In the first chapter, T.D. Jakes describes what drives his vision and the ability to do so much. He credits much to his upbringing and the example set by his father, maintaining an attitude of a ‘hustler’ and work ethic. At the same time, Jakes believes that hard work is not just enough, a person needs to take advantage of opportunities, expanding vision, taking various steps to ‘hone’ the hustle and build a better life. Jakes calls upon faith and God’s guidance to help in changing life, making the right choice, and transforming, taking advantage of one’s talent and combining it with sheer honesty and hard work.
The second chapter is committed to explaining the key imperative to achieving success in entrepreneurship or other endeavors – knowing one’s surroundings. Once a person is committed to the process, one can begin creating something new, but the means to achieve success in that venture is to take the patience and painstaking work of studying the environment and social patterns and any kind of information that could be useful. As a result, one will be able to navigate challenges, be prepared for instabilities, and know when to pivot and shift your business model.
In chapter 3, Jakes discusses the importance of long-term planning and diversifying income and assets. He provides a lengthy example of his mother who had the wisdom to purchase properties which provided a stream of income throughout her life and into retirement. He calls on people to do the same, in whatever means possible. Jakes encourages, that even one is a minority, a woman, or other disadvantaged group, to pursue these goals and entrepreneurship, taking advantage of opportunities when they arise. Finally, Jakes highly emphasizes patience and the long-term gain, suggesting that instant gratification is rare and deceiving, but when one plays the long game, one bears the fruit of one’s labor and investment.
In chapter 4, Jakes addresses dually related principles of inspiration and innovation. Jakes understands that life is not a fairytale and challenging, but even in the everyday routines and troubles, he encourages to use talents or creativity, finding what one’s own skill sets are and how they can be capitalized on. Meanwhile, innovation can differ, from big technological progresses to simply the way things are done or stored to sales culture-driven. Innovation will likely consist of much trial and error, and some moments will be deceivingly successful, like the myth of Icarus melting his wings. Inspiration and innovation can help one fly and achieve success, but it cannot be truly achieved unless a risk is taken, and one ‘leaves the nest’ – it is a process of growth and learning just like much else in life.
In chapter 5, Jakes focuses on the importance of planning and preparation. He argues that it is vital for success, competent work, as well as the liberation of the mind. Similar with business and entrepreneurship, it is important to prepare and know which factors or indicators to watch to demonstrate the best results, not just focusing on the bottom line of profitability. Jakes argues about the importance of a business plan similar to that of an architect’s blueprint – without the time to consider and calculating the design which anticipates both the predictable and the inevitable challenges ahead, more than likely that endeavor will collapse.
Reference
Jakes, Thomas D. Sr. Soar! Build Your Vision from the Ground Up. FaithWords, 2017