Most people stay stuck because they’re waiting for clarity.
Big mistake.

When you’re 15–20 years into your career, the destination will never be what you imagined anyway.

What’s really keeping you stuck isn’t a lack of direction. It’s fear.
Fear disguised as “being strategic.”
Fear disguised as “waiting for the right moment.”
Fear disguised as “needing more information.”

But here’s the thing:
You don’t overcome fear by thinking your way through it.
You overcome it by moving through it.

The path doesn’t appear before you move.
It reveals itself because you moved.

Start small: One conversation. One experiment. One step forward.

Your next chapter is waiting on the other side of action, not analysis.

🎙️ In the latest How to Live podcast, I’m sharing part of my conversation with the amazing Michelle on her Upward Spiral podcast.

We talk about practical ways to find purpose, how to move when stuck, and why your 40s might be the best time to reinvent yourself.

Shownotes

https://howtolive.life/episode/095-how-to-move-when-youre-stuck-a-conversation-with-sharad-lal

Check Michelle's Podcast

https://open.spotify.com/show/4CNdVdUDHoWQ50oZmWKQ6R

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You’re running faster.
You’re winning.
But are you running in the right direction?

The success script teaches us to outrun others.
Outrun, Outwit, Outlast.

But it rarely asks:
Is this the race you want to win?

Bhavna Toor followed that script.
She rose fast in New York finance.
But eventually, she realized she was running the wrong race - without ever choosing it.

Mindfulness helped her pause.
Reflect.
And choose her own path.

Mindfulness did not stall her ambition.
It pointed it in the right direction.

Today, her ambition burns stronger than ever.
Because it’s aligned. Conscious. Sustainable.

Mindful ambition isn’t about slowing down.
It’s about choosing your direction - with clarity.

If you’re questioning your own race, this conversation on How to Live might resonate.

Are you running your own race — or just running faster?

Shownotes

https://howtolive.life/episode/094-mindful-ambition-with-bhavna-toor

Buy Bhavna's Book

https://shenomics.com/choice/

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Your annual health checkup is a good start. But it’s not enough.

You’re in your 40s. Your doctor says you're fine. Your weight looks fine.
But your energy is low. Your sleep is off. Something just feels… off.

Amanda Lim sees this every day.
She’s a Harvard-certified coach and co-founder of Singapore’s first Metabolic Clinic, advising companies like Google, PayPal, and Medtronic.

Her message?
You can look lean and healthy, and still be metabolically unwell.

In Singapore, many people look slim and fit, yet we’re facing a diabetes crisis.

Most annual checkups don’t catch it. They miss key signs like:

• Skeletal muscle mass (SMI)
• Visceral fat
• Fasting insulin
• VO₂ max

In this episode of How to Live, Amanda and I unpack the real health reset for your 40s — metabolism, muscle, and how to build strength from the inside out.

Episode Shownotes
https://howtolive.life/episode/093-muscle-metabolisim-midlife-reset-with-amanda-lim

Connect with Amanda

https://www.liftclinic.org/

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Founders (and leaders) are addicted to solving problems. It’s their crack cocaine.
That’s what startup scaling coach Rob Bier, author of Smooth Scaling and coach to 40+ startups including six unicorns, told me.
And the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.
Fixing things feels good. It proves we’re still valuable. Still sharp. Still in control.

But the addiction comes at a cost.
It blocks us from building teams that solve problems without us.
And it traps us in an old identity—just when we’re ready to grow into something new.

We explore this and more in this episode of the podcast.

Episode Shownotes
https://howtolive.life/episode/092-let-go-to-grow-with-rob-bier

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Most career transitions are treated like cliff jumps.
You quit the job. Burn the bridges. Bet everything on your dream.

Shiv Choudhury chose a different path.

When he left BCG to build a billion-dollar business, he didn’t go all in.
First, he faked an app. It didn’t even work.
But it taught him one thing: customers wanted what he was offering.
That was enough to move to the next stage.

He calls it “pre-to-typing.”
👉 A way to de-risk big moves by testing the most important assumption before you quit your job or raise capital.

Shiv isn’t just theorizing.
He’s lived it — and thrived.

His career spans P&G, BCG, co-founding a fast-growing startup now valued in the hundreds of millions, and launching a successful private equity firm.
Every move was intentional.
Every leap was tested.

In this episode, he gives a masterclass in how to evolve your career — without blowing it up.

He shares:
✅ The “pre-to-type” method for de-risking ideas
✅ Why staying in your job can be the brave thing
✅ His framework for deciding when to prototype, scale, or kill
✅ How a childhood trauma still shapes his risk-taking
✅ Why humility — not hustle — has been his edge

If you’re in a transition — or quietly planning one — this episode is for you.

Episode Shownotes
https://howtolive.life/episode/091-the-art-of-career-transitions-with-Shiv-Choudhury

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Which of These 6 Success Traps Is Holding You Back?

After my article on The Success Trap in Esquire resonated with so many, I’ve gone deeper in my latest How to Live podcast.

Working with thousands of senior leaders at Google, Unilever, and HSBC, I’ve identified 6 fear-based identities that block evolution:

🧠 The Solver – Fixes everything, but fears being dispensable → micromanagement
🎯 The Perfectionist – Sets high standards, but fears not being good enough → delays
🔥 The Workhorse – Outworks everyone, but fears not belonging → burnout
😎 The Charmer – Inspires others, but fears rejection → avoids tough decisions
📋 The Taskmaster – Executes efficiently, but fears uncertainty → kills innovation
🌟 The Visionary – Sees the future, but fears irrelevance → never follows through

These identities aren’t weaknesses - they’re strengths turned rigid by fear.
🎙️ Episode 90 explores how to evolve beyond them, without losing what made you successful.

Episode Shownotes
https://howtolive.life/episode/090-the-success-trap-when-success-holds-you-back-with-sharad-lal

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You Can Only Make So Many Good Decisions - Are You Using Them Right?

In 1987, we made 100s of decisions daily.
Today, we make 35,000.

Here's the problem: we can only make a finite number of quality decisions each day.

By evening, when we're making important business decisions during work calls or spending time with our children, we've already used up our good decisions quota.

The result? We default to the easiest and safest options - not the best ones.

No amount of coffee, Red Bull, or willpower can fix this. It's not mental exhaustion - it’s decision fatigue.

So how do we ensure our best decisions go to what truly matters?

In the latest episode of How to Live, we speak with Dr. Shawn Watson - a PhD neuroscientist and entrepreneur tackling this issue head-on. His company is one of Singapore’s top 20 hottest startups, and he’s been recognised as a top 10 healthcare professional under 40.

This is a hidden crisis stealing your success. Learn the science behind decision fatigue, how to manage it, and how to preserve your best decisions for what matters most.

Episode Shownotes
https://howtolive.life/episode/089-beating-decision-fatigue-with-dr-shawn-watson

Next Wave
6 month program for high performers hitting 40s and beyond to design the next phase of life. Register interest below -
https://www.sharadlal.net/nextwave

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When scaling a cause, should you pick passionate volunteers or capable ones?

Most instinctively say passion. But Uma Thana Balasingam’s journey scaling Lean In Singapore to 7,000+ members tells a different story.

Here’s the hard truth she discovered: Passionate people don’t always make great leaders. When she and her co-founder started delegating leadership roles to their most committed volunteers, they hit a wall. Leading a movement isn’t just about heart - it’s a skill. Managing complexity, making tough calls, and leading others require more than just good intentions.

The dilemma?

• Capable people execute brilliantly but often vanish when things get tough.
• Passionate people stay committed but can struggle with execution.

Early on, you don't have the luxury of choice - you work with whoever shows up.

But as you scale, the reality sets in:

• Passion without execution creates chaos.
• Execution without passion creates emptiness.

You need both.

In the latest How to Live podcast, Uma and I unpack this challenge. From founding Lean In Singapore to leadership roles at VTech, Dell, and IBM, to now building Elevate to champion women across Asia - she's lived this tension between passion and capability.

If you're wrestling with turning your purpose into impact, this conversation is for you.

Episode Shownotes
https://howtolive.life/episode/088-turning-purpose-into-action-with-Uma-balasingam

Next Wave
6 month program for high performers hitting 40s and beyond to design the next phase of life. Register interest below -
https://www.sharadlal.net/nextwave

Leave us a message
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About Sharad Lal
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