T.D. Jakes Relationship Bible
I ve written Soar! Build Your Vision from the Ground Up with the young entrepreneur as well as the successful business leader in mind. I want to help you create a business that will take flight and then soar. I also want to share with you from my experiences as an entrepreneur ways to keep growing and sustaining your flight.
I use the analogy of flying because launching and running a successful business is a lot like taking off and flying. In order to flyand start a businessyou need to overcome the inherent fear of leaving the safety of solid ground to defy gravity, navigate through unexpected variables within predictable patterns, and soar.
In this book, I use the stories and information from my book Soar in bite-sized pieces, prepared in daily readings to help you digest the information regularly. Ive included scriptures to match the themes of the readings to give you a Biblical perspective, which can further undergird you and prepare you for what is ahead.
You will see that the Wright Brothers, the inventors of the first airplane to actually take flight, are one of my favorite examples of successful entrepreneurs. What they did back in the early 1900s changed our lives forever. Their model of innovative, relentless tenacity is one we can all glean inspiration from. These brothers made the seemingly impossible become a new reality.
And I believe thats exactly what every entrepreneur does. So with your ideas in mind, dont give up on creating what may seem impossible. As you work through this book, I will offer my thoughts and suggestions on this journey. I hope to help you catch the vision, build your wings, check the weather conditions, launch, and soar to new heights.
Youve been cleared for take off so lets go!
He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagles!
(Psalm 103:5, NLT)
D o you remember your first time flying in a plane or even seeing one take off? If you had a similar experience as I did, you were captivated by the huge plane that was able to lift off of the ground and enter the air. Once the wheels of the plane were tucked in, you felt the plane pick up speed and sustain itself in the friendly skies. It was and still is amazing.
You, thousands of feet in the air, are able to see the beautiful, puffy clouds just outside your window. What were once far away are now so close you may think you can reach out and touch them.
Flying for the first time is a lot like creating your own business, launching a start-up, or establishing a nonprofit organization. In order to lift off, you have to overcome the inherent fear of leaving the safety of the solid ground behind. The journey to entrepreneurship is filled with unexpected variables and it requires just a bit of crazy and a lot of courage.
The Wright brothers are a great example of what it takes to get a business off the ground. Orville and Wilbur used scrap materials from a bicycle shop to build wings that would change the transportation world forever. Their curiosity and vision drove them to try and fail and try some more. They passionately pursued innovation and eventually transformed inspiration and perspiration into aviation.
You too, my friend, can take off like an airplane or even an eagle and soar into the sky. If you are willing to put in the work, follow your heart, and take a risk, your dreams of owning a business can take flight.
Are you ready to take off?
Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.
(Ephesians 4:23, NLT)
A s you prepare to launch your business ventureor take your business to another levelI encourage you to take a look inside of yourself. You cant fly high without checking your internal gauges and ensuring they are ready for your flight.
I believe the ascendancy on the outside begins with the transcendence of a personal vision for what you can be. This starts on the inside so look at yourself. What do you see? What do you want to create to solve a problem or issue? What do you think people need? Why do you want to launch out on your own?
Your dreams begin internally and serve as the fuel to bring them into reality. Dont let go of the reason you have decided to take a leap and do something different and new. You will need this internal desire to keep you moving when things get cloudy and difficult. What drives you today can keep you moving forward when everything else says to stop.
Spend time trying to capture in words how you feel and why you are launching. You may need to refer back to your thoughts in the middle of this journey. Dont underestimate the power of your own words to motivate you.
And dont forget the power of Gods Spirit can renew you and provide you with energy and insight. Keep your thoughts and attitudes focused as you prepare to take off.
Why did you start your businessor why do you want to launch?
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.
(Romans 5:3-4, NLT)
W hat needs fixing, changing, or solving? This is a great question to ask yourself as you look to build a business. Its a great idea to offer a solution to a problem. Lots of people want solutionsand your providing an answer can not only help others but yield profits for you and your business.
Look outside in and isolate a problem or condition that may currently be affecting the social and cultural climate around you. Is there a need for a new product or invention that can help people with a certain lifestyle due to changes in technology, the economy, or perhaps migration patterns? Have environmental or political changes caused problems for those around you? Find a solution to assist them and you have found a viable business idea.
To turn your idea into a business or to expand your current business assess the time, talents and treasure that have been placed in your life. Use them to the fullest to employ strategies that can solve problems and provide a need for your community.
We often get frustrated from problemsin our personal lives or in our business. But changing your thoughts to focus on the solutions rather than just the problems can inspire innovation that can transcend into a successful business. Its all in how you see it.
What problems do you want to solve?
Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows; but cheer up, for I have overcome the world.
(John 16:33, TLB)
A s we continue to look at how you view problems, I think it helps to take note of what is happening in your life. Are you exhausted from dead-end positions, pointless relationships, and indifferent environments? Often times because of these circumstances, you are forced to make a change. And that change can bring about good.
Successful entrepreneurs have learned not to curse the dark but to look for opportunities to share the light. Do not allow times and circumstances to derail you. Use them to push you to greater heights of innovation and invention.
You can use the blunders from your past to set a new course if you view them more as stepping stones than as failures. Bad models youve observed can push you to create change and do something differently. Use the wisdom garnered from what youve experienced and observed along with your talent and drive to arrive at a new destination. It can happen, depending on how you view the trials and sorrows you inevitably encountered in life.