"Once upon a time, there was a Jamaican civil engineer living in New York who hated his job, followed his passion, started a sideline business publishing his own books, made enough money to quit his job, escaped the rat race, ran off to a tropical island in the South Pacific, and started a tourism business so he could give tours of the island to pretty girls every day....and live a nomadpreneur's dream life."

Hi! My name is Walt F.J. Goodridge. Many years ago, after I graduated from Columbia University with my Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering, I was, like many people, destined for a career in my "chosen" profession. I say "chosen" because I wasn't really the one who chose it. Like many people, I only ended up in engineering because my counselor in high school said I should do it, and being a good student, I listened.

So, immediately after graduation, I accepted a job in the Design Division of the Port Authority Engineering Department on the 73rd floor of World Trade Center One. However, within the first fifteen minutes of my first job in corporate America, I realized, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I absolutely hated it! I saw the future, and the prospect of working a monotonous and restrictive nine-to-five job for the rest of my life, scared me to the core!

So, from that moment, I did everything I could to create the freedom I desperately wanted and to escape. But no one had ever asked me "what's your passion?" or "What do you love to do?" I had to ask those questions of myself. While in college, I had been a radio deejay on WKCR-FM, and I loved music. So I went in the direction of that passion and first did some graphic design for an album, then became an artist manager, then record label owner, until, by a stroke of chance, I found my true calling for sharing information and wrote Change the Game. Through the success of that single book, I was able to match my civil engineering income, and walk away from my career to become a full-time "passionpreneur." I then went on to write several more books on the music industry.

Based on the effectiveness of the information in my books, people asked me to consult them to start businesses and launch their own passionpreneurial ventures. In time, I developed my life's mission ("I share what I know, so that others may grow!") , and when the internet came along, I took that mission online, providing "information, inspiration and ideas to help people succeed" through my books, as well as my own brand of motivation I called "Life Rhymes. Every week, for nine years I sent my emails to tens of thousands of subscribers.

Over the course of that time, as I developed my experience and expertise in website development, internet marketing, and living true to my self, and helping others do the same, I launched dozens of websites, created more unique products and developed a unique "Passion Profit Philosophy and Formula" and a coaching and seminar practice as the "Passion Prophet."

In 1999, I self-published the formula in my "how to" Turn Your Passion into Profit which, with yearly updates, has consistently sold in the top 50 in home-business books on Amazon.com. (They say that imitation is the best form of flattery. So, I consider myself flattered that several authors followed my lead with similarly-titled books of their own!)

(Also available as a six-CD audio.)

But, as much as I felt fulfilled by helping others realize their dreams, "Passion Prophets" have our own dreams, too! In 2006, through a friend who had visited and raved about his experience, I "discovered" the little-known US commonwealth island of Saipan for myself, booked a one-way ticket, and escaped from New York to begin living out my own nomadpreneur dream life on this Pacific island paradise.

Once on the island, and wanting to be a part of the re-branding of Saipan's image, I launched the WeLoveSaipan.com website, then 20 additional sites devoted to showing the world the often overlooked images and impressions of Saipan and the CNMI (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands).

I now write a weekly business column for the Saipan Tribune entitled "The Saipanpreneur Project."

I've written Doing Business on Saipan to further encourage entrepreneurial activity on the island, and....

...with former garment factory worker Chun Yu Wang, co-authored Chicken Feathers and Garlic Skin: Diary of a Chinese Garment Factory Girl on Saipan.

I also co-founded Destination Saipan Marketing, Inc., a tourism company to help visitors experience the best of Saipan's accommodations and activities.

One of my proudest moments came when was recognized by official CNMI Senate Resolution No. 15-54 for my contributions to Saipan, its residents and economy.

As you can tell from the title of my website, I'm originally from the beautiful island of Jamaica, and, you can read about my first year and impressions of life on a different island paradise in the book Jamaican on Saipan!

Over the course of the years since escaping from corporate America, I've written a total of 16 books, over 400 articles and almost 500 motivational poems, and have dozens of websites that I manage!

"Your [Change the Game] book is great! It helped me sell my first 5,000 units!"--Fred Harmon, WA

"Carry this book around and treat it like your Bible!"--Chuck D., Public Enemy and SlamJamz.com

RE: Life Rhyme #106 ("With New Eyes")-"I printed out your Inspiration this morning to read on the train. I had to stop myself from crying after reading "With New Eyes." What was even more powerful was the information you shared after the poem. We all need to be in the habit of repeating the affirmation to ourselves . . . and teach our children to do the same."---Zelda

"Thank you so much for writing Turn Your Passion into Profit. Like you said, you're never really happy until you're pursuing your passion. So I want you to know that I stepped out on faith, quit my job and wrote the novel I always wanted to write. Now I'm on tour all over the country and finally living my dream. I am very proud of me and you should be too!"--Hallema, author, Mass Deception

"Walt, next to my Bible, your book, Turn Your Passion Into Profit is the book I reference the most in my house! It is the only other book that is constantly visible (it's on the dining room table right now!)..."--Karon Mason Etienne, Maryland.

"...the book and all the efforts put into it were well overdue, and you and Chun did an amazing job. Chun is a very special person for standing up and telling her story." --P. Tulloch, Radio Labour Program, Canada

Hi Walt! Incredible! I just read your Jamaican in China [ebook] cover to cover! You are a true inspiration to me. Wow--you are truly living your dreams! This arrived at a great time for me. You are my hero! Keep inspiring us -- we need you.--Esther, CA

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