It was a bright Sunday afternoon. I was dressed in full white and standing in the queue amongst thousands who all were dressed in full white. Even though there were thousands waiting to get into a hall to get a glimpse of the spiritual guru Sri Sathya Sai Baba, they were absolutely disciplined. As people entered the hall and seated quietly while waiting, there was peace experienced even amongst thousands of people gathered under one roof. What a wonderful sight it was, like that of a pure and peaceful ocean. This is still lingering in my mind as fresh as a new wave that wets the shore making it very fresh and shining. It’s remained fresh just because of the incredible learning and experience that I had that day. I was very fortunate that day for having got a seat in the very first row, that too in the special seating area. I was feeling so special being able to see my spiritual guru from such close quarters. I was thrilled! As I was enjoying every moment of a special cultural program being performed in front of the spiritual guru, he calls on one of the students who was performing and grants him a gold chain by materializing it from the thin air. That sight was magnificent. There was a big applaud in the hall. As this was happening, in parallel I was praying in my mind and asking the guru will I ever get something from your hand? It need not be a golden chain, it could be even a bit of holy ash. It didn’t take even a fraction of a second to hear a sarcastic laugh of guru followed by his words MAD guy, you are asking for material stuff, I have given you vision believe me – I was shivering and didn’t know how to react. While I was still trembling, the cultural program continued and got completed. I met Mr.William Miller that afternoon and started sharing my experience with him and he curiously listened and then said, Naveen, do you understand that there are 2 important things in the guru’s words. Guru said, you are a MAD guy and we know that you are determined to Making A Difference. Also, he said he has given you vision when you actually lost sight. I got shook up the second time, the same day. I was taking time to digest the message. I started reflecting on it and started realizing that as part of my entrepreneurial experience and association with many entrepreneurial initiatives, I had participated in formation of Vision Statements of several companies all of it after I had lost sight and partially recovered. Started reflecting on the distinctions of Sight which is what we get to see in physical form in definite shape, time and distance and Vision that has no boundaries, distance and it’s timeless. It took several days for the message to sink in and when it did, I re-defined myself and said Naveen Lakkur is a person with limited sight and unlimited vision It was very empowering. I went ahead and framed a quote: While most are blessed with sight, entrepreneurs are blessed with vision Vision 2020 Entrepreneurs are blessed by a vision and the drive to see it to fruition. They work outside normal boundaries because they have an idea that can’t be contained. They plan, they test, they revise and they keep moving ahead. They strive to catalyze a vision, which is a property of the entire enterprise. Vision stands high up like a guiding star galvanizing all towards the common direction, making impossible possible that’s visible to the whole world. Hat’s off and congratulations to all the entrepreneurs who are blessed with vision and who have set out with their life mission to making a difference in this world. image courtesy: www.hrchamber.org