There’s a Native American parable where an old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he tells the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, greed, arrogance and ego. The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, compassion and ambition. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.” The grandson thinks about it for a minute and then asks, “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replies, “The one you feed.”
It’s easy to feel like a victim in challenging situations and circumstances in our lives. We want to understand our negative thoughts, feelings and experiences, so we place blame on other people, objects, or events. It’s our way of coping, and feeling more in control of uncontrollable situations. But just as stars shine brightest in the darkest night, you blaze brilliantly through life’s problems when you count them as opportunities.
When the world hit a standstill with the pandemic, I worked with one of the most prominent marketing agencies in India serving the biggest brands, released a film on Amazon Prime Video, authored a book, published a podcast on Spotify and also launched my T-shirt line.
Hi, my name is Neel Shah and I’m a media student, entrepreneur, filmmaker, marketer, author and podcaster.
Behind every action, there’s intent; but without action, intent means nothing. Through various marketing gigs and internships, numerous projects followed and a whole new career path paved its way, and so did the idea of sharing the process from learning to earning. Hence, in August, I published Smart Labour, my first ever book on student entrepreneurship on Amazon. It talks about identifying your strengths, choosing a sustainable career path, monetizing your skills, landing a job, freelancing and enterprising.
Going back a bit, it all started after doing a bit of theatre while in school when I realised my interest lies not just in acting but directing as well. And there you have another directionless kid that wants to be a part of films. Now as they say, when you truly want something, the universe conspires to make it happen; I went from making skits and sketches on YouTube to producing advertisements, documentaries and short films. Moreover, in September, this year, my short film on mental health, State Of Mind also released on Amazon Prime Video.
It’s true that the most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Only those who wander at the marvels of our world are satisfied with the mystery of the eternity of life with the awareness and a glimpse of the marvelous structure of the existing world, together with the devoted striving to comprehend a portion, be it ever so tiny, of the reason that manifests itself in nature. For my fascination towards the cosmos, in September, I produced a sci-fi audio podcast Beyond Human which is streaming live on Spotify to talk about future humans, alien life, artificial intelligence, black holes, time travel and more.
But how strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn trying to make the most of it. So with an ad film released in October and a T-shirt line launched in November, we approach the end of 2020 and it’s time we introspect & learn. If you want to start up, produce content or work in a corporate, know that it is okay to be a beginner at things you’re interested in. Infact, my biggest learning of this year would be that the reason behind someone’s outstanding achievements is not necessarily just talent but also shameless persistence because even luck only works when opportunity meets preparation.
Here’s to hoping that 2021 brings in all the happiness, love and success you deserve because only when you choose to feed the good wolf, he’ll win.
Imagine, Inspire, Influence
