“On your face, John!”, Lakshya slammed his fist on the desk, with the forefinger of the other hand pointing at John. There was utmost silence in the middle of the conference room, with every stakeholder of the company and a few managers sitting around the table looking at him. Lakshya was facing the founder and CEO, John Walter.
One year earlier...
Sitting in the dark room in the middle of the day, curtains down, lights off, Lakshya was lost in the crowd of adults. He didn't see the wrath of this cruel world coming at him. Chain of failures followed by devastating murder of his self-esteem, a twenty year old boy, with no shoulder on which he can lean upon was living in a strange place among stranger people. Family lived away, in their hometown. Despite being in the college of his dreams and being the topper in his high school, he was a loser. Because he didn’t know what was ahead of him. In his life. In his financial career. A special thing about him was that he never got comfortable in being a loser, which many people do.
Next morning, on his way to college, his eyes were judging every human asking if they could help him to get out of the misery or not. From staring suspiciously at every senior to looking at his juniors with hope, Lakshya was in a pursuit. He accepted that a couple of helping hands is all he needs that will save him from drowning and get to the sea-level from hundred feet below.
“John Walter Seminar! These four hour will change the rest of your life.”, was the heading of a banner that just got updated on the notice board of the college. John Walter was a Motivational Speaker and a Self-made Millionaire. Lakshya found a beam of bright and beautiful light coming in the darkened room of his thoughts. In the twenty year span of his life, Lakshya has heard this name, John Walter, so many times from old late night TV programs to trending Youtube videos. It was a little surprising to him that a big celeb-ish personality is gonna attend a seminar at his college. A bit of a smile came to his wrinkled lips. Eyes looking diagonally up to the sky, hoping to find the guidance and help from this man.
“Ladies and gentlemen, an inspiration to three generations, who have conducted hundreds if not thousands of seminars and changed the lives of millions of people around the globe is now here with us, please welcome Lakshya Singh!”
A breathtaking round of applause woke Lakshya up from his day-dream. After everyone else, he also stood up and provided a warm welcome to the man of the hour, John Walter.
"Wonderful! Seeing so many young minds present here is a bliss. You all are at that stage of your life where you can become anything you want. From wherever you are from whatever skillsets you have or even if you’re a clean slate and want to draw the story of your beautiful future with your own hand, you can do so. From this moment onwards, everyone of you has one purpose in life, that is to create an adventurous, thrilling, breathtaking and enthusiastic future story. Writing one word at a time. Drawing one curve at a time.” was the starting sentences of John. The sound of his voice echoed in the huge yet silent auditorium. Shiny eyes of almost every student was looking up to him just like children look at the stars.
The seminar was three hour long. Students sitting at the same spot and still not having a tiredness because of the mind adventure that John took everyone to. Lakshya, on the other hand, was overwhelmingly delighted. He was weeping happily. The big bouncy drops of tears slipped down his cheeks. Lakshya’s happiness was out of the roof. He has found the hands that were going to save him from drowning. An urge of meeting this guy, John, rose inside him.
He stood up from his seats and moved towards backstage. It was like his life depended on it. If he didn’t meet John this time, he would be devastated. Lakshya had a sense of urgency with a sense of uncertainty on his face that was carrying a smile, too, that he couldn’t resist because his pursuit was complete. He was walking swiftly towards the small gate going straight to backstage.
“Who.. who are you? Where are you coming?” stopped the security personnel by holding Lakshya’s right arm tightly. “Let me go, I need to meet Mr. John Walter right now. It’s very important. Please understand, please.”, he begged in front of them, going almost to his knees. "No. You cannot meet him without an appointment.”, they pushed and put him aside. Lakshya was still standing there waiting if John would pass from this way then he could ask for an appointment. But he was too late.
Poor Lakshya didn’t know that John Walter left the stage and went directly to his vehicle just after the seminar. He was a busy man.
Lakshya, after two days, reached the main office of his company after travelling for twenty-eight hours straight. He was so desperate to meet John and learn from him, that he didn’t feel any trouble in staying nights at cheap and uncomfortable hotel rooms and eating a couple of light snacks for the whole day. Lakshya made up his mind that he will not return to his college until he meets John and asks all the bunch of questions he was carrying in his small head. There was Lakshya standing in front of a thirty to forty storey building.
After doing hours and almost a day of research, Lakshya found out all the names and designation of the people that could help him to meet John Walter. Lakshya was determined, and applied all of his energy in figuring out the best possible way to meet John. He praised this man because he found a light of hope in the words of his scripted lines. Lakshya was like an open roof. He could get a blooming sunlight above him bringing the answers. Or huge dark clouds of disappointment.
After a month of dedication and commitment, Lakshya was able to catch John’s attention and luckily got a chance to meet him face to face. The desire to meet him was burning like a forest fire inside Lakshya, it was spreading everyday dramatically.
Next day, holding a torn out weathered piece of rough sheet where all the questions were scribbled like last pages of some teen’s notebook, Lakshya went to the conference hall where John was having a meeting with the shareholders of the company. He was asked to wait outside. Legs shivering, unrest eyes getting overwhelmed by the environment he was sitting in, heartbeat faster than a sprint runner. Yet, Lakshya had that same expression, the one after he stood out of the chair in the seminar that day, urgency, uncertainty and a smile.
“Excuse me, sir. You can go inside now” said a lady from the other side of the reception table. “This is it!” thought Lakshya, while his head was sweating even in a full air conditioned room, mouth dried up and voice stuttered. “Umm O..ok.. Okay”. Each second passed was like a week and every step toward the door was like a mile long. Standing at the door and holding the door knob to enter, Lakshya took a couple of deep relaxing breaths and remembered the first urge he ever got to meet John Walter, and the same enthusiasm overclouded all the nervousness he felt.
After pushing the door, Lakshya was surprised and confused at the same time. The conference room was empty. Except only one man was sitting in a chair with his back facing the door.
The chair turned dramatically.
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