The other day I was brainstorming with one of my friends over some things we are endeavoring to accomplish as we planned our upcoming conference in Los Angeles. We were charged and caught up in the moment by what God is doing in both our lives.

I met Linda while I was on an assignment and we sort of gravitated towards one another. But the amazing thing about her is that she keeps me accountable and I her, probably by default because we understand that success is a choice. Continuing to bounce ideas off one another I suddenly realized that we were realigning ourselves, designing for success, and walking into our purpose.

Linda and I talked about there being many who have no clue what true success really is. I believe that success is a choice, and it must be cultivated. The world suggests that our success requires us to turn away from the path of godliness – to neglect developing our relationship with God; to disregard ethics and morals for the sake of getting ahead.

I asked my husband Eric to define success. Out of his mouth I heard, well it is NOT money. (I smiled in delight). You have to know my husband. He doesn’t usually directly answer a question. In legal terms, he generally demurs, or delay by making a point of order. Befitting of him. His mind is trained that way as he is a law student. But then he went on to say something so profound, “Success is doing the will of God; and in God’s will we find our purpose, and when we know our purpose, we have found success.” I could not have said it better. Humm…

In cultivating a successful lifestyle, home life, family relationship, ministry or business, much the same as designing a space, or a room or even a entire residence or office space, there must be a process. The process of designing for success begins within us because wherever we go, whatever we do, we are there; When we are there, we make an impact on the environment, the people, the world. Our successes aren’t for us alone, it affect others. It begins with the one you see in the mirror. Michael Jackson said it so well,

“I’m starting with the man in the mirror,I’m asking him to change his ways and no message could have been any clearer, if you wanna make the world a better place take a look at yourself, and then make a change!”

Success causes one to ask questions like, “what do I have to become?” We have to become what we think. This means we have to relinquish the old way of thinking and cultivate a new. My 5 secrets to designing for success look like this:

1. Don’t Serve Your Thoughts

You can’t move forward as long as the problem or the obstacle that you are looking at is the biggest thing in your life. If you are thinking about the problem more than the solution, you are serving your thoughts. There is a way of escaping negative thought patterns. Talk to the man or woman in the mirror and tell him or her who you desire to be and what you desire to become. Make it automatic each time you see yourself in a mirror. And by all means look in a mirror often!

2. Take Control

Quit allowing your circumstances and challenges to assume your thought life. Instead, realize that circumstances won’t ever change until you change. Remember, you aren’t alone. you have God’s thoughts. You have the Holy Spirit to strengthen you and you have the mind of Christ.

3. Enlist a Master Mind Group

This is so very important. Get around people who are full of faith and have attained and traveled where you want to go. Don’t rehearse your problems to them! Make yourself listen to them. Join in with their faith and resist your old way of thinking,  seeing and saying things.

4. Prepare

Don’t be like the foolish virgins in the parable at Matthew 25. When they went to meet the bridegroom, though they took their lamps but took no extra oil and therefore were not prepared for the unexpected. We must be responsible for preparing ourselves by:

• Becoming the Learned. Read what others are saying. Read about current events. Read your Bible. Study to show yourself approved.

• Competing only with Yourself. When you compete with you, then you are challenging you. Competing with someone shows signs of immaturity. You cannot succeed by trying to out-do someone else.

• Journaling your Thoughts. You must be prepared to see around the corner. Write down the plan, a one, five and ten year plan. Everything you will ever need is within you. The design is within you.

5. Get a Strategic Mindset, Serve Others and Seek their Wisdom

Today I tweeted some thoughts and then retweeted some thoughts of others. I believe this is a great place to share as they fit in and are self-explanatory:

• It’s difficult dealing with an adult who acts like a child…..put them in TIME OUT! @JamalBryant

• As you go about your day, look for opportunities to add extra value to your customers and the people you work with. @JennyFerns

• Keep your eyes on your dreams, feet on the ground and you will get there one step at a time @JennyFerns

• Mastermind with yourself for 30 minutes each day, gets ideas flowing, answers bubbling. @ ProsperitybyDesign

• Life takes on meaning when you become motivated, set goals and charge after them in an unstoppable manner. @LesBrown

• Instead of doing 4,000 things 1 time…do 1 thing 4,000 times. That will bring success. @StephenSwisher
  

• Life is personal journey. People who give so much time to judge others, have no time to improve their life. @CodeinDesign

• God hates cheating in the marketplace; rigged scales are an outrage.” Proverbs 20:23 (MSG) @HaroldHerring

• Watch what you say and say what you mean. Words can create an atmosphere that can be felt. @FaithladyDeana

• Don’t loose the simplicity of a child. Just believe God and do it! @FaithladyDeana

Designing for success is a choice. And, of course you don’t need permission to succeed. Linda and I know this and we are holding one another accountable for the directions we are taking in this journey called life. Designing for success is the road we have taken by merely making a quality decision. What about you?

Leave me your comments, questions or thoughts. I’d love to hear from you.

Sharing my passion,

Deana

The Blueprint … I once read that the principles of design have been in existence for many centuries, and elements of design were not invented but discovered, and skillfully incorporated and balanced by artisans and designers over the course of history. If discovered, then they preexisted! Can the academic design principles and elements used today be a consequence of the preexisting principles and elements of old? So we can conclude the principles and elements of design were originated by God at his creation… the compass for your divine designs today. Nothing exists that he did not make (John 1:3, TAB).

Point One. The Space.
–According to Genesis 1:1–2a, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness. This tells us that God located the problem—chaos, described as empty and formless. By his own will he decided to design (NLT).

Divine Design Tip:
Beginning with an empty room—the space—this becomes the blank canvas, so your senses are not influenced by the fabric already occupying it. Here is where you can identify what you are working with.

While paying close attention to the condition of floors, walls, doors, ceilings, and windows, you will notice how light enters the space and how users enter and exit. You will see how traffic flows—how users move about. Then the strengths and weaknesses in the space will be revealed to you. Here’s the opportunity to transform any weaknesses to work in your favor.

Point Two. The Vision.
–Having a vision for your designs is very important. You have the creative ability to look farther than you can see. According to Genesis 1:3–4, “Then God said, let there be light, and there was light … then he separated the light from the darkness” (NLT). God’s first divine command begins the process of transforming the chaos as a means of bringing about life and order, in other words, “Let there be order.”

Divine Design Tip:
All things begin with a thought translated into an image. Whatever your thoughts are behind your designs should be written down. Recording your every thought and collecting ideas for inspiration about your spaces, no matter how inconsequential they may appear, gives birth to the vision for the continuation of bringing order out of chaos. Afterwards you can share the vision with the other users. Now they can grab hold of your vision and share in the excitement of its planning. (Habakkuk 2:2, KJV)

Point Three. The Plan.
–Adventure in design can be looking to express the godly ways we desire to live and the ways we desire to design for the King. This requires thinking about how we actually live each day. According to Genesis 1:6a, 8a, “Then God said, let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters … and God called the firmament heaven … ” (KJV). Apparently God separated the waters of the earth from waters of heaven, and then he expanded the atmosphere over the space.

Divine Design Tip:
Atmosphere was obviously very important to God. He found need to divide and separate some things in order to expand his space and create a heavenly atmosphere. This tells us we must separate from some things in our living environments so that a heavenly atmosphere can reside. So the question is how?
By separating from worries about all the things we have to do and all the things we want to get. The stress and anxiety strangles the spiritual orders we’ve heard, and nothing spiritual results from it (Mark 4:19, MSG).

What this means to me when planning our space we must create a setting where the Holy One desires to abide. The Holy Spirit enjoys a place where he feels at home—a place absent of strife, confusion, and physical evidence of worldly lusts; a place where spiritual orders fill our thoughts, direct our conversations, and determine our actions. Now we are creating an atmosphere for bringing sanctuary and peace in our living environments.
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If these three points speak to your heart, leave a comment and do share this with others. Much much more on this topic is in my new book, Designing for the King. You may order your copy below. Let’s Talk.

Sharing my Passion,

Deana