keynote.

He wanted to bring more purpose into his organization. I was nervous. It was a corporate setting. I'd plan to include a meditation exercise, but I thought would it even land? Dean said, don't worry. I'll take the risk. Do your best. That support changed everything. The talk went well. It led to more sessions with UOB and other companies.

With each engagement, I learned more, and one day I realized this wasn't just a side project, it could be a new path. A career in keynotes, workshops, helping leaders reconnect with purpose, helping them grow. This felt meaningful and it could pay the bills. So I took the leap, I sold my company and I went all in.

Today I've done over 75 workshop with companies like Google, Unilever, HSPC, and MasterCard. and I've seen how powerful ancient wisdom can be in modern leadership. The big lesson. If you do what you love with honesty and passion, it's infectious.

People are watching. People are listening even if they don't like or comment. And Dean by the way, didn't do any of that, but sometimes one of them, like Dean, can come along and can change the course of your life.

 In episode two, I talked about achievement versus fulfillment. This really resonated with many people reaching out to me. Most of us are chasing one achievement after another. That's the script we are handed. At some point we reached the top of the ladder only to realize it was the wrong one. That's where fulfillment comes in, 

Doing things that feel internally, right? Living by our values, not chasing external rewards, 

 years ago, my thinking was instead of chasing achievements, we should look at fulfillment.

Over time, my thinking has evolved. I used to think achievement is bad, but achievement isn't bad. In fact, it's beautiful. The satisfaction of working hard, overcoming a challenge, reaching a goal that's deeply meaningful. The danger is when achievement becomes addictive, when it's about more, more, more, and never enough.

Now I've changed my viewpoint. I believe the real goal is achievement plus fulfillment. We work hard, we push ourselves, but we also make sure our goals align with who we are. They come from within. We are conscious about them. That's what leads to meaningful success, and for me, that's the sweet spot.

 When I started this journey in podcasting, I used to believe clarity came from thinking, reflecting, meditating, journaling, removing all the noise to uncover what truly matters. that certainly helps, But I've learned it's not enough. Over time, I realized clarity also comes from doing, for example, I thought coaching was my path.

It ticked all the boxes, but once I started doing one-on-one coaching. I realized that spending the whole day in a room, having back-to-back conversations while meaningful didn't energize me. So what energized me, I realized it was teams, workshops, group sessions, facilitations. And over time I realized it's a combination of these two, some one-on-one coaching, some team coaching, and that hits the spot for me. But this insight came from doing, not just thinking. Now I suggest a simple model. Reflect, explore, refine, think deeply, try small things, learn, adjust, go again. Jeff Bezos calls this the two-way door experiments, low risk moves that you can walk back from.

So if you want to write, post something, see what happens. Curious about teaching. Host a session, thinking of a new role. Try a project. These come with very low downside, but they can give you clarity Action is where the rubber hits the road. Clarity doesn't come just from thinking, it comes from movement.

One of the big questions I started this podcast with was, how do we live a purposeful life? At first, I thought purpose had to be this big mission or maybe a cause, something dramatic, something noble. I even thought it looked like obsession, working day and night consumed by the single goal to change the world.

But over the past four years, I've realized that's not purpose, that's burnout. Real purpose is simpler. 

We often look externally outside to find purpose, but it's already here in what we do every day, and it's not singular. It's not this one thing that we are supposed to do. We're not like glass, like a glass is built for one purpose to hold water. We are human, 

We are wired to get meaning from many sources, from intellectual stimulation, solving problems, from working together with people, from making an impact. Purpose is plural. it's how we show up at work in relationships with ourselves. The project that you're working on, that could be purpose, that tough conversation with your team.

Also, purpose. It's not about adding something new and external. It's about noticing what's already here. I believe purposes in waiting to be discovered. It's already here, just waiting to be seen.

I used to think the way to live life is to gather wisdom, clarity, life, experience, but I realized none of it matters. If you're exhausted, our back hurts. We can't focus. I. That's why I feel health is so important. And here's the key. Inside I uncovered over four years. We often think of health in terms of long-term benefits.

 Eat well now, feel better at 60. Exercise today, avoid issues later. But what I realized is health isn't about living longer tomorrow. It's about living better today. One good night of sleep. I'm sharper, calmer, more present at work. At home. The return is immediate. From all the podcast guests that I've had and personal experiences, I've learned that sleep is key.

Almost every expert says the same thing. If there's one habit to fix, start with sleep. It affects energy, mood, and decision making. muscle matters. I used to think strength training was about looks. Now I realize it's about feeling strong. Physically and mentally. I started lifting weights in my forties and it's been a game changer. Diet is underrated. The wrong foods make me sluggish and foggy. The right ones give energy, focus, and comfort.

Alcohol is the big one. I used to think alcohol was harmless, but I've learned how much it affects sleep, brain function, and mood. Way more than I thought. The key here isn't doing anything extreme.

It's small, thoughtful tweaks that improve how we feel and show up.

Health isn't a separate track from purpose or performance, it's a base layer. It shapes how we live, lead, and connect every day. so those are the five biggest lessons from a hundred episodes. Number one, do what you love with honesty and passion. It's infectious.

You never know where it can lead. You two, combine achievement with fulfillment. three get clarity by doing, not just thinking four. Purpose isn't out there. It's already right here inside waiting to be seen. Five health benefits are immediate, not later. Thank you for being part of this journey for listening, sharing, writing in, and saying Hi.

Your support means the world. Here's to the next a hundred episodes. Let's keep asking the question, how do we live? Well? And let's keep discovering answers together. See you in two weeks.