After talking about finding ways to win at life in his New York Times bestseller, Instinct: The Power to Unleash Your Inborn Drive, Bishop T.D. Jakes’ latest tome takes it a step further with Destiny: Step into Your Purpose. In it, the senior pastor of The Potter’s House of Dallas seeks to help CEOs, business owners, and entrepreneurs create a strategic roadmap to understanding how “destiny” leads to “purpose.”
EBONY.com spoke with Jakes about the tools needed to get beyond just imagining where you want to be in life this year and focusing on how to actualize your dreams by walking into your purpose.
EBONY.com: Why did you choose to write about the theme of destiny after just completing a book about instinct:
T.D. JAKES: I wanted people to know that destiny is all about understanding your destination. Just as we have a GPS system on the car or phone—we have one in life. Wherever you are going there is a start and a finish—you cannot have a route without a destination. Destiny builds a focus and allows you to evaluate. Destiny is about understanding your destination. The plan governs you, your friends, the strategic moves you make and more. A plan helps you to live on purpose. So this book is really a sequel of sorts, a continuation of instinct—if destiny is the magnet, then instinct is the metal.
EBONY.com: What steps did you take to achieve your destiny?
JAKES: There are a series of steps, but here are just a few that every successful visionary or leader tends to have in common. Take ownership of your circumstances. For example, I grew up poor. We had hard times when we were starting out, but while poverty had me, I didn’t have it on my mind. In fact, I made up my mind that I would not stay poor forever. You have to think positively about where you want to go in life and within the vision for how you get there. Don’t allow what you’re dealing with to define who you are. You are not your past or present circumstances. Resist whatever obstacles you encounter until you are able to break through. Have a dream in your heart that is bigger than life. You have to see your history as a stepping stone to your destiny and not as an impediment. Be intentional about your dreams and understand that no one is successful by mistake. Success is in fact quite intentional. We are not taught to be intentional—to make decisions that will change the outcome of the week. We have to change that pattern. And lastly, think carefully about how you treat people you think you don’t need. You can learn from anyone so treat everyone as if they matter. Whether they are a maid, a taxi driver, whomever, learn to learn from everyone you meet.
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SOURCE: EBONY
Sophia A. Nelson, Esq. is an attorney and award winning journalist. Follow her on Twitter @iamsophianelson
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