Create Your Garden of Eden

a speech, a proposal and an interview

2008-12-15T18:49:00.000-08:00

Last week I was able to speak with students at my alma mater for a brief session on career planning. I had hoped to walk them through the actual Garden of Eden process, but it was the end of the school term and only an hour was available.

It was great being back in the school that molded me into who I am today. And I was happy to share with the students, who all appeared very appreciative of hearing how I went from a career as a lawyer, a dabble in politics, launching my Liz Mannette steelpan jewelry line and to an author. Everyone was invited to send me an email to get the free ebook, but no takers just yet.

And I finally completed my proposal to launch the book throughout the high schools in Trinidad and Tobago in 2009. This is my intention, and I am beginning to recruit a publicity assistant who can help get sponsors for the project. Look out to hear of the first funder for this project.

Today, I was videotaped for an inflight feature to be broadcast on Caribbean Airlines inflight video during January and February. And I mentioned the book, and that it is available on Amazon. Hopefully, thousands of passengers will hear about it and go to the website.

Often, we have to keep doing what we know must be done, even when we feel a bit despondent or disheartened. But we must be assured that we are moving ahead, and celebrate the small opportunities and the small wins.

Getting on the inflight video of an airline is a big deal. And so I will celebrate this and look forward to further progress in spreading the word about the Create Your Garden of Eden process for creating your ideal life.

A recent article on fear and faith

2008-11-23T16:18:00.000-08:00

Today, I am posting an article on fear and faith that I read recently and found useful, and I'll have my commentary at the end to show how this fits in with the Garden of Eden Process.

-------------------------------------
How Love, Fear, Faith and Understanding Work Together,
Article written by David Cameron, CEO ImagesOfOne.com.

People often ask, "How do I get rid of my fears?" It is
either that or something similar to that. Fortunately, the
answer is very simple. Once you get into the answer,
everything becomes very simple, and fear lets go just like
that! Let us have a look now...

We will start by looking at these four things and their
opposites.

Love comes from within. The opposite of love is no love.
Often, people have said that the opposite of love is fear,
and in an abstract way that is correct. It is correct
because, generally, you tend to have either one or the
other. When fear is absent, you feel the love that is always
there. When fear comes in, you are blinded from the love.
But, upon closer observation, you will notice that you can
have both emotions running over the same thing. So in a
direct sense, the opposite of love is no love. Love is
acceptance, so the opposite of love can also be called non-
acceptance.

Fear, as we have seen, is a separate emotion. Fear is false
evidence appearing real. You fear because you doubt your
capability to handle something or create a successful
outcome. Otherwise you would not fear if you did not doubt
your ability not to be touched by that which you fear. In
truth, there is nothing to fear. It may not be evident now
why this is so, or it may be. Either way, you will see it
soon. There is nothing to fear. Anyway, fear is what blocks
your feeling of love within, and with that it takes your
power away simply because power is vested in love. Force is
vested in fear and sometimes force looks like power, but it
isn't even close in comparison and lasting effect. So now we
know that fear is what obscures love and power. The question
then remains, what gets rid of fear or what allows fear?
Well, what is the opposite of fear? It is no fear. No fear
is the opposite of fear. How do you get to no fear?

Fear comes in when faith is not there. Faith is more than
believing. Faith is closer to knowing than to believing.
When you know, you know. Its like when you go to pick up a
glass of water and drink it, you don't doubt you will
manage. You just drink knowing it works. That is knowing. A
slight step behind knowing is faith. When you have faith,
you pretty much know you are fine, one way or another,
despite appearances to the contrary. When you have no faith,
you get fear. And that is the key to removing fear, having
faith. So how do you have faith?

With understanding. Understanding ensures faith, simply
because you know how things work. Think of a time you felt
confused and incapable because you missed the information,
and then when you got the information and understanding, you
had peace and you knew you could just easily do what you had
previously feared. Understanding of how life works, How Life
Works, is the key. Take a look under the hood of life, into
the Machinery behind Life, and with that new immense
understanding you will have automatic faith. It is a loop.
You have faith because you know how it works, and so you
have faith that it works.

And as a bonus to understanding, you have peace within
yourself and with others.

And so the first step to all these things, to having faith,
eliminating doubt and fear, to having peace, is all in
getting an understanding. Not just any understanding. Things
are in layers. There is a layer that is the foundation, a
causative layer, and a layer that is the superficial, the
effect layer that is built on the foundation. The
understanding of the causal layer is one we are talking
about here. Fortunately, there is much available to us
nowadays in terms of high-level wisdom and insights. Seek
them and understand, if you wish to have the key out of the
box. You may also have a look at the book What If You Knew
The Answer To and the Reason For Everything In Your Life
which is available at www.imagesofone.com and looks into the
completeness of the understanding we are talking about here.
I wish you success and wellbeing.
David Cameron, CEO ImagesOfOne.com

--------------------------------
To link what David Cameron writes to our Garden of Eden process, in order to move forward, deliberately, one day at a time to become and do what the Creator intended, you have to have the faith that you can indeed become who he intends for you to become and do what he has purposed for you to do.

This faith is built as you increase your understanding of the Creator, his principles that He has provided to guide you and his destiny for your life.

As you understand that the Creator always provides enough to allow you to become all he intended, your fear of lack will cease. As you understand that the Creator is in command of the entire universe, the earth and all that is taking place, your fear of the future will diminish. As you understand how the Creator has made you unique and special for a definite purpose and has surrounded you with people to support you, your fear of being incapable will end.

But key is to understand that the God, the Creator, has placed you on his planet and is with you to enable you to accomplish this life with success and joy.

Obama's ascendancy was not easy.

2008-11-17T20:06:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-11-03T18:19:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-01T17:07:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-27T21:09:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-17T18:31:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-30T13:08:00.000-07:00

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.

Be Open to chance encounters

2008-09-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it is the unplanned, chance encounter that moves you toward your goals.

Over the last week, I happened to meet two established jewelry designers who were so inspiring to me as I build my jewelry and accessories business. see my blog at http://blog.lizmannette.com for the full details of meeting the famous David Yurman in New York City. And then just sitting in the lobby in a hotel in Toronto, I met an interesting gentleman with whom I may do further business on two projects. And these were not the planned, scheduled meetings that brought me to both these cities.

The Garden of Eden is all about a process and following a plan to create your ideal life. But part of this plan involves recognizing that you are working out God’s design for you. And he is orchestrating circumstances and events to cause his design for your life to occur in his timing.

And this is where the chance meetings take place. You may have a conversation on a train or a bus, happen to pass through a library or hotel, or be in a seminar or club meeting where someone connects you with someone else or you meet another person who is just the person you needed to meet at that time. Some call this the Law of Attraction. In the Garden of Eden process, we call this the Creator’s plan for you working out according to his plan as you partner with him in living your life.

So expect these meetings. Be open to persons around you who may simply open the conversation with a hello. You never know how the Creator’s plan will unfold for you today. Always look for what is good about a meeting, a conversation or an event. And listen to hear his voice and receive his guidance.

chart your progress

2008-09-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I've finally decided to move the marketing of the book to another level. So now we have stationary, bookmarks, book promotion poster, and other marketing and presentation stuff nicely designed and ready to launch us out into another level.

It was one thing to write the book, build a simple website, do one or two seminars, but now I sense that I have to move ahead with the plan to get this message distributed widely. So we will be starting an online campaign, and in my local area, I will be finally getting the book into stores and approaching my church connections to make presentations.

In everything we do there must be some progress that we can chart. God the Creator expects this. This is the message of Day Four in the Garden of Eden...see page 71 of the Book.

So, I will be letting all blog readers know when there has been small steps of progress on this project. Stay tuned.

Being inspired by former classmate Obama

2008-08-30T18:07:00.000-07:00

One thing about my former classmate Barack Obama--he is fulfilling his purpose with determination. Whether or not you support him and his party, his nomination and candidacy is a significant accomplishment for the United States, and the rest of the world.

Now, I was classmate of Obama at Harvard, and one thing I remember about him was that his message even back then was about change. "Education is supposed to change you," I recall from his speech when we all graduated in 1991.

When I look at his life, his background and his pathway, I see someone who has and is creating a unique life, fulfilling a unique purpose and inspiring millions in the nation. And this inspires me to continue creating my unique path.

And this is what we are all to do, even if we are far removed from the presidency of a major international powerhouse. If you are working in a small rural community classroom, managing a large conglomerate, volunteering in a sports program, developing materials for a special project, writing a book, starting a business, raising your children, or working with seniors--you are to Create Your Garden of Eden.

You have a a significant role to play that can cause tremendous change in the lives of many others. But if you shrink back, hesitate, procrastinate, complain and be timid, nothing may happen. You have your 'greatness' to achieve and you have a mark that only you can leave on this earth. So step forward and bring the light and hope to those who need you. This is what you were created to do.

Expecting a Reward

2008-08-24T18:21:00.000-07:00

I come across many websites which aim to help or provide encouragement and today I'm posting a link to one that I have found refreshing. In the midst of all the crazy stuff that is on the internet Dan Brown seems to be often on point, particularly as it applies to prosperity issues. Be sure to give him a visit here: http://www.SecretPlaceOnline.com

Today I was reminded about the nature of our reward from God. We don't often hear about this. We hear a lot about blessings and grace, and faith to receive but the idea of Reward is as biblical as all of those. In fact, I mention often in my seminars that the issue of using the talents and skills God has given is required in order for us to gain the reward, not only in this life, but a "well-done" at the end.

And as you seek to Create Your Garden of Eden, and develop the purpose for which you were placed on the earth, you will reap Rewards. God rewards us both for what we do, and also based on our inner motives and our heart position. And these motives are reflected in the choices and decisions we make each and every day.

This is why evaluating the reason and method of creating our Garden of Eden is so important and why God evaluated his day's work at the end to determine that "it was good". We need to ensure we are creating according to God's standards so that our creativity and creation will also be "good." This is what guarantees the reward.

And expecting a Reward is not a bad thing. What we must be careful about is that we seek God's reward and not focus on the reward, praise or accolades from other men. This is where we may be sidetracked and misdirected.

I'll post more on the type of Rewards we can expect from God as we Create our Garden of Eden

second seminar to young people

2008-08-17T18:38:00.000-07:00

Last week Monday I had the second seminar presenting the Create Your GOE process to a group of young people from a friend's church. I approach these opportunities very seriously, not only because I may be providing the help that someone desperately needs, but because you have to be faithful in small things to be given mastery over larger things.

So even though it was a complimentary seminar from 9-12, to a small audience of about 40 persons,I gave it my best. I thoroughly prepared and wrote the presentation, and became comfortable with the materials to present and focus on for the students.

What amazed me after the presentation, were the questions posed by the students. Some of their comments will be posted on the site soon, but the questions that revealed their inner struggles, conflicts and questions were very powerful. Even though the ages ranged from about 11 to 21, the questions were those you would expect from adults. It was clear that the young people were grappling with the same issues.

Can you imagine the change that can occur if we present the guidance and direction to young people while they are still open and eager, and not afraid to challenge and question? This is the time to lay the correct foundation for the Garden of Eden.
I had wished someone would have shared the principles of how to create my ideal life with me when I was younger and set me on the right path. Now, without any direct effort or intention of my own, opportunities to help young readers have emerged and fallen right into my lap.

This is often how things happen as you focus on pursuing your purpose, ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and see what unfolds. We can plan, and strategize and create action plans, but we do not know the exact means through which God will cause his purpose for us to unfold. I would not have thought I would be presenting the GOE process to young people. But once the opportunities arose, I simply embraced them and after two seminars, I can say that it was good.

The need for rest

2008-07-20T21:38:00.000-07:00

God worked on each day. But he did not work into the night to create the amazing earth we see. And of course he worked on six days and rested on the seventh day. From this we can see that the need for rest is built into the foundation of the earth and of life in general.

Over this last weekend, I even had to remind myself about this because I was so aware of all that needed to be done. In fact, I started to write this post at about 12:49am two days ago and realized as I was writing that the lesson was for me. So I stopped immediately.

Why is it that we believe that if we have much to do then we need to do it all, and that rest, relaxation, sleep, etc can suffer? This is not what God intended. We need adequate sleep. We need to spend time with people who are important to us and we need to relax. It is important to step away from those things we believe are so important. And to simply let our minds wander, reflect, digest the day's events, walk in a park, visit the beach, exercise or get a massage.

Of course God did not need to do all these things. All we know is that at the end of the day he stopped working until the next day. So, we too, must know that there will be tomorrow when we will do what has to be done then. But let us take the time and plan to say "no more work" and commit to giving our physical and mental bodies the time to rejuvenate and be recharged so that we can face another day brightly.

your end-product can be an intangible benefit to others

2008-07-12T16:49:00.001-07:00

A few days ago I was speaking to a young lady who was sharing one of her talents and skills with me as we discussed my book on Create Your Garden of Eden.

As I presented on page 28 on the book in the Preliminary Pre-Creation Assessment chapter, the end-product has to represent the unique you. Just as the Creator made Man in his image and likeness, your masterpiece has to reflect you. And as a starting point, the GOE process asks you to identify your talents and skills and recognize that there is something that only you can create in this world.

As my friend identified her talent and what she enjoyed doing, she stated that it could not be converted into anything tangible, like a piece of furniture or an item of jewelry. But I had to point out to her that her skill and talent, which had to do with helping others plan vacations, created intangible benefits, such as peace of mind, relaxation and increased sense of well-being. These intangible benefits are as valuable and needed as tangible items-like the clothing one would take on the vacation, the rental car one would use on the vacation, or the drinks or food to be consumed.

Your end purpose can generate both tangible and intangible benefits. Perhaps you are annoyed at what passes for good customer service these days and you know deep within you that you can present a better option or train others to do better. The benefits to the recipient of excellent service is an intangible sense of worth and appreciation that you can't grasp with your hand. In fact, for many, the good customer service and help is as important as the tangible material result of a meal.

So, if perhaps you are thinking the same as my friend, dismiss the thought that you cannot create an end-purpose from your talents and skills. Just know that you were created by God, and he knew what he was doing. Before you were born, God had a plan and a purpose for you and endowed you with all necessary to accomplish this purpose. And he will not hide it from you. If you realize that you enjoy talking and motivating others, cheering friends up or being an objective ear for businesses, then don't fight or ignore the purpose that is rising up. Rather use the GOE process to determine the vessel through which you will express this end-purpose, and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you as you seek to fulfill his destiny for your life. And if you need any help or want to share a comment, please do send me an email or post a comment.

celebrating your good

2008-07-10T19:38:00.000-07:00

One of the key teachings we learn from the Creation in the Garden of Eden is that on each day God considered his work and said it was good.

I thought about all this in the evening as I was reflecting on all that occurred during the day; the meetings, the calls, the plans, the progress on certain fronts, the sense of accomplishment, the socializing with friends. And I realized I had a productive day. I actually felt that it was a good day.

So often we can forget to actually look back on what we do or accomplish and give ourselves a pat on the back for a good job, or a good day. We can get caught up in looking forward to the next day and the things in our future and what our end-purpose is and imagine how it will all unfold, and what did not go right or what was left undone etc., that we miss the time at the end of the day to say "it was good."

Again, as I said in the Create Your Garden of Eden book, if God took the time to evaluate and assess his day and his creative acts, so too should we.

And our evaluation criteria should be "was what I created consistent with God's standards and his purpose for my life?" When we can say yes, then we can say we have a good day.

And everything does not have to be perfect for it to be a good day.

We should recognize the areas where improvement is needed and where we have some work to do. But don't be too hard on yourself. Allow yourself to have a good day. Every day look for the positives, the people you interacted with, the lives you affected, the progress you made. It is a good practice to write down at the end of the day the things that made the day good; your successes and progress steps. This has been proven to uplift your mood and give you a sense of accomplishment which can only be good.

And be aware as you go through the day that you want to make it a good day. So when a situation arises, you can ask yourself whether your response is consistent with making your day a good day.

Remember every day in God's creation was a good day. And we are made in his image and we are to pattern him. So we need to make every day in our life a good day.

take it a bit at a time

2008-07-08T19:30:00.000-07:00

As I state on the Day Two part of the process (page 51 of the book), creating your Garden of Eden requires work. Sometimes when we start a process or decide to pursue an activity, we get so excited about the result we are looking to achieve that we forget for a minute that much work is involved.

And then when we do take the first step towards our goal and are hit with the people to call, the documents to prepare, the meetings or events to coordinate, the redrafts we must do, -- perhaps requiring late nights or early mornings, we may be taken by surprise.

And so in order to not become discouraged or flustered, we have to break our tasks into manageable sizes and do a little each day. This is what we see in the original Creation; God did a bit of work each day. It is certainly possible that, as God, all things could have been created in one day or one moment or one act. But the Creation of the earth took place over a series of days.

So too, as you face your creation action, remember that there is work involved and you have to pace yourself. God did one act on the early days and then on the later days his creation activity became more complex. Let's take this as an example. Start slowly and build your capacity or efforts over time. Do not try to take on more than you can at the start. It would be a great loss if you jump into the process and become overwhelmed and so weary that you abandon the process altogether. Take your time.

starting to work with High School students

2008-06-28T14:45:00.000-07:00

Well I have finally started the GOE course for young high school students.

This was not something that I had in my plans for the promotion of the book, to tell the truth. It sort of developed after a few Junior Achievers sent me an email about how the Create Your Garden of Eden book affected them after I gave a speech on the book and offered all of them a free ebook.

Well, I was so touched by the fact that these students felt more empowered to live their dreams that I decided to do a bit more. I offered all members of the JA Trinidad and Tobago class of 2008 the option to communicate with me directly for the rest of the summer, to help then work through the exercises in the workbook.

I'll post updates on this blog as to how this little exercise is going.

But this is how Creating Your GOE happens. You make your short term, medium term and long term plans. And you open yourself to the Creator to allow his plan for your life to unfold. And then, who knows what doors open.

The JA door opened and I had to make a choice right away. Then when I considered it, I realized it could be the opportunity to begin to refine the GOE process to make it more applicable to young high schools students. And to prove that the GOE process can work for anyone: young or old, rich or poor, smart or not so smart.

So I stepped out and began. This is what you also should do when a similar opportunity appears. If it is consistent with your endpurpose, then go for it.

Keep reading the blog to see how things are progressing.

It's the rainy season here

2008-06-23T19:01:00.000-07:00

Over the last several days here in Trinidad, we have been subject to very heavy and continuous rains. Fortunately, I have been indoors for most of the time, but on looking through my windows at the traffic, the wind and the rain blowing across the Savannah, I see the unfortunate souls who have to walk and wade through the downpour.

Quite a few persons had to seek shelter from the rains because they were not equipped or prepared for the heavy showers. Now this is June and the rains in the tropics start in May and heavy rainfall is always expected around this time. Indeed, even though I did not have an umbrella for several months, as soon as the first clouds of the season appeared, I made a deliberate point to buy one. And I also made a note to keep more "wet weather" shoes handy. (these would be closed toe shoes, as opposed to the open sandals I prefer to wear.)

This is one of the lessons we learn from the Create Your Garden of Eden teachings on Day Four. The sun and the moon were placed in the heavens to chart the seasons.

And as I stated in the book, the seasons are predictable. We know when they will come again. And we are to consider what is necessary for the particular season and plan ahead. For me, it was buying an umbrella in May before the heavy rains came.

As you analyze your life, whether your career, your Ministry unto others, your business, your family or even your physical health, I ask the question. What season are you in right now and what does it require? Or more important, what lies ahead and what should you do now to prepare for the future season?

We are not to live unaware or ignorant of the seasons of our industry. If you don't know, then research, ask others, find help or ask the Holy Spirit for direction. This is what we are to do if we are to be well-functioning humans on God's planet--be equipped for the seasons that life will bring us.