Bring Back the Life Rhymes

I've decide to resume my life rhyme communications with the world, but before I do, I need to archive all the previous life rhymes. Over the next several weeks, therefore, I'll be transferring the 9 years of Life Rhymes to this new blog format. Until the task is complete, you can see the full archives in their current "drop-down box" format if you CLICK HERE. (These first two posts are an intro for new visitors. JUMP TO LATEST POST

The following story of how the Life Rhyme phenomena all started is excerpted from my book, Life Rhymes for the Passion-Centered Life:

The History of Walt’s Life Rhymes

My name is Walt F.J. Goodridge. On August 29, 1997, shortly after my introduction to the world of the Internet, I started a weekly email called Walt’s Friday Inspirations. It was a creation born of my desire to share words of motivation and inspiration with my email list of friends, family, customers and business partners. Every Thursday night, I would peruse different motivational books, poems, and the like in search of profound and uplifting thoughts that I could pass on to the then 800 contacts on my list.

By the end of December, 1997, however, the ritual Thursday night motivation hunt was becoming a bit of a drag. And then I had an idea: Why not, I asked myself, write these inspirations myself and save myself the hassle of the usual search? After all, by that time I had already written a few books and even a few poems of my own, and felt that I could do just as good a job communicating positive thoughts as anybody else.

So beginning on Friday, January 2, 1998 with Inspiration #19, I took the chance that my self-authored inspirational thoughts would be appreciated just as much, if not more, than the tried and true words from the masters. I was right! Walt’s Life Rhymes started to catch on. I started getting email requests from people wanting to be put on my list. I received support from newspapers and others who wanted to include them in their publications and websites and even read them at weddings.

My list grew to 20,000 people, and for nine years, I faithfully channeled inspiring, motivational thoughts of success to my list.
I'm really proud and blessed to have been part of so many people's Friday ritual for all that time. That moment in time has passed, but the words and the energy of the Life Rhymes live on.

So today, I proudly present to you the result of 468 *consecutive weeks of inspiration in this online anthology of Walt’s Life Rhymes. Enjoy them, be inspired, make the words part of your own silent inner performance, and let your greatness be expressed through them...and always remember....

...success is a journey, not a destination.




WHAT ARE LIFE RHYMES?



“If the still small voice within
communicated its wisdom in rhyme,
this is what it might sound like!”



Have you ever noticed that you can remember the words of a favorite song even years after you’ve last heard it? Whether as song lyrics or poetry, rhymes have the unique power to stay with us throughout our lives and affect us in many ways. Whispered as lullabies, they have the power to soothe. Recited as nursery rhymes, they impart wisdom. Shared as limericks, they can entertain. Studied as proverbs, they have the power to teach everything from morality to frugality. And sung as lyrics, they can inspire, enrage, depress and excite.

Life Rhymes are rhyme-based expressions of the thoughts that create success in life. They are part affirmation, advice column, inspired observation, proverb, prayer and life lesson all rolled into one. They are meant to guide your thoughts so that you see the world differently, interpret your situations effectively, think critically, and then make choices that support your greatest aspirations. And like the rhymes of your favorite song that stay with you for years, they can act as rhymes that guide your life.

The Bible speaks of the “still small voice within” that guides us (1Kings 19:11). The promptings of this voice often come in whispers, so our greatest challenge in life is learning how to listen well enough to hear them. Life Rhymes are a way of turning up the volume, and giving a louder voice to the divine guidance we’re always receiving. In fact, it’s been said of the Life Rhymes that if the still small voice within communicated its wisdom in rhyme, this is what we might hear. They are the voice of your highest self.

This timeless collection of Walt’s Life Rhymes offers guidance on everything from relationships, marriage and divorce, family, job security, business and romance. They reinforce a philosophy of personal accountability, self-help and spiritual growth as the foundation for success. They can help to

• Motivate and inspire
• Create order out of life’s chaos
• Conquer personal fears
• Understand your own as well as other people’s actions
• Build relationships
• Master the art of thoughtful living, and
• Live a passion-centered life

And, as thousands of fans worldwide who’ve received them via email can attest, they always seem to come at just the right time, and can literally change your life! So, like the words of your favorite song, let these rhymes and occasional commentary stay in your mind to help you live the best and rest of your life!

Jamaican in China!

It seems my new new calling may be to provide travel tips by way of personal adventure to potential corporate, rat-race escapees and the hyper-employed (hyper=beyond). My Jamaican on Saipanbook has spawned a sequel: Jamaican in China! You can check it out at JamaicanInChina.com

Photos of Me in Paradise

Click on the images to see a larger version which will open in a new window.

Who is Walt?

Entrepreneur, author, poet, public speaker and world traveler, Walt F.J. Goodridge is one of those rare lights who has remained under the radar for the past several years. However, once people discover his 12 books, his 468 unique life rhymes, Passion Profit workshops, websites and unique Passion Profit Philosophy and Formula, they often wonder why they've never heard of him before, and why he isn't more famous!

While his expertise has been acknowledged by editors and magazine writers who've sought his input and quotes for articles in the Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, Black Enterprise, Essence and Billboard magazine among others, as well as by other authors who've used his work in their own books, he's never been in the public spotlight to the degree many feel he deserves.

Walt's Story

Walt, a Columbia University graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering was, like many people, destined for a career in his profession of training. He accepted a job working in the Design Division of the Port Authority Engineering department on the 73rd floor of the World Trade Center Building 1. However, within the first fifteen minutes of this his first job in corporate America, Walt, frustrated by the monotony, restrictions of nine-to-five employment, realized beyond the shadow of a doubt that he absolutely hated it!

And though he ended up working in the towers for 7 years, Walt eventually found the courage to walk away from his career to pursue his personal passion for helping others.
After many ups and downs (lights turned off, telephone disconnected, several evictions), he developed a unique philosophy and formula anyone can use to discover the unique value hidden within ANY passion. Walt's ideas have appeared in Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur's Be Your Own Boss, Time Magazine, Black Enterprise among others.




He conducts workshops around the world empowering others to follow their own path of greatest passion to prosperity and purpose.

Walt's Escape from America

Not only does he help others live their dreams, he's also a living example of what he teaches. In February of 2006, Walt embarked on a nomadpreneur adventure to live out his own dreams! He's now residing on the South Pacific island of Saipan helping others turn their passions into profit!



Read the entire adventure on Walt's Escape From America Blog
Walt's Philosophy and Formula


"Walt's PassionProfit Philosophy and Formula provide a level of clarity and a degree of specificity that are effective in (1)raising your belief level, (2)demystifying the entrepreneurial process, (3)removing real and perceived obstacles, and (4)actually put money in your pocket."
According to the Walt_s philosophy:
Everyone has a passion. Whether you realize it or not, you have a unique personality, interests, knowledge, experience, natural talents and a spiritual calling that sets you apart from the rest of the world.

Every passion has value. It_s a fact. ANYTHING you enjoy doing has inherent value for which people will pay to have in their own lives. The challenge is first, how to harness your own skills to create a product or service that captures the essence of that value, and then, how to tell the world about it.

You don_t need an MBA to succeed in a passion-centered business. Desire is your degree. There are powerful natural laws that can help profitize your untapped potential as a writer, singer, designer, chef or even shopaholic!

There_s really no good reason to work at an unfulfilling career or job you hate when you can get the world to pay you to do the very thing you_d do for free! Discover the formula, and TURN YOUR PASSION INTO PROFIT!

Walt's Passion Profit Cycle of Success_ shows how to
Step 1. Find Your Purpose
Step 2. Discover Your Passion
Step 3. Create a Product (or Service)
Step 4. Market it for Profit

Walt's Books and Audio
Walt has written 12 books on everything from music industry success to eating right all with the underlying goal of helping others live a passion-centered life. Perhaps his most popular book (also available as 6-cd audio) is Turn Your Passion Into Profit which offers the not only the essence, but provides the step-by-step execution for doing just what the title promises!
Walt's Life Rhymes

Walt is also the creator of an entirely new genre of motivation. His unique "Life Rhymes" are designed to help you think in ways that support your highest calling and the pursuit of your passion. Every Friday Walt has composed a brand new life rhyme EVERY SINGLE WEEK without fail for an unprecedented 468 week stretch! (That's 9 years!) This may just be one of the longest-running ezines on the planet!


Many have been helped

Walt's philosophy and formula are helping people here in the US as well as people in other countries profit from the pursuit of their passions. The philosophy is simple: Everyone has a passion. Every passion has value. Find it, and you can make money doing what you love. The formula is what he's spent over 7 years developing, tweaking, sharing and using to help people become PASSIONPRENEURS, a term he coined to describe someone who has used their passion as the basis of a PASSION-CENTERED BUSINESS.


I am a business owner working on taking my business to the next level. I use Turn Your Passion Into Profit like a daily guide. It motivates me when I am feeling low and strengthens my knowledge in areas where I am weak. Walt's desire for that "perfect day" spurred him in a direction to make that day not a dream but a reality. I have made the visualization of what the perfect day will look like for me a part of my morning ritual. I cannot stress enough that Turn Your Profit Into Passion has helped me to turn my DREAMS into PLANS for my not so distant future.
--Gayle E. Santana, PVS Network/Professional Virtual Services

Hey Walt, When I first heard your personal story of the experiences that led you to the path of the passion pursuit, I knew you were achieving what many people think is out of their reach. You made me see that achievement had never been out of the reach for me. After attending your seminar and purchasing your book, I knew that the passion within me could only be profitable once I decided to take the necessary steps to success. I saw you as someone I was able to connect with and it made me think, "If he can do it, so can I." I am currently turning the passion I have of creating artwork, photography and dance to that next level. No longer are these just hobbies but a way of life that is invigorating, challenging and fulfilling. I feel a deeper connection to the purpose of this life path I am on. By focusing on this passion of creation, I am liberating myself from the limits of doing something I had no passion for. Getting Turn Your Passion into Profit was one of my first steps to acknowledging my own purpose, power and freedom. Thank you! And this comes straight from the heart because that is where passion truly lives. Peace and blessings,
--Nicole Woo, DC

"Walt, 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 I_m finally living my dream. I am very proud of me and you should be too!"--Hallema, author of Mass Deception

Walt FJ Goodridge, Passionpreneur Author, Nomadpreneur, Jamaican on Saipan! on Facebook

180. Yet Another Test

When the weather is sunny and clouds are away
that's when all come to watch the parade
It's when rain sleet and snow start to threaten the day
that you see the committed who stayed

Any building can stand if the tremors are weak
any ship will fare well in the port
It's when trials and hardships reach an all time high peak
that you see who and who will abort

Even turkeys can fly if the tailwind is right
even underdogs win by default
But when threatened by forces that put up a real fight
then all pretenses come to a halt

Make your courage such that it will harden with heat
gain your strength and resolve from each test
Let life's challenges force you to stand on your feet
let adversity bring out your best!



Yet Another Test
Walt’s Life Rhyme #180
© Walt F.J. Goodridge
“I share what I know,
so that others may grow!”
www.LifeRhymes.com


Commentary:
Don't think that the tests will ever stop. They just get more appropriate for your “grade level!”

179. The Price of Admission

If success said “Members Only,
show your pass, or move along!”
What proof could you present, my friend
to show that you belong?

If getting rich meant first
you had to answer “Tell me why!”
What story could you tell
to make it clear you qualify?

If joy said, “State your case
before the jury has its say!”
What closing statements could you make
to sway the vote your way?

And if you ask with each new day
“I'm waiting, why not me?”
The currency of time or talent
is how life takes its fee

Admission to your dreams
is not through luck or rolling dice
The door will open wide
when you decide to pay the price!



The Price Of Admission
Walt’s Life Rhyme #179
© Walt F.J. Goodridge
“I share what I know,
so that others may grow!”
www.LifeRhymes.com



Commentary:
If things aren't moving forward the way you wish, it might be because you don't have the right ticket for the journey. But how do you get that ticket? What's the price, and whom do you pay? The answer is you pay with your time and/or your talent. Could it be that you need to invest more of your time in a project or to a cause? Maybe it's your talent you need to develop and offer to the world. With that outlook foremost in mind, you'll always be adding value to the world, you'll keep busy as you move toward the thing you desire, and no one will be able to deny you the right to gain admission!

178. BIGGER DAYS

Bigger days are coming soon
don't ask me how I know
I feel it deep down in my gut
no way to prove or show

Brighter days are on the way
and I can hardly wait
With twice the sun as those before
I can't predict the date

Smoother days are on my path
goodbye to all the stress
A month, a year or by tonight
no clue, I must confess

I know it for the simple fact
that life's a ball they say
Sometimes it rolls to others and
sometimes it rolls my way!


Bigger Days
Walt’s Life Rhyme #178
© Walt F.J. Goodridge
“I share what I know,
so that others may grow!”
www.LifeRhymes.com

177. Can You Wait That Far?

It's plain as day to those who see it
but hidden in the dust from some
The thing I'm seeing in the distance
my eyes tell me will soon come

But those who lack the vision
will think me psychic or seer
My only trick is how I pass time
until the thing I see draws near

Step by step the thing approaches
and lest you think it comes too late:
Image comes first and then thing follows
and good things come to those who wait

Yes, those with vision must have patience
it's just the way things are
The only question that needs your asking
is “Can I wait that far?”


Can I Wait That Far?
Walt’s Life Rhyme #177
© Walt F.J. Goodridge
“I share what I know,
so that others may grow!”
www.LifeRhymes.com

Commentary:
Think about it. In the real world, as you travel along a path, you can usually see a thing approaching long before you are close enough to touch it. And the better your eyesight, the longer you may have to wait between the time you first see it, and the time it reaches you. And so it is in the realization of your dreams. The image of the thing you seek will usually be evident long before the thing itself. So, the question is, do you have the patience to wait until reality catches up to your vision?

176. Whooops!

Watch where you step for the ground is real slippery
watch where you sit for the paint's not yet dry
When there's trouble in Eden every move brings you danger
you just can't avoid it as hard as you try

Watch what you say for every topic is loaded
look but don't touch for the wound may be sore
And don’t ever point for everyone is a suspect
beyond what eyes see you can bet there's much more

The best thing to do to avoid sure disaster:
keep thoughts to yourself so there's no cause for strife
Some battles are best fought by the ones who declared it
so back away slowly, and then run for your life!!



Whoops!
Walt’s Life Rhyme #176
© Walt F.J. Goodridge
“I share what I know,
so that others may grow!”
www.LifeRhymes.com


Commentary:
Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a war you didn't declare? Have you ever walked into an already charged situation, said something innocent, then wished you could just hit rewind and walk back through time? Well, there's no way back, but there's always a way out! Don't walk, RUN, before it's too late!

175. The New Year Promises

Now what can I do different
in this new year that arrives?
What habits might make impact
in my own and other lives?

I promise that I'll smile more
at the people who I meet
I promise to remember names
of all those who I greet

I promise in my days
that I'll spend more time socializing
I promise in my thoughts
that I'll spend less time criticizing

I promise to remember
that life is not just about money
I promise to relax each day
and find at least one thing funny

I promise to forgive
at least one person every day
I promise compromise
and let one person have their way

I promise that I'll pay my debts
and never incur more
I promise to start saving
and keep it up, unlike before

I promise that I'll view the world
with love not out of fear
I promise that I'll treat myself
in ways that show I care

I promise that these promises
won't be just idle show
I think, therefore, I'm ready
on my mark now, get set, GO!


The New Year Promises
Walt’s Life Rhyme #175
© Walt F.J. Goodridge
“I share what I know,
so that others may grow!”
www.LifeRhymes.com