Yesterday I attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Kagman Education Island Wetland learning center a joint project of the Coastal Resource Management Office and the Marianas Resource and Conservation Office.

Labels: Lifestyle

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Every Friday between 1997 and 2006, I wrote and composed a new motivational creation I called Life Rhymes. I sent them in a weekly email ezine called "Walt's Friday Inspirations." They got to be quite popular and many copies of all 468 life rhymes are still floating around the internet on various websites. You can check out the full archives at LifeRhymes.com ()opens in new window). Today I thought I'd share one with you that's always motivating for people looking to make changes in their lives that others may feel are rash, impulsive, scary, but simply challenge the norms of thinking. It's one of my favorites...
ahem...

The Great Sheep Uprising

One day a young sheep woke
and faced a world he'd never known
He raced to tell the herd
and share the vision he'd been shown

The fence is down, the dog is dead
the shepherd's gone away!
We sheep will soon taste freedom
with no one to block our way!

What pastures shall we roam to?
Oh, what fields shall we explore?
Our day of choice has now drawn nigh
what greatness is in store?

We'll spread across the country!
Yes, expand our power base!
We'll maximize our numbers!
and reclaim our rightful place!

Imagine how we'll prosper
Yes, just think how far and wide
Our children spared enslavement
our own fate shall we decide

The sheep began to follow
with excitement this bold youth
But then an old sheep blocked their path
and spoke his only truth:

Contain your mad excitement
and now listen well, dear child
For sheep we are and sheep we'll be
and sheep do not run wild

Our master loved and led us
and this field is all we know
What lies beyond no one can say
this path may lead to woe

And so it was, that fateful day
the sheep fell back in line
No fence, no dog, no shepherd
but with limits on their minds

And so it is with sheep
And sadly so with us ourselves
That even blessed with freedom
all good sheep still herd themselves

COMMENTARY:

Here is an excerpt from Tales from the Time Loop by David Icke (rhymes with hike) which inspired today's Life Rhyme:

[BEGIN EXCERPT] When a few people wish to control and direct a mass of humanity, there are certain structures that have to be in place. These are the same whether you are seeking to manipulate an individual, family tribe town country, continent or planet. First you have to impose the 'norms' what are considered right and wrong, possible or impossible, sane or insane, good and bad. Most of the people will follow these norms without question because of the baa-baa herd mentality that has prevailed within the collective human mind for at least thousands of years. Second, you have to make life very unpleasant for those few who challenge your imposed 'norms.' The 'norms' or 'consensus reality' are essential to our control...

The most effective way to do this in order to ensure compliance with these norms is to make it difficult to be different. You make those who voice a different view, version of 'truth' and lifestyle, stand out like black sheep in the human herd. You have already conditioned the herd to accept your norms as its reality and, through arrogance and ignorance, they ridicule or condemn those with a different spin on life. This pressurizes the black sheep to conform and serves as a warning to those others in the herd who are also thinking of breaking away or challenging the prevailing reality. ...This fear of being different and voicing a view that challenges the 'norms' is overwhelmingly the fear of what other people will think of us. In reality, the fear of what the sheep around us will say and do if we seek to leave the herd and question its conditioned assumptions. This mentality means that the masses are policing themselves and keeping each other in line. The sheep become the sheepdog for the rest of the herd.

Once you have the herd mentally policing itself, there is a third phase in the entrapment of human consciousness. You create factions within the herd and set them to war with each other. This is done by creating different belief systems (which are not different at all) and bringing them into conflict. These belief systems are known as religions, political parties, economic theories, and isms of endless variety.

You bring these beliefs into conflict to ensure the divide and rule you so desperately need for control by the few. While the masses are busy fighting each other, and seeking to impose their beliefs and views on each other, they don't see...the...strings attached to all of them. [END OF EXCERPT]

Dare to be different. Dare to dream big dreams. Don't allow the mass consensus to restrain your thoughts and actions. Break free from the herd. Let the young sheep's vision of The Great Sheep Uprising live in you!



Walt's Life Rhyme #442
The Great Sheep Uprising
(c)Walt F.J. Goodridge
The Passion Prophet
''I share what I know,
so that others may grow!''

Labels: Life Rhymes

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For those of you who may not be familiar with the reference and exactly how to say it, here is the infamous "Mama Bear" and Bugs! Enjoy
Tell Me More About My Eyes (*.wav file)

Labels: Tell Me More About My Eyes

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just some late night/early morning thoughts I felt like sharing....

There are times, early in the morning, as I lie awake in bed listening to the radio here in Saipan, that my life takes on an almost surreal quality. It’s now 3:17am ... It’s my favorite time of day. Things are quiet. I’m listening to 103.9FM, (sort of a Lite-FM-type format) and just heard “Dancing Queen” by Abba, followed by “Sharing the Night Together” by Dr. Hook, and “Let’s Get it On” by Marvin Gaye. A few days ago I heard “Kung Fu Fighting” by Carl Douglas. Now, if you’re not familiar with those songs, they are big 70’s and early 80’s hits. What’s significant about those songs in particular is that they’re from a period in the 70’s and 80’s that corresponds to my best memories of life in Jamaica before I moved to the states, and during the summers when, homesick, I would go back to visit.

Like a lot of people, music, for me has always been a special marker of moments. They are life's soundtrack capable of eliciting memories of moments lived. When I hear those songs, I’m immediately transported to those early innocent times of my life and feel a nostalgia mixed with an indescribable peace and contentment that makes me almost cry. (“That’s the Time I Feel Like Making Love” by Roberta Flack, “Loving You by Minnie Ripperton” and Rock the Boat by the Hues Corporation are three songs in particular that have that effect on me).

So here I am, many years later, living once again in a tropical paradise that has almost the same feel of Jamaica back in the 70s, eating the same fruits that grow there, meeting nice people with the same nomadic/adventurer streak, surrounded by warm, friendly people and the native beauty I like, and experiencing the career fulfillment, fame and acceptance on the level I have dreamt of and strived all my life to create.

So when I hear these songs in this my new dream life, time slows down, and it’s like I’ve been given another chance to pick up and continue my life where I’ve always felt like it was halted. And when I hear any other songs from my past, they too feel different. They’re being reprogrammed into new memories, synchronized with a new set of feelings and becoming the soundtrack of this my new life’s adventure.

They say you can’t go back. “They” would be wrong, indeed. But I’ve even done one better: I’ve gone back and taken my dreams with me.

I wish everyone the singular experience and joy of finding the dream that feeds them and of getting the chance to live it on their own terms.

Let the music play.

Labels: Lifestyle

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Let's see....what do I want to share today?
(all links open in a new window)

Well, the press release for the MLK contest winners appeared in the SaipanTribune

WeLoveSaipan.com moved up one position to 69 on a Google search for "saipan"

The copies of my book, This Game of Hip Hop Artist Management, to be used in a music industry course, shipped to South Carolina State University today

I've located and contacted a few new suppliers for the Pacific Island Food Co-op in my efforts to get more health-conscious food products available here on island.

Dean Nance herself posted a nice comment to the MLK Day post

One of my coaching clients, Captain Carl gets his pickup truck today! Go Carl!

Seems quite a few new people are jumping on the blog bandwagon here in Saipan...I was going to list them all, but Angelo has a better handle on who's new and already beat me to it


and at any given moment here on my desktop, there are a dozen pending book orders, requests for speaking engagements, new projects, books to update, sites to tweak, people to contact....

...and I slept most of the day!

Labels: Update

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#posted by Walt F.J. Goodridge, The Passion Prophet @ 6:35 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

...once you set up your blog, a very important strategy for generating traffic is to establish links from other sites & bloggers.
Having a link to your site from someone else's site is an indirect endorsement of you and your site. Blogger's new drag and drop feature (available on New Blogger) makes this easier to do (i.e. you don't need to know any HTML in order to do it.

Coming soon: "Websites That Sell: The Ultimate traffic generating, money-earning, fame creating, movement sparking checklist for your website or blog!"

Labels: Sideline Business Tips

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Wow! It's been a hectic few weeks!


First a little background:
In April 2006, CNMI Governor Benigno Fitial signed the bill enacting Martin Luther King Jr. Day as an official CNMI holiday to commence on January 15th, 2007 (You can see my coverage of this in Walt's Escape from America (Opens in new window). In the past, there had been commemorations of MLK Day on island supported and hosted by private individuals and groups. Now, as an official holiday, this year's commemoration took on particular significance. it was appropriate to do something more than in previous years. This excerpt from a letter sent out to local leaders and media explains:

Initial program plans include an open-to-the public “Rally, Reflection & Recognition” event with guest speakers, a keynote address, and a “Freedom March” centered in and around the American Memorial Park. Also featured will be the presentation of a "Young Freedom Fighters Award" to local student-winners of our school-wide MLK Essay/Speech Contest. Cynthia E. Nance's selection as Keynote Speaker comports with the stated 2007 program theme, as the first woman and first black dean of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Law School and as a Professor of law.
To place Dean/Professor Nance's accomplishments in perspective, it should be known that Arkansas is where Governor Orval Fabus, in 1957, in defiance of the orders of President Eisenhower to admit black students to Little Rock Central High School and in the face of the National Guard, and in the eyes of the world, vowed publicly that black and white children would never be allowed to attend school together in the State of Arkansas. Dean/Professor Nance, in the true spirit of Dr. King's dream, has "over come" such entrenched barriers of racial discrimination in education and employment opportunities, and her professional and academic achievements serve as an inspiration to freedom loving people everywhere.

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So things started back in December when the planning for the CNMI's first official Martin Luther King Jr., Day kicked into high gear. The planning committee of the African American Cultural Preservation Committee (attorney Joe Hill, president) here on Saipan met every week and as the event closed in, we met every other day in the lobby of the World Resort Hotel.



After weeks of planning, the day finally came, and we met and welcomed Dean Nance at the airport at 1:00am Friday morning. With singer singing, ukulele playing, cameras snapping, the Dean was welcomed in style to the CNMI!


...and then we wait for luggage


With a full itinerary, the Dean was on her way to Rota that Friday morning, Tinian the next day and returned to Saipan on Sunday. The Tsunami (see Angelo's account;opens in new window) delayed things a bit.

On Sunday, there was a reception in her honor at Judge Lizama's residence.


Monday (MLK Day), found us all busy setting up the stage, moving tables and chairs, setting up sound systems and everything else one needs for an inaugural commemoration.

As organizer of the MLK Essay and Elocution contest, I was up at 5am reading essays, creating handouts for the judges, and then was off to Joe Hill's office at 7:30 to make photocopies of all the entries. Along with Dorothea Bryant and Angie Wheat, we hosted and judged the elocution portion of the contest that morning.



Now I have to say something about the contest; something about the support and attitude of the students and teachers and committee members here in the CNMI. Of the many people who received the contest announcement, some as late as the day before the deadline, 12 schools' principals and teachers chose to participate.

From those schools, 30 students chose to submit essays, 5 students chose to memorize speeches

Of those who received the announcement ON ROTA, 6 students chose to participate, and their principal found a way to get their essays hand delivered to us IN TIME!!

There are students, educators, even strangers who graciously chose to sit through the chaos of this our first event to support the children and the intention behind our efforts.

So, along with yours truly, there were 3 judges (Dorothea, Angie and Laura) who--all drafted at the last minute--chose to listen to and judge the speeches that morning, then chose to work tirelessly (without ANY complaint whatsoever) the entire day (missing the march, and portions of the ceremony, feeding themselves at their own expense) in order to diligently grade EVERY student's written essay. (Thanks, ladies, for putting up with my spontaneous, last-minute chaos!)



Shots from the Official Commemoration!

Park Ranger Kelchmer (is that your official title?) prepares Dept of Public Safety Commissioner Rebecca Warfield to project the "look of authority" while retaining a woman's mystique and grace


Note: the next several shots courtesy of Angelo Villagomez

Monday morning's cleanup of Makaka Beach was a success. Participants from MOVER, MINA, RC&D, Rep. Kaipat, Rep Waki, and Mozell's Boys picked up trash and bushcut our own tall grass. The Saipan Tribune covered this cleanup, which was part of the "Day on, not a day off" celebration of Martin Luther King Day. Over 30 people attended this cleanup

Official Master and Mistress of Ceremony, Ambrose Bennett and Shequita Bennett.

Gus Kaipat sings CNMI anthem.

The front row VIPs.

Joe Hill makes welcoming remarks

Ryan Ortizo wows the crowd with a stirring rendition of Martin Luther King Jr's "I have a Dream" speech

Congresswoman Cinta Kaipat tells of the history and struggle of getting the day formalized in the CNMI

Senator Maria Pangelinan

VIPs on stage

Essay & Elocution contest winners from left to write: Audrey Jo Ada, Alice Tessen, Joan Liwanag, Raymark Denora (not present: Jo Micah Cabrera)
Check out the Winning Essays

Elocution contest winner (High School Division) Joan Liwanag

Elocution contest winner (Elementary School Division) Raymark Denora

And now, ladies and gentlemen, our keynote speaker...




[end of Angelo's shots]

The evening was inspiring as well as entertaining, and was a great kickoff for what will be an annual tradition which will grow in attendance and participation....

Well done to all who stayed up late, got up early, donated their time, energy, ideas and passion to make this long-awaited day a reality here in the CNMI!

Special thanks again to Ranger Kelchmer for letting us use the office for grading the essays!



And even though this is a personal blog, I'd like to spread recognition of appreciation
by way of the following:

This Project was made possible by support from the Northern Mariana Islands Council for the Humanities, a non-profit, private corporation funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

(NOTE: check back to this post for links to videos, winning essays and even more photos!)


But wait! It's not over yet!
Having made the 10,000-mile trip from NY to Saipan myself three times (that would be a total of 5 times across the Pacific) in less than 9 months, I know firsthand how it feels. I also felt that having come all this way, the Dean should at least get to see some of Saipan's native beauty beyond the scheduled talks, official meetings and presentations that filled her schedule. So, I plotted a friendly "kidnapping."

I arrived at Kagman Elementary school on Tuesday afternoon after the second of the official school meetings, managed to tick off fellow committee member Sam Joyner and a few teachers (sorry ladies, didn't intend to offend anyone, but kidnapping's a dirty job that wins few friends) and sort of pushed my agenda forward to add some down-time activities to the Dean's stay!

It was about 3pm. With only a few hours of daylight left, and since we were in Kagman, I first took the Dean part of the way down the trail to Forbidden Island (um, don't tell AAPC president Joe Hill, he'd have a fit!)

...then to Tank Beach



....then to Mount Tapochau




....she asked to stop by Judge Weiss' place, so we did that for a few minutes...By then it was about 4:00pm, the daylight hours were dwindling, so the Judge graciously sent us on our way with his own recommendations on where to take the Dean.




....then I took her to a little-known trail to a secluded fishing spot (introduced to me by Captain Carlopens in new window) near Marpi Point just in time for a great view of a Saipan sunset! Man, that's a steep trail! Kudos to the dean, who, ill-prepared for my kidnapping itinerary, and dressed in only sandals and with a toe she hurt earlier in the day, completed both the Forbidden island trail and the Marpi trail in fine style (i.e. alive to talk about it!)

....then to Banzaii Cliff




...then to Bird Island


...and on the way back, took a wrong turn and ended up at the Grotto. By then it was dark, so we didn't get to see much. Within a few minutes one of Saipan's Finest showed up (wonder if news of the kidnapping got out!). He asked if everything was alright. I told him I was fine, and that the Dean was treating me well. Or maybe he was asking HER...hmmm, ...in any event, the Dean and the officer had a nice chat about the undersea world of Saipan's diving spots while I wondered if he was secretly detaining us waiting for "backup" to take me down!!


No SWAT teams showed up, so I chauffeured Dean Nance back to the World Resort to meet with Joe.


My work here is done!



The next morning (Wednesday), driven to the airport by Rose Smith, the Dean and a few of us had a small farwell gathering...


Willie, Rose, Dean Nance, Joe, me (one of these days I'll see Willie smile in a photograph, I just know it)


Dean Cynthia Nance shows her ticket to the gate agent, walks up the ramp, and heads home.




More to come!

Labels: Lifestyle

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Ok, I know you might think I'm vain, but really, I'm not. Ok, maybe just a little, but I was doing a search for "walt goodridge" on Google, and---why? Well, um, among other things, I discovered through my tracker that someone reached my site by searching for "walt goodridge born on" and "what jobs did walt goodridge have before starting business" so I thought I'd do a search to see what others are seeing.

Anyway, I discovered this, a review for a book entitled

Common Sense Business: Starting, Operating, and Growing Your Small Business--in Any Economy!
by Steve Gottry, Kenneth H. Blanchard, Ken Blanchard (Foreword by), Kenneth H. Blanchard
on the barnesandnoble.com website..

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=7I0NCGm9F9&isbn=0060778385&itm=50

Library Journal
Entrepreneur and marketer Gottry (coauthor, The On-Time, On-Target Manager: How a "Last-Minute Manager" Conquered Procrastination) divides his book into three sections. New small-business entrepreneurs will appreciate the information on starting, operating, and growing a company found in "The Small Business Life Cycle." In "Building Your Assets," they will learn about all the players involved, including owner, customers, employees, and vendors. The third part, "Conquering Your Natural Enemies," teaches how to manage a small business through every phase, keeping it afloat during tough times, and making the most of the assets created. It also describes common threats to small-business success. Each chapter concludes with a worksheet titled "Thinking It Through," which prompts the reader with questions based on the content. For those who already own a small business, some of the book may be too basic. Libraries might find their readers better served by Walt Goodridge's Turn Your Passion into Profit , which is noteworthy for its more complete coverage and practical, down-to-earth tone and style.-Susan C. Awe, Univ. of New Mexico Lib., Albuquerque Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Seems Susan C Awe of the Library Journal likes my book (opens in new window) and recommends it over Gottry's.

Now, I'm not one for gloating or for competition (I believe when you're doing the thing you were put here to do, that you're NEVER in competition with anyone), so I share this just to say....ahem.....tell me more about my eyes!

Labels: Tell Me More About My Eyes

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My Saipan blog buddy, Angelo Villagomez, has discovered one of the secrets to generating visits to his blog. Angelo posted a picture and a few words about Katie Rees (ousted beauty pageant winner; Miss Nevada) on his blog. As a result, his blog shows up in internet searches for the infamous beauty queen. This tactic results in more visitors to a site, and consequently more potential customers for whatever one might be selling, or perhaps more clicks on one's Adsense pay-per-click links.

According to Angelo:

"I got 508 hits to the Saipan Blog in the last hour. I'm the #1 search result for "Katie Rees" on MSN. Thanks, MSN! Thanks, Katie Rees! That girl is Blog Gold!"

Now that tactic may be great for general interest, Saipan-specific, fun and politics, personal blogs like Angelo's, but unfortunately, serious business owners like myself would never resort to such obvious ploys. Katie Rees? Katie Rees? I think not.

So all of those people who are searching on Google News, for example, who discover the following stories...

Katie Rees' Latest Photo Shoot
TMZ.com, CA - 17 hours ago
Katie Rees, the ousted Miss Nevada, is back in the spotlight. Now she's posing for the brand new Las Vegas magazine, Racket. Sorry fellas, no girl-on-girl ...
Fired Miss Nevada Katie Rees finds herself a new job South Asian Women's Forum
Ex-Miss Nevada Back to Work in Sin City E! Online


Dethroned Miss Nevada finds new job MSNBC
Washington Post
all 98 news articles »
Miss Nevada Nude? Katie Rees In Talks With Playboy
Post Chronicle - 12 hours ago
Former Miss Nevada USA Katie Rees lost her tiara over a nude photo scandal. We could be seeing quite a bit more from Katie Rees in the not-to distant future ...

National Ledger Miss USA Nevada Playboy Dreams: Katie Rees Nude Photo Shoot?
National Ledger, AZ - 12 hours ago
Miss USA Nevada Playboy Dreams: Katie Rees Nude Photo Shoot? (Image: Racket). Rees was unceremoniously dismissed from any chance at becoming Miss USA 2007 ...
Ex-Miss Nevada Back to Work in Sin City
AND, South Africa - 2 hours ago
It turns out that the publicized pictures of ex-Miss Nevada USA Katie Rees acting naughty while on vacation in Florida were good for more than getting her ...

Or those who search for images and find this....


are probably not the same as those interested in starting a sideline business....

So no Katie Rees mention for this blog! I mean it!

Labels: Sideline Business Tips

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Kinda hectic these past few hours.

Was at the airport until 2:30am today as part of the welcoming committee for Cynthia Nance, Dean of the University of Arkansas Law School. Dean Nance is here on Saipan to be the keynote speaker for the Martin Luther King Jr, Day commemoration here.




As part of the event schedule, there'll be a student essay contest. Today was the deadline, so I was driving all around the island picking up essay submissions.

Labels: Lifestyle

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Found an inspiring sideline business turned mainline lifestyle story at http://www.adsensestudy.info/ (originally published in http://www.blacknews.com/pr/kamauaustin101.html)

It shows the power of the internet to create fortunes. It's inspiring because of the challenges Kamau faced just
a few short years ago. He's also a friend of mine!

The article, entitled "Black Parents and Autistic Daughter Make Fortune Online" begins:

"Just 5 years ago Kamau Austin was too poor to afford a computer. Today Austin is being featured in the September issue of Fortune Magazine Small Business as one of the few Black American experts on marketing on Google and other major search engines. This is a far cry from a few years ago when he didn’t even know how to login to the Microsoft Windows Operating Systems. As an additional challenge, Austin and his wife Carol’s daughter was also diagnosed with autism...
Read entire article (opens in a new window) and also check out
adsensestudy.info for more information on Adsense and building your online business.

Labels: Story of the Week

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Always great to receive a little third party validation. I was on the amazon.com site a few minutes ago checking on the rank of my books, and discovered a new entry in the Amazon listing: "Books that reference this book:" a list of other authors' books that mention mine in their text. Seems that Peter J Patsula, in his book Successful Business Planning in 30 days, mentions me and my book (Turn Your Passion Into Profit) on page 8. Here's a snapshot of the page. Woo hoo!

Oh, and on the left side of the page, I'm quoted right below Oprah! Hey!


Portrait from Paradise

Labels: Tell Me More About My Eyes

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Running a sideline business can be quite interesting. How do you handle customer insults? The general rule of thumb is "ignore them." It's a no-win proposition to get into debates with customers. If you're doing a good job of running your business, you can be assured that the mean emails will be few and far between. If a customer has a legitimate complaint that can be remedied by an action (refund, gift certificate, apology), then by all means respond and rectify.
If, on the other hand, the customer is just venting and spewing unkind words, then ignore it.
Now, having said that, and after following that rule since being in business (1992), let me tell you how I broke it, just yesterday.
Back in October 2006, a customer visited my site and placed two orders for two relatives. The books were to be sent to two separate addresses. Her emails at that time were a bit venomous and chastised us for not having the option of a different "ship to" address on the order form. (I had just started using the Cubecart shopping cart and hadn't activated that feature). So, after some back and forth during which I completely ignored the venom and responded as kindly and helpfully as I could, we had the order resolved and shipped off successfully. I even had further dialogue with the customer and felt that
Within the last day, upon returning to our site, it seems, she attempted to place another order as a new customer, but was not allowed to enter her email address (as it was already in our system from her original order back in October). If she had clicked to log in as a "returning customer" the shopping cart software would have recognized her information, and allowed her to proceed. Apparently being frustrated with her attempt to order, she wrote (after explaining that the customer name in our files attached to her email address was her relative for whom she ordered a book in October):

"...PLEASE CORRECT YOUR RECORDS.
I do not know how your firm remains in business when you cannot even keep correct records of your customers."


Now, normally, I would have ignored that line, and just responded as if it had never been written. Today, however, something prompted me to respond. Perhaps I needed something to write about for this blog (as there might be a lesson in here somewhere). Perhaps after 14 years of ignoring such emails (albeit they've been very, very rare), I decided to respond. Perhaps living here on Saipan has made me less tolerant of needless hostility. Whatever the reason, I decided to respond:

<<
I received your email, [__________.] And while I would normally ignore such statements,
I feel compelled, given the nature of your original comments, my personal efforts
to have your orders filled expeditiously to both _________ and ____, and the apparently
supportive and congratulatory nature of your last comments to me in October (see below) why you
would revert to such a combative and venomous tone.

Are you aware, [ ], that comments like this, in addition to
being simply uncalled for, are extremely
negative, damaging, condescending, insulting, and tear others down needlessly?


In any event, to respond to the concern you raised:

We stay in business because since 1992, we've been providing
a valuable service and quality products to our customers.

We stay in business because people tell their friends and even tell strangers
about us because they are satisfied with what we promise.

We stay in business because Entrepreneur Magazine, Black Enterprise,
Essence, Source, Wall Street Journal, dozens of websites, as well as
industry leaders like Chuck D., think highly enough of, and respect
what we do enough to let us use their names and trademarks free of charge to
promote our business.

We stay in business because despite the ups and downs of
doing business, we never lose sight of the fact that we are
helping people achieve their dreams, and that we are
living to the standards of a higher calling.

We stay in business because we work tirelessly to keep producing
good products and by focusing on the content of these products
so that they help people achieve their goals.

We stay in business, because "we" are one individual whose passion
to inform and inspire others supersedes the occasional negativity
that some people choose to languish in.

We stay in business because for every ONE such person who complains
about an email address that SHE HERSELF entered into our system,
and who chooses to insult our business acumen, we have FIVE THOUSAND
who can find something positive to say about doing business with us.

We stay in business because in the reality WE choose to live,
good intentions are rewarded in kind by a supportive universe
which sees to it that we never want, and that our venture
perpetuates itself.

That, my dear friend, [ ], is how we stay in business.

I sincerely hope you take the content of my response
in the spirit of conciliation in which it is offered,
and that you might, as perhaps a new year's resolution,
be sensitive to the fact that there are human beings on the
receiving end of such verbal attacks.

Words are not without consequence, my friend, and do in fact
impact on the well-being of others.

Or, perhaps you were just having a bad day....

Walt F.J. Goodridge,
Founder, the Passion Profit Company


Ok, so it was bit long-winded, I admit (but I am a writer, after all).
A friend of mine agreed (that it was a bit long), and reminded me
of the oft-advised strategy of WRITING such a letter (as a way of letting
off steam), but NOT SENDING it.

In any case, I sent it off.


A few hours later, I received a response:

Thanks, Walt, for the long diatribe.
However, the fact remains that I apparently do not EXIST in your records.
I cannot log into my account.
I am being told that my OWN E MAIL ADDRESS is already being used.

Well, DUH, I should hope it is being used SINCE I USED IT

You may be considered a SUCCESS, but that does not mean your BUSINESS leaves a HELL OF A LOT TO BE DESIRED IN EFFICIENCY AND SIMPLE ACCOUNTANCY.

Hmmmm...

So I guess the moral of the story, and the lesson learned is:

Rule Number 1: Do not get into verbal altercations with customers.

Rule Number 2: If tempted to enage a customer, Refer to Rule Number 1:

No good can come of it.

Labels: Sideline Business Tips

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As promised in today's "Blog Your Way to Better Times" article appearing in the Saipan Tribune, the link to learn more about, and sign up for Google's Adsense program is in the left column.

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Labels: Walt's Articles

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What's great about blogging is that there's finally a place to share the little personal and business treats that brighten up life. Something may happen that's not grand enough or appropriate to post on a website, not newsworthy enough to put out a press release about it, but a blog, yep, that's where all that other "stuff" can go.

So on that note, I received an email from a professor at South Carolina State University who is interested in using one of my books for a course this coming Spring. That's a good thing!

Also got a note from a coaching client that said : "I know we’re still in the midst of things, but I did want to express to you my appreciation for having you as a partner in this project. It’s a pleasure to work with you and you’re great at what you do."
Awww shucks.....

Oh, and another email for another coaching client who said, "...As I have said before, Walt, being around you has caused a major shift in my attitude...it's an on going process, of course. Thank you much.."

It's these little gems of positive feedback that let me know I'm on purpose. Tell you a little secret...Every time I get some feedback like that, I can't help thinking about the Bugs Bunny cartoon, (Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears) where Bugs is dressed up like Goldilocks...that has that famous line: "Tell me more about my eyes.."


Wanted to make sure I quoted it correctly, so according to a quick Internet search I discovered that it's Mama Bear who says, "Tell me more about my eyes."


The Internet is GREAT! I mean, you can find ANYTHING, and I mean ANYTHING! I found the actual dialogue and description of that scene in the cartoon on a site. Here it is
"The Bear family returns home to find Bugs eating their porridge. The bears are on the verge of physically attacking the intruder, when Bugs invents a ruse to save himself. He begins to flirt seductively with the Mama Bear, who quickly falls for his charms. Bugs croons to her, 'Your eyes, your lips ... why, you're beautiful!' and he kisses her long and hard on the lips, ending with a big 'Smack!' Mama Bear is so smitten with Bugs that she protects him from the other bears, and then pursues him relentlessly, wanting more of Bugs' attention. She pleads, 'Tell me more about my eyes,' as she caresses his face and tries to embrace Bugs, who wants no part of her affection. He races into his rabbit hole but she follows and he soon emerges
covered with lipstick all over his body."

So here I am, basking in the glow of positive attention from my clients saying, "Tell me more about my eyes!"

Labels: Tell Me More About My Eyes

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As you may be aware, in November of 2005, I came up with the idea of challenge myself to achieve a certain level of "fame" within 365 days. Immediately after taking on that challenge, things started happening to take my life in an entirely different direction. 30 days later, my friend Ken told me about his trip to Saipan, and I was so sold, that I booked a ticket, gave away my collection of vinyl records, abandoned my apartment and headed off to paradise. At the time, I wondered how this move would affect my Elements of Fame challenge, but figured my happiness was much more important.

Little did I realize, however, that the universe, in its perfection, was actually delivering my wishes to me. Check out the Escape from America blog and you'll see that within a few short days of landing, I was visiting with heads of state, appearing on television and radio, and writing a weekly column in on of the island's newspapers. I'm even appearing in other people's blogs!
I have more coaching clients and projects than I can handle, and working on some very interesting projects which is getting my name out there within the Pacific region. I've traveled to Guam to do workshops, and have standing requests for other islands and countries this side of the world.

And now, as a result of what others consider a bold and inspiring move, I'm starting to get requests stateside to share the Passion Profit Philosophy and Formula with others who might also wish to live their dreams in a bold way.

Funny how things have a way of working out.

So from where I sit (on a beach overlooking the Pacific ocean), the Elements of Fame challenge was indeed a success. Saipan is as great a place to be known as any other. And it's just the beginning of a new adventure.

Labels: Update

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It's now Wednesday morning, January 3, 2007, here in Saipan. I'll probably spend the day tweaking websites for my clients, brainstorming on some new ideas and such. I'll go bicycle riding later on along Beach Road and take in some sun and scenery.

As I was checking the visits to my various websites with the free tracker I use from extremetracking.com, I noticed that I received a visitor from a link on www.nurse-entrepreneur-network.com. Seems the webmaster of that site posted my Standard of Living article on that site. So, I figured I'd provide it here for you. You should still check out the nurse entrepreneur network as it looks pretty full of valuable information.

Why it's Impossible to Raise Your Standard of Living Working a Job...and What To Do About It

Before I share why it is impossible to raise your standard of living working a job, let me lay some groundwork. Think about this.  Everything in nature has been endowed with what it needs to survive. There is no living thing that
isn't inherently equipped with the skills and abilities it needs to secure its continued existence. Whether through instinct, size, camouflage or speed, no gazelle, lion or giraffe  has to go to trade school to learn how to survive. That's the beauty of the divine plan. We, as humans, are part of this plan and each one of us is given something that sets us apart from everyone else; something that we can use to ensure our own survival. In fact, before industrialization sent hoards of us to the cities to work on assembly lines in factories, we all used something we did or owned to exchange for the things we
couldn't do or didn't own. Experts say that before the Industrial Revolution, 80% of us were entrepreneurs.

Unfortunately, because we now live in a capitalistic society, we rarely have a chance to be rewarded for the extraordinary potential we bring to the universe. Instead, we are rewarded for the lowest common denominator--something we share with just about everybody else--that is, our time and our presence.

Think about it. On a job, you're paid simply for showing up for a certain number of hours to do a job which somebody else could probably do just as easily. It's this replaceability that ensures that big business - which competes on price - can stay in business. If people were compensated based on the real value of their "talents" big business couldn't survive.

So even if he or she wanted to, no employer can or will ever pay you what you're worth. It would violate the basic laws of business and everything would crash.

So how do you raise your standard of living while working a job? First, it's necessary to understand that the only way to make more money in a capitalistic society is to sell more, or charge more. So, since what you're selling are your hours, you can work more hours (obviously there's a limit to this), or you can beg for a raise every year, or go on a constant quest for the next higher paying position that will pay you more for those same hours. Many people make  this constant effort to improve their lives, but find that conditions invariably stay the same. That's because the only way to effectively raise your standard of living is to leverage your talents, your gifts, your interests and your hobbies to create a product or service that you can sell to increasing numbers of people and free yourself from the cycle of trading time for money. In other words, you
need to turn your passion into profit!

By taking this bold step, you'll join the ranks of a unique group of people I call "Passionpreneurs."

Passionpreneurs are men and women of every age, ethnic group, educational background, profession and religion. They include housewives, inventors and artists. They are a diverse group of people from every corner of the globe. However, Passionpreneurs do share one common trait: they've all found something they enjoy doing and have decided to keep doing it.

More significantly, not only do Passionpreneurs enjoy what they do, they get paid to do it! They've found the hidden value in their talents, interests or pastimes, offer that value to the world in the form of unique products and services, and do so for profit. In other words, they've created businesses that allow them to make money doing what they love. As a result, many have walked away from frustrating jobs to live what I call a Passion-Centered lifestyle. They set their own schedules and control their time. They live according to their own personal value system rather than someone else's. Furthermore,
Passionpreneurs experience the joy, empowerment and unique satisfaction of being compensated for being who they choose to be, honoring what they believe in, and doing something they feel divinely called to do.

So why should you become a passionpreneur? I can think of no greater case one can make than simply happiness.

But I can hear you asking, "How can I discover my passion?" But before you answer that question, there is an even more important first step you must take, and that is you need to find your purpose. It is one of four major steps/questions that you need to have clear before you can successfully turn your passion into profit.  The four steps, in order, are PURPOSE,  PASSION, PRODUCT & PROFIT. (On my website, I offer additional insights into
the other steps.)

The key question associated with step one is: "Why am I here?"  Unless you first align yourself and your life with your purpose, any pursuit of passion will be fruitless because it will not be providing the fulfillment you need to
feel completely valuable.

There's a test you can take to discover your purpose. But even without taking the test, ask yourself which of the following four words resonates with you: CREATOR, SAVIOR, GURU or GUIDE. Are you here as an artist/creative type? Are you
here to heal/fix/save people? Are you here to teach/instruct? Or are you here to guide/lead others en masse to a new way of life?

So even before you ask yourself "what's my passion?" knowing your purpose will help you move in the right direction as you seek to create a business around it. For more on the process, and to take the personality test, visit: 
http://www.passionprofit.com

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Labels: Walt's Articles

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Submitted my article to the Saipan Tribune for publication this Wednesday

Angelo and I have been speaking about branding the CNMI and Saipan for the purpose of helping the international image in the minds of tourists. I thought of the phrase "native beauty" to describe the natural landscape here.

Saw Rocky Balboa, the movie today. I think I was the only person in the theatre. (Ahhh, the joy of being able to see movies in the middle of the day!)

WeLoveSaipan.com is now at position 50 for a Google search of "saipan"
[here's an excerpt from an overview of the WeLoveSaipan idea and goals written by Angelo:]

We basically wanted to find all of the local people publishing info about life on Saipan and get them to join the We Love Saipan Network. When we've exhausted that pool of people, we'll start a campaign to get more local people publishing pictures and stories online using the various free websites out there like blogger, livejournal, etc. The idea being that search engine typically rank a website based on the number of other websites that link to them. The more websites we have linking to us (and us to them), the higher we will appear in search engines.

We launched the website on Dec. 6, 2006 and at that time we appeared as the 155th result in a google search for Saipan. Today when we did a search we were #50. In the span of under a month, we have been able to go from nothing to the fifth page of a search result for Saipan.

Labels: Update

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#posted by Walt F.J. Goodridge, The Passion Prophet @ 8:28 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

So here's my dilemma: As I start this first official post of the Side Orders Blog, I'm torn among a few different directions I could go. Should I make this a strictly business blog about starting a side order business? Should I include some personal insights in the life I'm currently living?

The reason this is an issue is that there are so many things going on, that to effectively chronicle it all would take either several different blogs, a few different websites catering to wildly different markets.

There's so much going on in my life that I'm eager to streamline and reduce rather than expand. For those of who who've followed my other blogs (Elements of Fame and Escape from America), you might know that I'm currently living the nomadpreneur lifestyle in sunny Saipan, a place of native beauty that I currently call home. This major change in my life is encompassing enough that it should be included in any offering I make to the world.

The whole point of my existence--I've come to realize and accept--is to live my life as a story to be told for the benefit of others. My personal mission-motto is "I share what I know, so that others may grow." As such, I'm keenly aware that everything about my life, including the seemingly unrelated, personal excursion to my present personal paradise, can and should be used to set an example for others.

So rather than attempting to make sense of it all while it's all still unfolding, and have this blog of my life fit into a neat category, let's just jump in and start where you find me, and perhaps in the process, something I share may help you grow in whatever phase of life and/or business you happen to be engaged in.

We'll grow as we go, and then we'll know as we grow.

So, because I'm living on Saipan right now, and I'm lending my time and talent to encourage entrepreneurial thinking as well as offer whatever assistance I can on helping restimulate the economy and some small way. I had an idea to create a site to promote great things about Saipan to anyone who might be doing a search on the Internet. I came up with the WeLoveSaipan.com site, and enlisted the help of Angelo Villagomez (the Saipan Blogger) to help promote it. As a result of links from Angelo's popular blog, we've been steadily rising in the ranking.

[Jan 3 note:] When I first published this post, I mentioned using a certain website as a resource for creating a new website. I've since removed mention of that secret website (a personal scrapbook site for my friends back in the states to follow my exploits), but I'll still mention the resource site I used for the javascript that I used to create my site.

So, the Side Order Business Tip/Website of the day is Javascriptsource.com from which you can get some cool scripts to do some neat things on a website. -->

I'll let that first official post marinate for a bit and then decide if perhaps that will be a possible format for the blog: tell a little story, give a litttle tip based on the story. That might work.

Labels: Welcome

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