Trending Reads: Instinct by T.D. Jakes

If you've ever felt like you are stuck in a rut when trying to figure out your purpose in life, Bishop T.D. Jakes' Instinct: The Power to Unleash Your Inborn Drive, is sure to lift you out of the quicksand of despondency. 

Jakes speaks directly from his own personal experiences and he pairs his advice with several metaphors from a safari he went on while visiting South Africa. He opens with a superb example of the human instinct. “Our instincts are the treasure map for our soul’s satisfaction. Following our instincts can make the crucial distinction between what we are good at – our vocational or skill set – and what we are good for – the fulfillment of our purposeful potential.” 


You know that small still voice that you hear in the back of your mind pushing you to take that step toward a specific goal you've been dreaming about? Well, that small still voice is real. Jakes teaches you how to pay attention to it. He teaches you how to act on what makes your heart sing and he provides cautionary tools to be aware of in the process. “Don’t rush into alliances without thinking through the implications,” Jakes advised in chapter 12 – Protection from Predators. “Your strength is your uniqueness. If you lose yourself just to get along with others, then you have nothing original to offer this new world of possibilities.” 

As you flip through the pages of Instinct, you’ll definitely find passages that speak directly to you. For example, if you have a nonchalant attitude about your current place of employment and ready to move onto something new but don’t know how, Jakes has an answer for that. “I encounter so many people who dread going to work, not because they are lazy but because they are unfulfilled,” he wrote. “Regardless of where you are in life, it’s not too late to align our lives with the inner wisdom of who we really are and what we were made to do.” 

So now you have to ask yourself, what are you waiting for? Maybe it is time that you change the way that you've been looking at life. Change your perspective and take baby steps to move forward. 

Instinct does not have a cookie cutter template of how to go after your mission but it will give you the tools to figure out what your life purpose is. “At the heart of our instincts, we discover our primary purpose,” Jakes mentioned in chapter 20 – Treetop Instincts. “Our purpose provides the message or mission by which we live out our gifts and talents. Our instinctive life mission cannot be purposeless and powerful. … If you want to live by instinct, feed your heart and stretch to the treetops.” 

Depending on where you are in life, you may find that this book touches on at least one element of your journey to your life purpose. If not, I encourage you to keep this book on your shelf for when you are ready to figure things out. 

If you've read Instinct, what were your favorite takeaways? Feel free to discuss in the comment box below or e-mail your views to TCsViews@gmail.com.