Obama's ascendancy was not easy.

Many people have looked at US President-Elect, Barack Obama, and said he is the man for this time. When you consider the history of race relations in the United States, and the image of the US around the world, and Obama's amazing support around the globe, he certainly can be considered the right man for the the job of US President in 2008.

But just as this may be Obama's purpose and destiny, so too each of us has a purpose and a destiny and the pathway may not be easy, clear or fun all the time. Obama did not have a perfect past. We were classmates at Harvard from 1988-1991. Back then he seemed just like everyone else, though a bit more mature and thoughtful than many in our class. But now that we know more about his background, we can all see it was not ideal.

But everything he encountered in his life made him into the man he is today so that he can be ready to lead the greatest democratic country in the world. It is amazing when you think of all the pieces in his life coming together.

And what about your life? Maybe right now you cannot clearly see how all the pieces and shapes fit together. Maybe now, you are at a low point when you do not see any Oval Office kind of light at the end of the tunnel. Well, you can't give up, and throw in the towel.

Remember in the Garden of Eden process we see night time and day time. Night is the time for reflection - to understand what you are going through and to eliminate what is unnecessary, what is a hindrance and what is detrimental to your fulfilling God's purpose for your life. A complete day is night time followed by day time. Night will not last forever. You have the assurance that there will be sunlight; illumination, brightness and energy when the night time is past. So keep pushing through and always ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and direction as you use the night time experience to make your next day even more focused and fruitful for him.

You may have an idea of what your end-product will be. Unlikely when Obama was going through his formative years, he saw himself in the Oval Office. But this is what God intended. You may have an idea, an inkling of what your end-product may be. But since we do not have perfect future sight, we can only see a shadow of the great things God may have ordained for our life. Therefore, do not cut the process short or allow despondency to take over. Keep focused on the end, and the pathway become a bit easier to follow.

Is it dark and dreary in your life now.

Has this economic and financial climate thrown you off your pathway? Were things going well for you, and then suddenly the rug was pulled from under you? Perhaps your retirement savings held in the stockmarket has suddenly dwindled to mere pennies. Or maybe your were laid off or lost your job or circle of clients.

Now is not a very uplifting time for many around the world as the decline in stock markets, and the financial sectors take their toll.

What does it mean for you? If you are unsure of what next to do, or if things seem quite dark and dreary, welcome to the earth that God existed in before he created the earth we know today.

While I do not say that God was faced with uncertainty or disappointments, it is clear that the earth he saw was not the way he wanted or desired it to be. This is the premise in the book that you can embrace to help you Create Your Own Garden of Eden and Change your world.

If you feel down and you need to make a major change in your life, follow God's pattern. It's been around for thousands and thousands of years. If it worked for God, then it can certainly work for you.

The book lays out the Seven main steps that mirror the creative work God did on the Seven days of Creation: six days of activity and one day of rest.

Purchase the ebook or visit Amazon to buy the hard copy and start today to take charge of your life by following the process God used.

And do send me your feedback, if after reading you were able to make some changes in your life. I'd love to hear from you at liz@createyourGoe.com

Start in your neighborhood

Whatever you are seeking to create in your life, here's something I learned today. Start with your neighbors in your community. If you're looking to launch a business, publish a book, enlist support for a project, or adopt a hobby, and you need partners, support or just advice, don't dismiss your neighbors.

Remember a lesson from the creation of the human - man and woman - on Day 6, is that God was concerned about a community from the beginning. His command to them was to be fruitful and multiply. And so, in unfolding your purpose in life, you must consider the aspects of your life that can affect, impact and benefit others. Do not be a loner, but seek to connect with others around you or who may come into your path.

Last evening I visited my neighbor for an after work get to together for a friend. And she told me about a health fair a local church was having the following day. So I went along with her to promote the book and share it with those who came to the fair.

A health fair is all about people looking to take care of their physical bodies, and Create Your Garden of Eden is all about people taking care of their overall life. So I was glad for the chance to share with this audience.

And there I sold a book and met the owners of a local bookstore who will shortly carry my book in their self-help, inspirational niche.

But if i had not ventured into the community, both to celebrate a departure with my neighbor, and then to the church for a health fair, I would not have made these connections.

So start where you are. Yes, you must have the grand plans and dream and think big. But you never know who in your immediate neighborhood can really help you, if you will only ask.

So this week, make a deliberate effort to find out who is in your community; what groups, clubs, projects exist. Talk with the waiter in your restaurant, or the person at the table next to you in the coffee shop. Visit the local bookstore or library and meet the other bibliophiles. You never know where the next stepping stone to your eventual master creation will emerge.

Keep an open mind, a positive attitude and a friendly heart.

Stepping Stones

Today I had one of those stepping stones experiences. As a jewelry designer looking to get large retailers to carry my line, I ventured to attend an open call at the famous Henri Bendel store in New York City. It was an interesting experience that can be viewed on my other website at http://lizmannette.blogspot.com.

But what I took away is that as you create your Garden of Eden and seek to fulfill your purpose in life, you will take certain steps toward your short term, medium term or long term goals. Every step may not appear to be a "success". Some may be dead ends, failures, negative outcomes, but ultimately all lead to a refining, a sharpening of the vision, an elimination of the unnecessary, and an increased focus on the core reasons for doing what you're doing.

And always look for the divine voice in the midst of these stepping stones. Is the Holy Spirit speaking here, and directing me in a certain way? Am I being stubborn or timid? Life is all about moving forward and progress. This is why we have the sun and moon which were created on Day Four: for the charting of time and eras. These are so that we can know we have crossed another threshold. And time does not stand still for us.

So each day, keep moving forward on stepping stones to the end purpose. Keep asking guidance from the Creator. Keep positive and know that he is with you to guide you. Remember he created you for a specific purpose. And I firmly believe God is overjoyed when we seek to fulfill this purpose with all we've got.

Maintain your Focus

I just read the following, which is a quote from Orisen Swett Marden. I had never heard of him, but saw this on a Mike Litman blog, which I read regularly:

“The greatest thing in life is not to make money but to raise
ourselves to our highest power, to call out the hidden
beauties of our nature, and to make ourselves attractive and
helpful instead of repellent and unsympathetic.”

Mike then continues to talk about focus as the single most needed capacity for entrepreneurs. The ability to be laserlike and disciplined cannot be over emphasized.

Just as we see in the Garden of Eden process to create our ideal life, God had an end in mind and worked strategically and deliberately to fashion his world.

As Christians, we know that the Holy Spirit works alongside us to help us maintain our focus when we tend to get distracted. Remember to always ask his guidance; Is what I'm doing now leading me toward the purpose for which I was created and sent to the earth, or is this a distraction? Key question. This can save us from wasting time, and energy and from becoming frustrated or overwhelmed.

I often suffer from the influx of creative ideas, like a swirling sea around me. But I have to step back often and ask myself whether it is the right time or the right action. There must be a yes on both counts for me to move forward.

In the first bookstore

So finally the book is in a local bookstore. I have my large book poster in the window, and the Create Your Garden of Eden book is right there.

This is a small bookstore called Chapter One, Page one in Ellerslie Plaza in Trinidad and Tobago and it is owned by the wife of a good friend of mine. So it was fairly easy to get the book in the store. I wonder what I was waiting for all the time.

Sometimes the opportunity we look for is right in front of us. It may not be as big or as grand as we would like, but as a good friend said to me years ago; the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

Yes, I aspire to be on the best seller's list and to be sold at major bookstores around the world and have thousands downloading the book on the site. But you have to start somewhere. And so I am starting small, but the dream remains big within.

So whatever you are aspiring to, get started. Don't just prayer and ask God for guidance or for open doors. Faith without works is dead. let's see the works as evidence of your faith. Get moving

Create your own excitement about life

Creating a life full of excitement can often be mundane and even boring, IF you take your sights off the end result you are aiming for. In the Garden of Eden process, we accept that God knew what he wanted to accomplish when he started to create this world.

And he set out on his process, I often wonder was every day exciting? What is exciting to God? Or, to be more relevant, what is exciting to you? As I sat today reading and responding to emails, making phone calls and trying to set up meetings, I realized that "exciting" is all up to to me. I get to decide. With the eye on the eventual goal-- mine right now is a New York retail store for my jewelry line -- every single email or phone call becomes exciting. Why? Because it is moving me towards my goal. My success is unfolding. I am reaching out to those who may be reaching out to me, or just waiting for me in the near future. This email may be the one that gets a response!

But it requires me to keep doing the mundane and the ordinary.

So as you continue to create your ideal life, determine that every action or thought that moves you forward is part of the excitement. This is whether you are at a copier making 20 copies of your manuscript to send to agents, licking stamps to mail your promo letter for your group, or packing gift bags for an event. These may not be high on the general excitement scale, but if they are getting you towards your goal, just decide that they are the most exciting things you get to do.

This sure makes for more fun during the day. And before you know it, every day is full of excitement.