Someone once said, “The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision.” The person who spoke these famous words was none other than Helen Keller, who, at the age of 18 months, lost her sight, hearing and speech. Yet, despite these devastating setbacks, she went on to become one of the most influential writers and thinkers of the 20th century. At her funeral, Senator Lister Hill said of her, “She will live on, one of the few, immortal names not born to die. Her spirit will endure as long as man can read and stories can be told of the woman who showed the world there are no boundaries to courage and faith.” Now, that’s what I call making the most of your dash!

When I think of the contributions Ms. Keller was able to make, I am often humbled. How can someone without the benefit of sight have seen so clearly? Well, the answer is simple: She didn’t see with her eyes; she saw with her mind. She had the ability to hold a vision in her mind and work until we could all see it. In fact, in this one respect, I believe her so-called “disability” may have actually been a great benefit to her, because she couldn’t be distracted by what she could see.

I truly believe that many sighted people suffer from this problem. They allow what they see with their eyes to cloud the vision they’ve created in their minds. During my life, I’ve seen this “sight blindness” time and again. Most recently, I’ve witnessed its effects in building DASH Systems, Inc.

Recently, our company has experience tremendous growth due, in part, to an infomercial that has been airing in local cable markets across the country. Yet, that is just a part of the reason for our success. The biggest reason for the success of this company is the dedication and loyalty of our employees, investors and strategic partners. There are literally dozens of people who have made our success possible and I am so excited about sharing the rest of the journey with these incredible men and women.

My only regret is that I won’t be able to share the journey with all of the people who have been a part of DASH over the last three years. Unfortunately, during our drive to success, we lost a few passengers. There were a handful of men and women who joined our organization with big dreams, only to have those dreams disappear when sight blindness took effect.

They “saw” a few months of little or no sales growth and became blind to the long-term income potential for the company. They “saw” short-term shifts in strategy and plans and became blind to the long-term vision of the company. They “saw” bad reviews and negative press clippings and became blind to the good we were dedicated to accomplishing with the DASH System. In short, they let the short-term problems blind them to the long-term opportunities.

Don’t let yourself fall victim to sight blindness, whether it be in your business or personal life. Don’t lose sight of the vision in your business. Don’t let a few bad quarters or an unnerving new boss blind you to the opportunities for fulfillment and success in your current business.

And certainly, don’t let this happen in your relationships. Sure, you may be fighting constantly with your spouse at the moment, but don’t let these petty arguments blind you to the reason you married them in the first place. Likewise, don’t let the problems of adolescent rebellion blind you to the true promise of your children. They have gifts and talents that could set the world on fire, but only if you don’t extinguish the flame by only seeing them as they are; and not as they could be.

If you’ve discovered that you may be coming down with sight blindness, I have good news for you. There’s a simple cure. Close your eyes and see. That’s right! Whenever you find yourself becoming frustrated at your job, close your eyes and see the picture that you envisioned when you signed on with, or started, the company. Likewise, when you becoming exasperated in your relationship with your spouse, close your eyes and see the person with whom you were so in love that you willingly promised to spend the rest of your life with them. The same is true for your children. Close your eyes and see them as the responsible, happy and well-adjusted men and women that you saw the first time you held them in your arms.

In short, don’t let your eyes make you lose sight of the vision for your DASH. Remember, as the Bible says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”