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7 Conversations To Freedom! Published by Walt F.J. Goodridge at Smashwords Copyright 2013. All rights reserved. Walt Goodridge. Search Smashwords for other free books by this author. This book is available in print at most online retailers. Smashwords Edition, License Notes This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, or transmitted in any form, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

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Page 1: 7 conversations-to-freedom-an-intro-to-turn-your-passion-into-profit-and-more

7 Conversations To Freedom!Published by Walt F.J. Goodridge at Smashwords

Copyright 2013. All rights reserved. Walt Goodridge.Search Smashwords for other free books by this author.

This book is available in print at most online retailers.

Smashwords Edition, License NotesThis ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

All rights reserved.This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, or

transmitted in any form, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages

in a review.

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7Conversations

toFREEDOM!

a manifesto

Walt F.J. Goodridgeauthor of Turn Your Passion Into Profit,

and Living True to Your Self

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DedicationDedicated to:

my mother, Thelma Rose Goodridgemy father, Nyembane Ndobe Goodridge

to my grandfathers, Clement Nicholas Golding and Charles Frederick Goodridge

and to my grandmothers Isolene Rebecca Golding and Gladys Eunice Goodridge

AcknowledgementsI wish to thank those special people in my life: Reina Joa, Christine Karmo, Kenneth McRae, Joe Hill, Angelo Villagomez, Chun Yu Wang, Preeyaporn P. Jompeang, Ron McFarlane, Ashley Moffatt, Ernest & Kim Capers, Monica Afesi and Aaron & Stacey Spencer-Willoughby and the usual recurring cast of main characters in this and previous lives.

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T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

INTRODUCTION: “Something different is possible”

CONVERSATION 1: “What is freedom?”

CONVERSATION 2: “Your purpose is where it all begins”

CONVERSATION 3:“You CAN turn your passion into profit”

CONVERSATION 4: “The trouble with capitalism”

CONVERSATION 5: “The Tao of Shawshank”

CONVERSATION 6: “The carrot conversation”

CONVERSATION 7: "The freedom to love true to your self"

Conclusion

About Walt

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Thank you for downloading this book. It is also available at minimal cost for your Kindle or Nook, or in paperback for about a dollar above the actual cost of printing.

If you like even just one of the ideas in these conversations, you are invited to spread the word:

1. Send this pdf file to a friend.2. Send them a link to www.passionprofit.com so they

can download it themselves. 3. Visit www.waltgoodridge.com for more free stuff.4. Visit my exclusive Amazon page at:

http://www.amazon.com/Walt-FJ-Goodridge/e/B001JRXNXY 5. Print out as many copies as you like! –Walt

OTHER FREE BOOKSSearch Smashwords for

How to Become a NomadpreneurIn Search of a Better Belief System

and go to betterbeliefsystem.com to learn more aboutDucks in a Row??? Please. How to find the courage to finally

QUIT your soul-draining, life-sapping, energy-depleting, freedom-robbing JOB now...before it's too late..and live

passionately ever after!

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INTRODUCTION“Something different is possible!”

The Big Idea Here's my idea: Freedom is Achievable. This freedom is essentially the freedom to live true to

your self, and includes the following five individual freedoms: 1. The freedom to live a life of greatness that is in

alignment with your purpose. 2. The freedom to profit & prosper on your own terms

doing what you love. 3. The freedom to escape whatever restrictions and

limitations you feel have been imposed on you. 4. The freedom to love honestly and true to your self5. The freedom to live a healthy life and actually age

less than you do now. That's the simple idea. It may not be easy to achieve

given how much of the society is geared towards keeping us poor, enslaved and unhealthy, but it is achievable. Here’s how:

First, you must reclaim your power. Then, you must use that power to break free. Then, you must strive to live true to your self. The journey—not the pursuit, but the journey—of

freedom and happiness starts inside you. Over the course of these seven conversations, I’m

going to share some ideas, strategies and books that promote the various components of what I call “achievable freedom.” First, however, let me tell you a little about myself.

My name is Walt F.J. Goodridge. I know we’ve just met, but I believe we have a lot in common, and because of that, I think we need to have a little talk. What I’d like to do in these conversations is share some information, inspiration and ideas that might help you achieve some of the goals I think we share in common. Specifically, I’m going to suggest some ideas to help you live true to your self, turn your passion into profit, and achieve the freedom you desire. First, though, as

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promised, I want to share the short version of my life story. “Once upon a time, there was an unhappy civil

engineer living in New York, who hated his job. More than anything else, he simply wanted the freedom to live true to his self. So, he followed his passion, started a series of sideline businesses, made enough money to quit his job, escaped the rat race, ran off to a tropical island in the Pacific, and created a tourism business so he could give tours of the island to pretty ladies every day and see the world. He now lives his happily reinvented, dream life as a "nomadpreneur" somewhere in a land far, far away.”

Now, the reason I’m telling you my story is to make a simple point: wherever you are, and however your life is currently progressing…..

Something different is possible!

My Gift: Recognizing Patterns I have a great memory, an attention to detail, and the

ability to recognize patterns and make connections. When I was younger, I enjoyed the game of Concentration.

The object of the game is to collect the most matching cards. You lay 52 cards face down on a table. Each player picks up a card, and then a second. If the two cards match (say, an 8 of hearts and an 8 of clubs), the player keeps the two cards and plays again. If they don't match, the player returns the cards to their places and the play moves to the next player, who then picks two cards.

Of course, at the beginning of the game, no one knows where the matching cards are. However, as the game proceeds, and as each person draws and replaces cards, you start to remember where on the table you might have seen a Queen or a King, so the next time you draw a Queen or King, you rely on your memory, attention to details, your ability to recall the patterns and make the connection to locate the matching card. The player who makes the most connections wins!

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That simple skill served me well in college—where I photographically memorized my way through exams. It’s helped in other areas of life, too. I recognize patterns and make connections in people's behavior, in relationships, in business trends and customer feedback. That's why, I believe, I've been able to create products that people want.

Ode to the Gurus That skill also serves me in the search for truth. As I

read and research different self-help, spiritual, inspirational, motivational texts and teachers, I recognize the patterns, the similarities and make connections between them. I recognize where one guru's philosophy complements another's. I recognize where one strategy omits a critical component and another doesn’t.

Over the years, I've also noticed that people seem afraid to combine and connect certain philosophies and concepts for fear of diluting their message or fear of being ridiculed. For example, the business guru doesn't feel qualified to talk about health. The health guru won't be listened to on matters of relationships. The relationship guru won't be able to sell a book on Internet success and so on.

We tend to compartmentalize our gurus. While such specialization is a great strategy in business and branding, we've been led to believe that such segmentation should be applied across the board. I believe that is a mistake.

Our lives aren't (or at least shouldn't be) similarly segmented. We are whole beings. Our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual selves are all moving together as one.

You are the same you in relationships and business as you are in career, health and finances. In other words, a comprehensive plan for your happiness and fulfillment must address all of these aspects of your self if it is to be successful. If not, your life will be unbalanced. So, you get the money, but your health is all messed up. Now what? So, you achieved good health, but you limited your growth in relationships and now have no one to love. Now what?

So, what I bring to you is simply a reminder that you

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can and should address all these components as a single path. The freedom I've personally been able to achieve in my

own life has been a result of recognizing and making the connections between financial freedom, health freedom, relationship freedom, physical freedom and the freedom to seek greatness through my life's purpose.

So, this book, therefore, is an expression of my gratitude to the teachers I've had along the way, the kings and queens of the deck of inspiration and personal development whose messages I've been able to connect as I concentrate on creating the life of my dreams and winning the game!

My own belief system, philosophy formula and strategy are based on these connections I've made, and now I'd like to share them with you.

So, let’s focus first on the concept I’m most known for: turning your passion into profit. Now, I think I know what you’re thinking: Could it really be possible to do what I love, and making money doing it?

The answer is yes! Yes, you can turn a hobby or passion into profit, and make money doing what you love. Yes, there is a way to profit from your passion! There is a way to live true to your self. Even in a down economy, people are doing it. I'm going to share some very valuable information with you in this conversation. However—and I mean this seriously—this information is not for everybody, and may not be for you. So, first I'd like to ask you a few questions.

A few questions Are you a student seeking to make critical career

decisions?Do you feel like you're in a dead-end job? Do you feel trapped on a career treadmill going

nowhere? Do you realize you're not cut out to work for someone

else? Is a little piece of your soul dying each day you go to

work? Do you need extra money to supplement your current

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income? Do you feel you were meant for something more

meaningful?Do you have a unique business or product idea? Do you want to profit from your passions? Do you want to live true to your self? Do you want the freedom to run away and start all

over? and,

Do you have the discipline to do what it takes to succeed?

But even beyond that... Do you have a "Plan B" for your income? Beyond chasing a dream of independence and

freedom, there may be even more practical, day-to-day reasons you might need this information. Think about this. You've worked hard all your life. You've been a good employee, a good parent, spouse or provider. However, with just one phone call, one decision, one staff meeting, one catastrophe or pink slip, your life could change overnight.

That's what happened to my friend, "Amanda." Her husband decided to leave her, but her love of antiques—a lifelong passion—saved her. She used my philosophy to find the hidden value in her life. She set up a simple website, and made $4,000 her first online sale! These antiques were items she had been collecting all her life.

What if your income stream dried up tomorrow? Do you have a plan "B?" How would you make money to support yourself or your family?

My "Passion Profit" concept is pretty simple: take a passion—something you love to do, something you're good at, something you already have a certain amount of expertise in—and use it as the basis of a way to make money. It's a simple strategy that could be your plan B. But even beyond that...

Do you have a plan for REAL self-sufficiency? Now, this next topic is a tricky one to discuss, and

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we’re not going to tackle it in these conversations, but the path of financial self-sufficiency and living true to your self will eventually lead you to contemplate issues of real self-sufficiency. By that I mean how would you survive an economic meltdown? I’m neither a pessimist, nor a doomsday provocateur. However, it simply makes sense that you should strive to be more in control and/or ownership of your food supply, your living situation, and other aspects of your survival should your dollar no longer be able to purchase the things it once did, or if those things are no longer available in the marketplace.

Again, I’ll let you ponder those thoughts on your own. The point is that ownership, control and self-sufficiency are necessary components of freedom, turning your passion into prosperity and living true to your self. So, let’s talk.

How I did it 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 to her.

Then, 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 this 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 on, I did everything I could to create the freedom I desperately wanted and to escape. However, during all my years of formal education, no one had ever asked me “what’s your passion?” or “what do you love to do?” I now had to ask those questions of myself. Fortunately, however, I did have some clues to the answers.

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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 my first book, 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”–a phrase I coined.

I am now a full-time passionpreneur, and I'm able to fulfill a life- long dream, of being a nomadpreneur (Download How to Become a Nomadpreneur at www.nomadpreneur.com). In other words, I turned my purpose for sharing information and my passion for writing into profit. I offer my story as an example of just one strategy you could use to achieve your own independence.

It's not your fault My story is just one among millions. If you're now

where I was then, then you might feel trapped inside a paradigm you didn't choose. That's typically how the world works. We’re raised to see the world the way our parents and teachers do. We make choices that others think are best for us. And we end up spending our lives living lives that are not fulfilling us. So, again, if you find yourself feeling trapped like I was, it's not all your fault!

However, that's no excuse for putting up with your condition! Just because everyone else is settling for that kind of life, doesn't mean YOU have to. It's important to know that IT IS ABSOLUTELY POSSIBLE to escape and get on the track your life should be on. I did it. So can you!

Right now, as I travel through Asia, I'm living in China and blogging about it. I can do this because I discovered a new way of thinking about my talents, a new way of turning them into streams of income. I redefined my life and created for myself a new way of living. I’m living true to my self. Before

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I share more of the philosophy, belief system and strategy that I used to accomplish this, let me tell you why this new way of thinking is absolutely essential to creating your freedom.

"It's Impossible to Raise Your Standard of Living Working a Job"

I know that statement might be a little shocking, so let me put it this way: It's impossible to make the sort of money you are ultimately capable of making at a job because, even if he or she wanted to, no employer can or ever will pay you what you're worth.

Now don't get me wrong, it IS possible to make more money at a job. You can beg for a raise every year, work more hours, or go on a constant quest for the next higher paying position in an effort to increase your income, but conditions will invariably only improve slightly. The only way to really raise your standard of living is to leverage your talents, your gifts, your interests and your hobbies to create a product or service you can sell to increasing numbers of people and free yourself from the cycle of trading time for money.

“The only way to REALLY 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.”

If you don't believe me, here's an experiment. Simply find someone who has worked his or her entire life at a job, AND who has retired wealthy as a result. A few CEOs and Wall Street investment bankers may have done it, but the vast majority of employees—70%, according to statistics—retire dependent on family, friends or the federal government for survival. If you don't want to be among that group, then you need to do something different.

You can only improve so much by working overtime, or waiting for a raise or promotion every year. Furthermore, with each raise in pay, or each increase in responsibility comes

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more demands on your time and an overall decrease in the quantity and quality of free time you have available to really enjoy your time here on the planet. So, what’s the point?

No, the only way to really raise your standard of living while enjoying the life you were meant to is to leverage your talents, gifts, interests and hobbies, and create a product or service you can sell to increasing numbers of people and free yourself from the cycle of trading time for money.

Those talents, gifts interests and hobbies are what I call your passion. And yes, you do have one. Maybe several. You have been given something that sets you apart from everyone else; something you can do better than others; something you can use to not only survive but to thrive.

You owe it to your family, your parents, your children, your community, and most especially to yourself to discover what that thing is, share it with the world and—with apologies to no one—use it to improve your standard of living, your quality of life, and live the passion-centered lifestyle of your dreams!

There's more Once you're convinced you need to start a business

around your passion, the next logical question is "what sort of business should I start…especially in this economy?"

Here's a little secret. The same economic conditions that bring uncertainty and upheaval also create different needs in people's lives. People are now looking for different things. As quiet as it's kept, the rampant consumerism that economists would like us to indulge in is on the decline. There is a new paradigm taking shape. In this new paradigm, certain business people will be more successful than others, and certain types of business models will be more sustainable than others provided those new business owners truly understand the needs of the people in this new paradigm.

There's more to turning your passion into profit than starting a business. As you apply my Passion Profit Philosophy & Formula, you'll discover what sort of product or service fits best with your talents and your purpose in life.

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Trust me, this is not about building the next Microsoft. It's about starting on a straightforward, and common-sense process of thought, and implementing a step-by-step action plan to help you gain a little more control, security and freedom in your financial affairs. If that sounds like a good idea, and if you want some insights into how to succeed whether you simply want to make a little extra money to survive, a lot of extra money to prosper, offer a valuable service to the world, or simply live a lifestyle that makes you happy, then, as a first step, take the personality test to discover whether you are a creator, savior, guru or guide, and what that means to your ability to succeed! You can find the Purpose/Passion Personality Test on www.passionprofit.com.

So, does all this sound like something YOU might be interested in talking more about? Good. Let’s talk some more!

Let’s define freedom!

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CONVERSATION 1:"What is Freedom?"

Barriers, Borders and Brainwashing In the quest for this thing called freedom, we find there

are barriers, borders and brainwashing that often stand in the way challenging our success.

Some of these challenges are within our personal power to overcome simply by choosing to adopt a new belief system and by exercising the courage and discipline to stick to it.

Others of these challenges represent entrenched paradigms and customs that society as a whole will need to address, but are restrictions on freedom nonetheless.

In essence, I believe that as individuals, we have • The freedom to be purposefully great (live your

purpose) • The freedom to profit and prosper (turn passion into

profit) • The freedom to love honestly (to love true to your

self) • The freedom to escape and roam the planet (see the

world) • The freedom to live a healthy existence (to age less)

You cannot achieve total freedom unless you recognize where you are not free in all areas of your life. So, let me explain each of these a bit further.

• Freedom to be purposefully great is the freedom to discover and fulfill your life's purpose, because you are not free if you are limiting your talents and the full expression of

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your mission and purpose on the planet, and if you are living someone else's idea of what your life should be about.

• Freedom to profit and prosper is the freedom to earn money doing what you love on your own terms—to turn your passion into profit, because you are not free if someone else—a single employer, for instance—controls your income, or if you are doing something you do not enjoy doing.

• Freedom to love honestly is the freedom to love without fear of judgment or recrimination, because you are not free if you don't have the freedom to construct the type of relationships that really make you happy.

• Freedom to escape and roam is the freedom to travel without fear and restrictions, because you are not free if, by virtue of the arbitrary lines that governments place around the planet, you cannot freely roam and interact with the other citizens of the world, and because you are not free if you—as an adult—have to ask someone else for permission to take a vacation.

• Freedom to live a healthy existence is the freedom to control your health, age less and live free from the fear of disease, because you are not free if, by virtue of misinformation, you are living in fear of disease and illness.

These are just some of the ideas I'd like to suggest to you. The full range of the limits to our freedom are far beyond the scope of this ebook. However, this is not intended to be a treatise on the global revolution in thought and action required for true freedom. For now at least, this will be about seeking to carve your own path towards an ideal.

What's Possible We often hear that freedom is something elusive that

must be “pursued.” I'm suggesting here that with a few

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adjustments to how you perceive freedom, and how to achieve it, that you can make a significant difference in your life.

As Gabor Mate suggests, the very notion that freedom is something outside of yourself that you have to pursue is already setting you up for embarking on a losing quest. The significant barriers to freedom exist in your own mind. And, as Bob Marley sang, "Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery. Not but ourselves can free our minds."

Freedom is achievable if you decide it is not a pursuit, but a choice.

Freedom is achievable if you detach from associating freedom with money.

Freedom is achievable if you divest your happiness from the existence of a completing significant other.

Freedom is achievable if you develop the courage to believe and act on what is in your best interest rather than the masses.

Freedom is achievable if you dispense with needing the approval or permission of others.

The single cause of unhappiness is the unmet expectation. You've been led to believe, and therefore expect things to be a certain way, and when that expectation does not play out in reality, you become unhappy. The secret to happiness, therefore, is to reevaluate and replace the expectation.

So, what do you replace it with? Yes, I know it seems natural to replace it with something.

You can achieve the freedom to profit and prosper if you reevaluate and replace your concept of the currently practiced brand of survival and capitalism with what people are referring to as "individual capitalism."

You can achieve the freedom to escape if you reevaluate and replace what you expect from your current society with the awareness of what already exists in other societies.

You can achieve the freedom to love more honestly if you reevaluate and replace your notions of monogamy, marriage, relationships, sexuality, etc, with ideas that are more

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in alignment with your biological wiring. You can achieve the freedom from fear of disease and

actually age less if you reevaluate and replace your notions of the body, health, wellness, illness, aging, and food with one based in truth and simplicity.

You can achieve the freedom to be great if you reevaluate and replace your notions of career and employment with a purpose-focused and passion-centered approach to life, career as well as business.

Let me give you an example of the sort of reevaluation and replacement I'm talking about. I once read a post about me on a website. After reading about my six-month, multi-city adventures as the Jamaican in China, a forum member of a popular community forum posted the following: "I don't consider someone who stays in $20 hostels to be successful." He was talking about me.

Of course, everyone has the right to define success however they choose. It appears that the poster on that forum chooses to define success by the cost of the hotel room he stays in. I, however, define success as the freedom to stay in any hotel room, at whatever price I choose, for as long as I want without having to return to a job I hate. (By the way, you can visit my Jamaican in China blog and search for "Hainan" to see what those rooms look like.

In my opinion, this individual is making achieving freedom more difficult than it needs to be. Let's suppose he and I are co-workers at the same job—a job we both hate—and we're working hard to save up enough money to execute our escape. Now, since a $20US hostel is good enough for me, once I've saved my $20, I'm outta there! My co-worker, on the other hand, who refuses to stay in $20/night hostel, has to stay enslaved a bit longer to save up more.

It's a personal choice, of course, but can you see how simply changing your requirements can set you free faster? No, it's not lowering your standards. It's simply re-evaluating and replacing them based on what is the real priority. What's more important? Staying in a $100/night hotel, or having the freedom to stay in a $20/night hotel. It's your choice.

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Paying the Price of Freedom (more to freedom than money)

The point is that when I talk about freedom, I’m not talking about money. There are many entrepreneurs and many employees who earn much more income than I do who feel trapped in aspects of their lives they wish to change.

When I talk about my personal definition of freedom, I’m talking about the freedom from working a nine-to-five job, and the freedom to live in a location that suits my tastes, but what I’m primarily talking about is freedom from fear. What traps many people in their lives is the fear that comes from their belief system.

There’s a wise saying that goes: "the only way to control someone is to lie to them." In other words, you can’t be controlled by the truth. A person’s belief in falsehoods, therefore, is what traps that individual.

Therefore, the more you know the truth of certain, specific things, the freer you become. Let me explain by giving you an example. First, however, let me say that the reason you’ll always hear references to health and diet in my books is because those references are really about taking control of your body–your physical manifestation here on this planet–by choosing a different belief system that empowers and frees you rather than one that controls you by lying to you and causing you to live in fear. As a trillion dollar industry, health care is obviously a very important aspect of life and an area about which people feel the most powerless and most fearful.

So, let me ask you a question. How much money would you need to earn each month, and how much would you need to have stashed away in a savings "nest egg" account in order to feel "free?" Have an answer? Good. Now, here’s the next question: How would that number change if you didn’t have to worry about paying medical bills? It would probably

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be less than originally stated. Like many people, your beliefs about, and thus your fear of falling ill determine what you believe is required for you to be free.

Imagine you were a person whose family members all got cancer, and you worried continuously about getting it yourself. Now, let’s suppose that instead of what you currently believe about your body, and about health and sickness, that you absolutely knew and were convinced of a different truth, say, for example that cancer is preventable and curable, and that keeping the body alkaline (instead of acidic) prevents cancer cells from developing in the body.

Can you imagine how much freer you would feel (and then, by extension, how much freer you would act) once you held a different belief about cancer? That’s what I’m talking about. Think about it. Considering how expensive medical care can be, especially in the U.S., no practical amount of money would free you from the debilitating effects (financial as well as physical) of buying into a belief system that sells you the falsehood that your health is a random effect of luck and chance, and/or that the only way to cure your afflictions is with chemicals, radiation or by cutting off the afflicted appendage. So, you see, that’s how one belief can have a tremendous effect on how free we think we are, or how easy we think it is to achieve that freedom in financial terms.

Again, that’s just one example. People are trapped by their beliefs about many things including beliefs about their roles, their nationality, their gender, about people from other nations, religion, spirituality, life and so on.

Make no mistake about this: It’s not a lack of money that keeps people trapped. And make no mistake about this: it’s not the acquisition of money that makes people free. I always tell people that I made the decision to walk away from corporate employment on a Sunday, and then actually quit my job the following Tuesday. My financial position had not changed by a single penny in those two days. In fact, I had no savings, I was in debt, and I was behind in my rent. What changed was my belief system about what I believed was possible for me, and what action I believed was required in

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order for me to be happy. So, my point is this: You’d be surprised just what it

takes to be truly "free." You can’t achieve freedom unless you change the beliefs that are keeping you trapped. You might be surprised just how little money is actually required to live free and travel once you adopt a new set of beliefs (and prove them to yourself) about you, about the world, and about the universe you live in. For there’s more to freedom than money.

Now that we’ve talked a bit about defining freedom, the next thing I’d like to talk about is purpose—for that’s the beginning point, as well as the entire journey of freedom.

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CONVERSATION 2: “Finding your purpose is where it all begins!”

Have you ever asked, "Why am I here? "What am I here to offer the world?" or "What's the meaning of my life?"

The answer to that question—your purpose—is a critical part of turning your passion into profit. Everyone is here to experience, to grow and to become. Without an understanding of this underlying spiritual component of your journey here on earth, you may find that everything you do leaves you unfulfilled.

Achieving freedom requires living a life that is in alignment with your purpose

In my book, The Tao of Wow, I explore a concept called "life themes" (introduced to me by Sylvia Browne’s books) based on the teachings and insights from a variety of spiritual perspectives. According to the life theme concept, each and every one of us is here to live out a particular theme.

In analyzing your life, have you noticed that certain situations and circumstances seem to reveal consistent, repeating themes? It's no accident or mere coincidence. Many traditions hold that you are most likely living out one or more themes, challenges or roles in this lifetime.

Take a look at your life. Based on the opportunities, decisions, circumstances that have taken place in your life, are you here to build? Are you living out the poverty theme? Are you an artisan? Are you an experiencer? Do you seek harmony? Are you a survivor? Is the theme of serving others, or of being an advocate, seeking justice, and making a difference one that comes up often? These and 37 other themes offer keys to what your purpose here is all about. Finding out the dominant themes in your life is an important part of finding your purpose.

Other questions to ask to determine your purpose include: Whom and how will I help? What change am I here to enact? What solutions am I here to offer? What contribution will I make to the world?

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Don't overlook this important aspect of the Passion to Profit process. It is absolutely essential that you have a clearer idea of your life's purpose. I sincerely believe, and you will discover as well, that turning your passion into profit is really a spiritual journey at its core.

To help you with this step in the process, I've created a personality/purpose test that you should now have access to. The password and link were in the sign up confirmation email. If someone has forwarded you this ebook, you'll need to sign up at www.passionprofit.com to get it.

Now, once you have an idea what your purpose is, the second part of achieving freedom, requires committing to consistently living true to that purpose!

I’m going to share a few excerpts from my book, Living True to Your Self, to explain how I define the living true concept for myself.

[begin excerpt] What it is For me, living true means recognizing those areas in

my life with which I am dissatisfied, and then doing something about that dissatisfaction, and not allowing inertia or procrastination to keep me stagnant and settling for less.

For me, living true means identifying the aspects of my life that make me happy, and giving my self more of those.

For me, living true means constantly assessing both the dissatisfaction and the elation, and using them both to evolve towards my higher self. For example, once I recognized that living in New York and working at a job I hated felt like a slow death, no amount of money or status could keep me there. To stay would have been to condemn my self to unhappiness. That would not be living true to my self. Therefore, in order to live true to my self, it is necessary that my choices—everything I believe, think, say and do—achieve the following:

They must support my survival. They must help me in discovering who I am. They must help me grow physically, mentally &

spiritually.

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They must help me perform my function. They must help me fulfill my purpose for being here. They must help me be creative. They must provide a certain amount of fun and joy. They must help me offer unconditional love to self and

others. Therefore, for me, living true to my self is defined as: "Making the daily choices in all areas of my life that

are in the best interests of my survival, evolution and prosperity, that aid the ongoing achievement of the highest physical, mental and spiritual objectives of which I am capable, that are based on the most correct assessment of reality I have available, and that honor the evolving truth of who I am and who I choose to be, all in the personal pursuit of freedom, function, fun, as well as the highest good of all."

But, I'm getting ahead of my self. Let me share with you how I arrived at that definition.

Word by word: Defining living, true & self Before I could live true to my self, I first had to decide

what that really meant. Now, at the time I made my earliest decisions in my journey, I didn't actually sit down, plan or contemplate that this was what I was doing—at least not consciously. There was no conscious awareness that the way I wanted to live my life was in any way going to be viewed as "living true." It's just something I did as a natural outgrowth of who I am, and what I want for my life.

It's only in analyzing it now, years later, that the consistent, underlying themes of my decisions have become clear. It has only now become clear as I attempt to find a logical sequence of thought and action that might be of benefit to others who want to do the same.

In any event, my point is that I cannot "live true to my self" unless and until each word in that idea has been adequately defined. In other words:

1. I cannot live true to my self unless I am clear what living is.

2. I cannot live true unless I know what truth is. 3. I cannot live true to my self without a clear concept

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of self. So, the critical questions become:

What is Living? What is True? What is the Self?

Living Truism: In order to live true to your self, you must seek definition and clarity. [end excerpt]

I don’t want to give away too much here. Living True to Your Self helps you to define exactly what that phrase means to YOU! Not my definition, mind you, but yours!

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CONVERSATION 3:"You CAN turn your passion into profit"

(The Freedom to Profit and Prosper on your own terms!)

The Freedom to Profit Here’s the underlying belief of my Turn Your Passion

into Profit Philosophy and Formula:

“The only way to take control of your life, raise your standard of living and move beyond merely surviving is to create your own unique product or service that you offer to increasing numbers of people in exchange for the things of value that you desire. This simple formula applies to countries as well as people. A self- sufficient economy has its own products or services of value to export to the world. Similarly, a self-sufficient individual has something of value to exchange in the global marketplace. That thing of value is based on your natural talent, skill, or interest-in other words, your passion!”

Your passion is not just any entrepreneurial business

idea that makes you money. There’s a big difference between turning your passion into profit, and simply turning a profit. Any business can make you money, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with finding a lucrative business and using it to create the reality you dream of. In fact, if more people would simply do that, the level of happiness in the world would increase tenfold.

However, a passion-centered business answers to a higher calling. Even a profitable business ventures may fail to sustain your interest, and eventually fail simply because it is not meeting your spiritual needs. You may have some success, but may still end up looking for something else later. It's that something else that we seek in this discussion.

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A passion is also not someone else’s idea of what you should be doing. Even though you can and will use other people’s observations about your talents and strengths in figuring out your passion, the final choice should be something that you decide is important to you. "My dad thinks I'd make a great doctor" is not a valid reason to pursue that profession.

A passion cannot be an obligation or someone else’s vision for you. It must be yours and yours alone.

A JOB, by any other nameOne of the most common tendencies people have when

they start thinking about doing something they love is to start looking within standard professions. They hold out the hope that changing professions will offer them a means of escape from the monotony and lack of fulfillment of their present form of incarceration, er, I mean employment. Unaccustomed to thinking about making money in ways other than those with names like lawyer, social worker and accountant, they make choices within those pre-defined boxes.

It's time, however, to think outside the box. As you search for your passion, don't make the mistake of simply trading one form of employment for another. While it's true that some jobs may be more satisfying than others, and that you can achieve degrees of fulfillment from various forms of employment, what we're doing here is something completely different. We're not looking for an existing box within which to fit ourselves. We're starting with our dreams, and making our own box from scratch.

"Your desire is your degree; results are your resume!" To live the Passion Profit lifestyle, no resume is

needed. There are no pre-qualifications, just your natural gifts, talents and interests. The lack of formal education or degrees will not exclude you as long as you have a willingness to learn. Your desire is the only resume you'll need.

There's no degree required for what comes naturally. Your ability to deliver the results you promise is the only

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validation and certification that others need to feel safe buying from you or hiring you. Results matter.

"What if I have too many passions?" Here is my best advice for those who are overwhelmed

by the many things they like to do. In choosing a passion to pursue, it’s not important what you choose, but simply that you choose. You are not obligated to stick with any decision for the rest of your life. Following your passion is like taking a journey. Each decision is a step or station along the way. Each choice is a single step in a thousand mile journey. That’s why it’s vitally important to simply head in the direction of your passion, because the journey is the most important thing.

Six months from now you may be an entirely different person with different needs, desires and motivations that may require completely new passions to express. Don't be paralyzed by thinking that today’s decision is written in stone, or that you are excluding all the other things that interest you. You are simply taking a critical first step. Go forth boldly knowing that you can change your mind and your direction at any time! Feel better?

"What if I don't have a passion?" The answer: EVERYONE has a passion. The fact that

you exist is your guarantee that you do. Your passion is who you are. Everything about you is an expression of your passion. Your love is the expression of your passion. Your enthusiasm is the expression of your passion. Your fear is an expression of your passion. Your desires are the expressions of your passion. Every thought you’ve ever had of new ways to express yourself is your passion speaking to you. Every feeling that has ever passed through you that beckons you to be, do and have more is an expression of your passion. Your passion is the reason and rhyme for why you are here. It reveals the underlying theme of your life and the role you have chosen to play in this drama of living. Your passion is what guides your decisions in all of your choices. Your passion communicates its existence through that still small voice

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within you when you choose to listen to it. The opposite of a life lived on passion, is a life of desperation, misery and frustration. It is a life that appears confusing, chaotic and out of control. It is a life perfectly described by Henry David Thoreau, who said "the mass of men live lives of quiet desperation." Therefore, if you’re experiencing any of those feelings, it’s not that you don’t have a passion; it’s an indication that you do, in fact, have a passion seeking attention and expression.

The question, therefore, is not whether you have a passion, but how do you discover it. You can discover your passion if you know which questions to ask, and answer them honestly. That is what the "Discovery Exercises" in Turn Your Passion into Profit are designed to do. Any single one of those exercises may hold the key to helping you find your passion.

Many people report they experience breakthroughs simply by asking themselves the question in the first exercise: "What do I want?" For many people, that question is one they have never really asked of themselves. Allowing their own desires to be brought to the forefront of their minds, opens up limitless possibilities that, quite literally, changes lives!

"Step-by-Step: Purpose, to Passion, to Product to

Profit!" There's so much I want to share with you in this

conversation, but, because I know we're all busy, I'm going to condense it into a few ideas that will help you better understand the purpose behind my book, Turn Your Passion Into Profit, and give you some valuable information you can start applying right away. There really is something much deeper going on here than simply starting a business.

What you bring to the tableThe whole concept of turning your passion into profit

is one that I developed back in 1999 when I coined the term "passionpreneur" to describe someone who has turned a hobby, talent or passion into a business. (i.e. passion-based entrepreneur)

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Since then, I've devoted my life to developing a practical philosophy and a workable formula for using any passion as the basis of a money making venture.

For the record, the reason why I make no wild claims of specific amounts of money to be made is that the motivations, the personal energy, the commitment, and thus the results a person achieves when she turns her passion into profit vary widely. I helped one woman from a wealthy family launch her antiques store business online—using my Websites That Sell™ strategy—and her first sale was $4,000! I helped another fellow launch an ebook and he never made more than $900/month before he sabotaged it and ran it into the ground.

In other words, the amount of money that can be made depends as much on what's done and how it is done, as it does on the law of attraction (i.e. the individual's thoughts, mindset, expectations, and what they are accustomed to).

So, the only thing I can offer you is a strategy that has been proven to work. The rest is up to you. I know it works because not only am I living the life I advocate and reaping the benefits of these strategies, but I've helped others do the same.

That’s the way nature planned itI know what you're thinking: "I don't have anything

unique about me—a passion—that I can use to start a business." To help you dispel that belief, 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 therefore, each one of us is given something that sets us apart from everyone else; something we can use to ensure our own survival. Before industrialization sent hoards of us to the cities to work on assembly lines in factories, we all used something we did or owned and exchanged it for the things we couldn't

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do or didn't own. Experts say that before the Industrial Revolution, 80% of us where entrepreneurs. The fact is, everyone has unique and extraordinary potential.

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, as employees, we are rewarded for our lowest common denominator--something we share with just about everybody else: our time and our presence. Think about it. In your job, you're usually paid simply for showing up to a position for a certain number of hours to do a job which somebody else could just as easily do; It's this replaceability that ensures that big business--which competes on price--can stay in business.

As I said, if people were compensated based on the real value of their skills, big business couldn't survive.

So the fact is, you do have a passion, perhaps several, whether you realize it or not.

To help you discover, develop and ultimately profit from that passion, you need to know the Passion Profit Philosophy and Formula.

The Actual FormulaThe Passion Profit Formula is a four-step process: Step

1. Discover your purpose (which we’ve already covered) Step 2. Develop your passion Step 3. Create a product Step 4. Market it for profit.

Step 2. Discover Your PassionOnce you have a better idea of why you are here on the

planet, your next step--discovering your passion--will actually become a little easier. Why? Because you'll discover, like many people before you, that your passion (the thing you are good at and love to do) is perfectly designed to help you fulfill your purpose (the thing you are here to do).

I've said before: "Everyone has a passion. " The fact that everyone has a passion means that we all

have something that we're good at; something that we're experts in; something that provides us an inner sense of freedom, happiness, fulfillment and personal expression.

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The three types of people I encounter in my Passion Profit workshops are (1) individuals who don't know what their passion is, (2)those who have too many, and (3)those who have a passion and don't know what to do with it.

Type 1: Don't know where to look to find your passion? Your passion may be hiding in your hobbies; it may be in your desire to make a difference; it may be a childhood wish. I've created exercises for discovering your passion. Wherever your passion is, the Discovery Exercises can help you find it.

Type 2: Don't know how to choose your passion? Don't worry. The choice of which passion to pursue is LESS important than simply choosing. The important thing to realize is that you're not making a FINAL choice, just the FIRST one. In other words, whichever passion you decide to pursue is just the first step in a journey that may lead through different expressions of your passion. Like me, you may choose to pursue say, a passion for music, which might then lead to you becoming a writer, which may lead to public speaking and eventually coaching. I couldn't have predicted where I would end up (I wasn't always called a passion "Prophet"). But, I do know that I wouldn't have gotten here had I not taken that FIRST step.

Type 3: Don't know if your passion has real value? Well, fear not. I have an entire chapter in Turn Your Passion Into Profit with insights just for you. For now, check out the next section entitled "Develop a Product."

Step 3: Develop a ProductThe fact that every passion has value means that

everyone can be rewarded for the pursuit of something that has special meaning in his or her life. In order to do that, however, you must transform that talent into a product or service that represents value to the rest of the world.

YOUR PASSION AS PRODUCT I prefer creating products, because that way you have

something that can sell even if you're not physically present.

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Essentially, your passion is going to be a book, CD, DVD, invention, work of art, or some repackaging of an existing product. I'll show you how to create a tangible product, regardless of what your passion is.

In order to create a winning idea, you need to know what questions to ask in order to isolate the value of a passion. And you need to be able to determine what physical form or conceptual angle to attach to your passion in order to communicate that value to the world. And you need access to the means to manufacture, print or assemble your product.

YOUR PASSION AS SERVICE On the other hand, there are some passions that are

better expressed as services. The trick here is knowing how to price your service so that you remain profitable. So I've provided information on how to price your services so you can survive and thrive in business! The only thing you WON'T have, once you finish reading Turn Your Passion Into Profit is an EXCUSE!!!

Step 4: Market it for ProfitFinally, step 4 is to sell your product. There are only

two ways to make money in business: charge more, or spend less. I'll show you how to do both, plus how to create streams of repeat-business income from your current customers!

From part-timers who make a few extra dollars, to MILLIONAIRE passion seekers who get nominated for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award (profiled in the book), the sky's the limit as to how much money you want to make from your passion! REALLY! It's all possible!

You NEED Money!! Don't let anyone fool you. As long as you're living in a capitalistic society, most of the good that you'll do for others, the fun that you'll have, and the security you'll achieve will come from the money you earn.

But, I'm sure you've also heard, that it's not how much you make, but how much you keep. In order to keep more of what you make, you need to maximize your profit. In order to do that, you'll need to set up a legitimate business, launch it on

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the Internet if applicable, and market it creatively and effectively.

That is what I did to be able to execute what I affectionately call my "escape from America," which you can read about in my books (see appendix). (For now, I'll simply tell you that I am literally on the beach on an island in the Pacific as I write this chapter.)

However, this series of conversations is not simply about money, and it isn't simply about escape. As I said in the introduction, there is something much more serious underlying my encouragement for you to turn your passion into profit. There is something very significant happening in our world that is not being widely discussed, and if you are going to survive and thrive in the coming years, you need to know some truths that no one is talking about. Are you ready for a few of those truths?

What everyone else is afraid to tell you My books and products are unique. I can say that

confidently, because I know that I introduce concepts and ideas that other business authors would never dare put in print or say in public. Many of these ideas I'm referring to are not new, nor did I originate them. You can hear some of them on so-called "fringe" websites, but the books that reach the mainstream, the books sold by the major publishing houses, simply couldn't say these things. It would be economic suicide if they did. You'll understand why in a moment. You might be surprised how many mainstream books are edited to conform to political and religious beliefs of the owners and/or major shareholders.

I already shared with you one truth—that it is impossible to raise your standard of living working a job. It's intuitively obvious, but no one ever comes right out and admits it. They can't. It would destroy the whole "American Dream" fairy tale. People have to keep believing that getting a good job and working for someone else is the key to achieving the American Dream because if they didn't, the consumer-based, worker-dependent capitalist structure would crumble.

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Be warned, I'm about to cover some topics that people don't really like to think or talk about, but they are vital if you are to create and execute a sensible, effective strategy for surviving and prospering in the future.

Truth: There is a limitYou cannot sustain infinite economic growth on a

planet with finite resources. Let me explain what I mean by that statement, and rest assured, you don't need a degree in economics to follow along.

The underlying premise and prime directive of capitalism is infinite growth. In other words, companies are expected (and corporations, are mandated by law) to continuously increase profits. It seems perfectly plausible on its face: Make more money this year than you did last quarter, last year, year after year. It seems to be doable, as there are always new markets to reach, new generations of consumers coming of age, and consumable items that need to be replaced when they run out or get worn out.

But what happens when you grow and grow and grow, and you can't squeeze any more productivity out of your minimum wage workers? What happens when the oil supply runs out? What happens when the market is saturated? These are not mysterious questions. You already know the answers. Just pick up a newspaper and you'll see exactly what happens. To maintain infinite growth year after year, you must:- move your jobs offshore to places with cheaper labor

- consolidate and merge with other companies- lay off some workers - cut corners and compromise quality- sacrifice the environment And that is exactly what is already happening.

Companies are outsourcing. Airlines are merging or filing for bankruptcy protection. Jobs are being lost every day. Cars are being recalled due to poor quality. Oil spills due to negligence destroy the environment. This is not something I have to convince you of. Infinite growth is not sustainable. Everything reaches a limit eventually. Some may argue that the recession,

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and the banking crisis are evidence of us reaching that limit. Some argue, in fact, that the economy is already shot, and that we're actually already in a depression. However, you won't hear any serious mainstream discussions about this.

A healthy economy is based on healthy consumer confidence, so, there is an unspoken agreement in the media, among Wall Street pundits, and in government, that certain topics will not be addressed publicly so as not to cause a decrease in consumer confidence.

Truth: We are too dependent on "the grid"Do you remember when fears were rampant that the

changeover to the year 2000, would cause massive disruption and chaos due to computer systems no having been designed for that year? People feared that banking records would be lost, that airplanes would fall out of the sky, and other catastrophes would ensue. Some of the reactions were pretty extreme, but it highlighted the realization that we as individuals and as a society are entirely too dependent on certain systems that our not under our control.

Recently, in 2010, air traffic was shut down throughout Europe due to volcanic ash in the air. Fishing and tourism in the Gulf of Mexico are being affected by oil spills.

Here's a very simple question: What would you do if shipments to your local supermarket, or fuel delivery to your local gas station suddenly stopped? Many of us, especially those in crowded cities with no access to other food supplies, are 100% dependent on in-bound deliveries for our survival.

You don't have to be fanatic about it, but it would be wise to have a plan for survival for any unforeseen contingency that disrupts the food supply or flow of any necessary commodities.

I don't cover the specifics of such a plan in Turn Your Passion Into Profit. However, one of the ways you can reduce your dependence on the system the way it is currently structured, is to create streams of income that allow you to be more independent, and to secure access to means of sustenance that others who are too pre-occupied with basic survival do not. Other strategies include: simplify, reduce,

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grow your own, stock up...Again, this is not meant to scare you, but think about

this for a minute. Do you think the people with means and money aren't doing things to prepare for future recessions, depressions and other contingencies? Do you think millionaires are less concerned about keeping their economic advantage? They are MORE concerned, and they are doing things in anticipation. However, no wealthy CEO or celebrity is going to go on Oprah and say "I'm investing in gold," or "I'm setting up a residence in Costa Rica just in case."

Don't let the absence of this discussion in the mainstream blind you to the fact that it is a real concern.

Truth: The Truth of EscapeThe whole underlying premise of both Turn Your

Passion Into Profit and Living True to Your Self is to help you prepare, plan and execute your "escape." Escape takes many forms. You can escape the rat race. You can escape dependence on employee income. You can escape your nine-to-five. You can escape your current lifestyle. You can escape your dependence on the grid. However you define it, the only way to execute that escape is to begin to create separate, independent, grid-free streams of income that can progressively free you from the trap you are currently in.

You need a plan.

Putting it all together in a sensible planSo, what does all this mean? Again, I'm not trying to scare you. I'm simply

suggesting that, given some of the truths I've presented and what you already see happening around you, you need to have a plan of action and escape.

Given that it is impossible to raise your standard of living working a job, what's your plan?

Given that you will likely never be paid what you're really worth as long as you are an employee, what's your plan?

Given that infinite growth is unsustainable, and that recession is inevitable, what's your plan?

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Given that it is possible your current source of income may be affected by such a recession, what's your plan?

Given that the average person's spending power is decreasing, what's your plan?

The Short Term PlanEveryone's plan is going to be a little different. I'm

going to suggest, however, that any short-term plan you develop should include the following:

1.Don't compete for moneyWhen you are offering something that another person

can offer, the most logical strategy is to compete on price. Once you decide to do that, your business is doomed. That's what happened to the airlines. Competition based on price is not sustainable.

2. Instead, create for money.In other words, create something new such that you

can set your own price and for which there is no competition.

3. Sell to the people with moneyIn the short term, one of the best ways to make your

income recession-proof is to sell to the people with the money--the people who are affected last and affected least by the overall decrease in consumer spending power.

4. Increase your income streams

It's been said, many ways: Create multiple streams of income, diversify your portfolio. Good advice. Having more than one channel of income is absolutely essential for your survival.

The Long Term PlanIn the long term, you must:1. reduce your dependence on systems outside of your

control.

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2. spend your time doing what you love. I sincerely believe that you never fully enjoy life to its

fullest, nor really have the sort of fun life was meant to be unless you're actively pursuing your passion!!

Solution: Start a business based on your passion!But you can't just start any business. If you simply start

a franchise for example, based on what you read in the business magazines, you'll find yourself in the same predicament that other businesses now find themselves in. If you start a business that competes with others, you'll eventually run into the same wall, and find that competing on price is unsustainable. If you start a business that depletes the environment and is dependent on minimum wage workers, you'll run into the same limits that others are facing. There must be a new paradigm.

So, what sort of business to start? One based on your passion. Quite simply, turning your passion into profit allows you to begin executing a plan that can help you

- make a little extra money OR attract massive wealth,- create money, rather than compete for it - sell to the people with money- achieve the freedom to position yourself for the

future- reduce your dependence on the existing structure - live the lifestyle of your dreams

Many years ago, when I found myself hating my job, feeling like a little piece of me was dying every day, my secret plan was to free myself from corporate America, create streams of income that didn't require my presence, escape to somewhere less dependent on the grid, live a life closer to nature, meet unique and interesting people, while still making a contribution to society. The only way I was able to achieve that was to execute a strategy that started with turning my passion into profit. It's not for everybody. That was MY plan.....what's yours?

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CONVERSATION 4:"The Trouble with Capitalism"

Contradiction? So, here I am encouraging you to turn your passion

into profit, while every now and then, if you read my column, and writings, you'll hear my ethical opposition to capitalism and its effect on the world. Is there a contradiction here? Perhaps, but first some definitions are in order.

Capitalism defined"Capitalism" is defined in the textbooks [and

wikipedia] as: "an economic system in which the means of production are privately owned and operated for a private profit; decisions regarding supply, demand, price, distribution, and investments are made by private actors in the market rather than by central planning by the government; profit is distributed to owners who invest in businesses, and wages are paid to workers employed by businesses and companies."

The operative word in that definition is "profit." In capitalism, the motive for producing goods and services is to sell them for a profit, not to satisfy people's needs. The capitalist's prime directive could be stated as:

"We do WHAT we do, we do all that we CAN do, and we do what we MUST do, in order to earn a profit. Nothing else matters."

This is a very important point to file away in your mind for future reference.

Capitalism practicedWith that said, what we commonly experience as the

effects of capitalism, and the profit motive behind it, is a bit less clinical, and has very noticeable and often severe consequences. Admittedly, people on various ends of the ideological spectrum will define capitalism and its effects

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quite differently. Here's my take on some of the distinguishing features of capitalism as practiced in our society.

1. Exploitation/class distinctionThe capitalist exploits the wage earner for her labor

and pays her the lowest wage possible as a percentage of the value she creates for the private capitalist owners. In a capitalism-as-practiced system, you can never be paid the true value of your time and labor. That would negate the whole profit motive.

Similarly, the land and its natural resources are exploited by capitalists who take, deplete and destroy, but rarely replenish.

As a result of this exploitation of people and planet, capitalism, as it is allowed to be practiced, invariably creates a working class and a capitalist class-i.e. the "have nots," and the "haves."

2. No real value createdThe most glaringly obvious fallacy of the whole

system is that in the greater scheme of this concept we call life on the planet, there's no real value being created by capitalism-as-practiced. In other words, there's activity, there's distraction, there's buying and selling, and what passes for economic growth, to be sure, but very little of real value is transferred from seller to buyer.

There's no inherent value to a high-priced luxury car that costs $200,000, is there? Its value is a figment of one's imagination. The seller has convinced you that you need such an extravagance. The buyer is convinced that he does.

Even among the basics of food, clothing and shelter, the value in most of the things we strive for are totally contrived! About 99 percent of what exists to be sold in the average supermarket has no real value. The frozen dinners, the canned goods, the preserved, colored, flavored, pesticide-sprayed food has limited nutritional value and is, in many cases, actually harmful to your health. It is destructive and has negative value. However, these products were all created or

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harvested using the time and labor of individuals who are paid a minimum wage, and using the resources of the land, which is exploited but not replenished. In other words, the things of real value that we have (our time, labor and the planet's resources) are traded for, or converted into these things of contrived, imaginary value (money, status), and are then sold to us for more than the real value used to create them...for the ultimate benefit of the private capitalist owners.

Capitalism in a nutshellSo, essentially, you have an economic system and a

way of life fueled by advertising which encourages consumerism, and that consumerism is based on the desire for non-essential goods of imaginary (and even negative) value, all built on the premise of exploitation.

Said another way: In order to survive, people are convinced to trade their most valuable asset of real value—their time—for pieces of paper of fluctuating, and ever-decreasing value, so that they can purchase things of lower and negative value that they and others have created. To keep the whole system going, they are encouraged to buy things they do not need, to eat food that provides no health benefits, and to drive cars that pollute the air, and wear clothes that are produced in ways that exploit those who do the work to create them, that deplete the Earth's natural resources and ultimately lower the quality of life for the planet's inhabitants.

But it's all prosperity, isn't it? At this moment, I'm looking out of my hotel room at a

high-rise building construction in a huge lot across the street. There's the buzz of activity that says capitalism all over it.

Let's assume it's another hotel. Is this a sign of prosperity? Sure, everyone benefits in some way. Architects and engineers are rewarded for their design. Construction workers earn a salary. Suppliers sell their lumber and concrete. The owners of neighboring restaurants and shops benefit from the mealtime activity. Furthermore, when the hotel opens, even more workers are employed, and the city's leaders can boast that the economy is boosted based on the number of jobs

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created. Hotel profits increase, shareowners reap dividends, and everybody's happy! That's prosperity, isn't it? Perhaps. But, look, there's a flaw in the foundation.

The foundational flawsThere are a few beliefs and practices I've identified that

point to flaws in the foundation of capitalist thinking

1. I've already alluded to one: the concept that no exchange of real value is required to be successful at capitalism. This violates a basic ethical principle of true prosperity that requires that equivalent value be exchanged such that both parties benefit.

2. Infinite growth. Economic growth in capitalism-as-practiced is based on the belief that every month and every quarter, the capitalist corporation can (and must) post higher and higher profits. This is flawed thinking. You cannot sustain infinite growth on a planet with finite resources. Something has to give.

So, how do we reconcile our wish to turn our passions into profit, without violating our ethics, and/or without falling into the trap of an essentially flawed business premise?

Revolution! I recently watched Capitalism: A Love Story, the film

by Michael Moore, which highlights the more evil aspects of the greed, the callousness, the exploitation and disregard for humanity that have been encouraged and elevated to an art by capitalism's "profit at all costs" mentality.

This, to me, is the most glaring downside to the whole pursuit of business within a capitalist ideal: that people confuse and equate exploitation with survival and prosperity. The truth, however, is that survival and prosperity are all possible without having to resort to capitalism's dark side.

One key point made in the movie is that if we are to change the system as it is practiced, such a change needs to be global and total. In other words, nothing short of a revolution, a complete dismantling and overhaul of the entire system will

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work to stop the exploitation and save the planet. However, there are many obvious, and not so obvious

challenges to such a revolution. First of all, according to the film: "The system has built into it propaganda: the ability to convince people who are victimized by the system to support the system and see it as a good."

In other words, some of the most vocal resistance to changing the system will come from those at the very bottom of the system's hierarchy—the workers—who have been convinced that their future success is tied in to maintaining things as they are.

Rethinking the paradigmTherefore, we must first dispel many misconceptions

about what capitalism is, and also and see it clearly for what it isn't. We must uproot a fundamental belief system about what it means to be successful within this paradigm. This may be the greatest challenge. In fact, even now, as you read this, you too, may be experiencing thoughts and words like "subversive," "un-American," "dictatorship," etc. as a result of the emotional connection many people have with what it means to strive within a capitalist ideal.

However, here are some new ideas, among many others that one needs to accept and realize as true:

• Capitalism does not provide for the well being of all people.

• Capitalism enriches one class at the expense of another.

• Capitalism does not equal democracy and freedom.

• Capitalism is not holy and just.

• Success in business need not be a win-lose proposition.

• Harm is being done to others as well as the planet.

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Remaking the paradigmAs these changes in thought take hold, we can then

begin to change our behavior. The things we create and sell, how we create them, and the underlying basis of it all can be remade according to some new ideals including:

• Refuse to create or sell anything that destroys life, lowers the quality of life, infringes on the rights and freedoms of others or that is manufactured in ways that do so.

• Practice "fair exchange" (not exploitation) as the basis of prosperity.

• Create value for the consumer in the form of a product (definition of a product: "a high quality object or service in the hands of the consumer, in exchange for a valuable.")

• Implement democratic ideals in the marketplace. One enlightening feature of Moore's film focused on businesses that are actually owned and operated by the owners in a true democratic one-person, one-vote fashion.

What it will requireThis new paradigm will require new ways of being:

• It will require being an independent thinker.

• It will require having an inviolable set of beliefs and behaviors, and the courage to act on them despite how the masses act.

• It will require sticking to those beliefs and behaviors and to accept the consequences of those actions.

• It will require developing a long-time perspective. In other words, it means realizing that your activities have consequences on others and on the planet, and choosing to act based on the long-term consequences of your actions.

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The reconcile Admittedly, the above is a gross simplification of a

complex topic. However, if such a revolution in thought and practice is to come, it must be adopted first by those on a local, individual level. Such a revolution will only come when there are sufficient numbers of people who are thinking and acting differently about themselves, about their goals, and the rights and freedoms of others, and the sustainability of our actions and practices on the planet. Only then can we truly reconcile our pursuits of "profit" so as not to lose our souls in the process as we pursue true prosperity.

As the title of a book, Turn Your Passion into Sustainability doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, but perhaps those of us who consider ourselves enlightened can unofficially choose a new mantra: Turn Your Passion Into (True) Prosperity! Now THAT has a nice ring to it!

CONVERSATION 5:"The Tao of Shawshank"

(12 Rules for Escaping the Rat Race & other limitations)

Tao is a Chinese word which, loosely translated, means "way." The letter "t" is an approximation of a Chinese sound with no exact English equivalent. The most accurate rendition would be a combination "t" & "d" sound, as in "Tdhow." Many pronounce it "Dow", as in "Dow Jones" (to rhyme with "how" or "now"). I give you, therefore, The Way of Shawshank

One of my all-time favorite movies is The Shawshank Redemption which stars Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. Robbins plays Andy Dufresne (pronounced doo-FRANE), a man wrongfully imprisoned. Freeman plays "Red," a fellow inmate who becomes Andy's friend and confidante.

While others cite the themes of "transformation" as well as "maintaining integrity in places and situations where integrity is lacking" as the movie's primary messages, its

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immediate appeal to me was what I recognized and related to as the themes of escape and freedom—concepts that figure prominently in my own world view and experiences.

With no intention to trivialize the stark reality and profound experience that one goes through when one is actually physically incarcerated, I submit to you that many of life's situations can be likened to being confined, restricted, caged or otherwise imprisoned.

When I was employed in the corporate world, I felt as if I was in a sort of prison, as if a part of me was dying each day I showed up for work. I felt trapped. Confined. Caged.

I hate to give away the plot of a movie out of respect of those who have not yet seen it, but The Shawshank Redemption is a perfect metaphor for life. The movie offers a blueprint for what 90% of us in the world should know, should do, and should become in order to survive, thrive, prosper, and be free. Watch it (again) so you can fully appreciate the Way of Shawshank and the following 12 lessons one can glean when applied to a career, relationship, lifestyle etc. in which one feels trapped, stuck or otherwise restricted:

12 SHAWSHANK RULES FOR ESCAPE:

1. Sometimes life and its circumstances can be like a prison.

2. Even the innocent can be imprisoned. [SCENE: At the beginning of the movie, despite his innocence, Andy is imprisoned based on circumstantial evidence.]

3. Knowing the truth about who you really are (your guilt or innocence), or about the world around you, is sometimes not enough to set you free. Sometimes justice comes only to those who help themselves. [SCENE: Later in the movie, he is kept at Shawshank by an uncaring warden, despite the discovery of new evidence that might prove his innocence.]

4. Some will attack you. Some will discredit you. Some will “screw” you over. You may have to put up with a lot of that

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on a regular basis. Do not let it change you. Bide your time, and build your castles in your sleep. Endure. [SCENE: Shortly after arriving in prison, Andy is attacked and raped by ''The Sisters'' a gang of ''bull queers'' who terrorize and almost break Andy's spirit. This continues for two years until a stroke of fortune (for Andy, at least) ends it.]

5. Plan your escape. Keep it a secret while you work on it, for even your good friends may dissuade you from having and acting on your hopes and dreams. [SCENE: We learn later that Andy has been methodically and diligently orchestrating his escape for 10 years. At one point, his friend Red, who has been denied release for twenty years, discourages Andy by saying that hope is a dangerous thing.]

6. Sometimes it is necessary to construct a fantasy or a facade that others see, to hide your true intentions. But just behind it, on the other side of your fantasy, behind the passion that others see, often lies your path to escape. [SCENE: Andy requests a poster of the latest sex symbol of the day. Behind the huge poster that adorns his cell wall lies an escape tunnel he's been constructing for ten years.]

7. One of the best ways to maintain your sanity while trapped is to find what you're good at (a passion) and do it, even if it benefits those who are your jailers, but never, ever lose sight of your ultimate goal. Sometimes it's necessary to work within and support a flawed or evil system in the process of masterminding your eventual escape from it. [SCENE: Andy's talent for accounting and tax law allows him to earn a modicum of freedom and good favor from the prison officials and guards by providing tax consulting, trust/investment advice and filing services for the guards and warden. Later, he provides bookkeeping services for the warden to launder illicitly obtained funds the warden is receiving.]

8. Feel free to break the rules of confinement on occasion, as long as you're aware of, and prepared to suffer the consequences. Do not live in fear of punishment or retaliation.

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They can't take your “music” away from you. [SCENE: Andy locks himself in the warden's office and plays an opera record over the prison public address system. He does it to offer himself and his fellow inmates a brief but welcomed bit of humanity and beauty in their drab, dehumanizing existence. He is punished with two weeks of solitary confinement in ''the hole.'' Upon his release, reunited with his fellow prisoners, he comments, ''Easiest time I ever did!'']

9. Sometimes, it may be necessary to accept that some people have been in prison for so long that they neither can nor want to function outside of its walls. Not everyone is seeking escape. Do not let this fact change you, or have you resign in your determination to be free. Use it to empower your self to walk a different path. "These walls are funny. First you hate em'... then you get used to em'... after a while you start to depend on them. That's what it means to be institutionalized."--Morgan Freeman as "Red" [SCENE: Brooks, a fellow inmate who spent 50 years in prison before being released, is reluctant to be set free and, after failing to make the adjustment to life on the outside, ends up taking his life.]

10. When the time is right, execute your escape. Take

action. In executing your escape, you may have to go through even more dirt, filth, and "crap" to get to the other side. Bring a bar of soap. [SCENE: In the movie's climactic escape scene, Andy has to crawl through 500 yards (the length of 5 football fields) through a sewer pipe with human waste to finally emerge on the outside of Shawshank Prison and to freedom!]

11. Once on the other side, you can live the life you've always envisioned, and live true to your self. [SCENE: Once free, true to the vision of the dream life he held on to while in prison, Andy escapes to a Mexican coastal town to restore old boats!]

12. If you want to double the fun, bring a friend and

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confidante along. [See the movie!] The plot of The Shawshank Redemption mirrors an

effective three-part strategy for escaping the rat race: 1. Reclaim your power. 2. Break Free. 3. Live True to Your Self.

How do you reclaim your power? In order to reclaim your power, you must first know

the truth that there is, in fact, power to be reclaimed. This power is the nature of your being. You were born with it. However, for most of us, it is being suppressed.

What power am I referring to? I'm speaking of the power to create—the power to envision a specific reality and then to make that reality come true. That power can be applied to your career, your social life, your financial situation, and overall prosperity. You have the power to envision something other than what you are currently experiencing, and then to take steps to move towards that vision. A new, more rewarding career? More money? Fulfilling relationship? A different lifestyle? Purpose? Passion? Profit? It's all within your power. If you do not believe this, then someone has lied to you.

It's said that knowledge is power. In order to fully reclaim your power, therefore, you must discover what you are being deceived about in all areas of your life. As each layer of deception is exposed, your power increases.

How do you break free? In order to break free, you must take action. Once you

know there is another way to be, another reality "on the outside," you can then break free from the cage you are now living in. You must take "risks." However, armed with the awareness of the power you have reclaimed, you will no longer see these actions as the risks they once appeared to be. They will seem to you the only course of action that makes any sense.

How do you live true to your self? The answer to that question will be different for each

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person. Everyone seeks a unique payoff; everyone seeks a unique experience of living, a unique experience of truth, and a unique experience of the self.

However, if you are not currently living the life you wish to live, then I suggest that you must first (re)define living. Then, as indicated above, (re)define truth. Then (re)define the self if you are to gain clarity about what life means to you.

Remember, also, that these steps are non-linear. In other words, they are not executed sequentially but as parallel processes. You will always be reclaiming more and more of your power, you will always be breaking free in different ways every day, and on many levels you will always be improving your definition of what it means to live true to your self.

One Day I'll Fly away "I have to remind myself that some birds aren't meant

to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up does rejoice. But still, the place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they're gone."

Those words from the movie, echo what Morgan Freeman's character, Red, felt in his heart towards his friend, Andy after his escape. Your decision to empower, escape and live true to your self may remove you from the day-to-day reality of those whom you have to leave behind. However, perhaps too, like Andy Dufresne, your escape will offer a path that others can follow to find their own happiness! You owe it to your self—and to them—to lead the way. See you on the outside!

### [end Tao of Shawshank]

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CONVERSATION 6:"The carrot conversation"

(an excerpt from The Ageless Adept)

Our first health freedom talk: The Carrot Conversation

In order to understand the philosophy behind age reversal, it is necessary to redefine a few concepts, including the nature of food. This is typically the first conversation I have with people concerning the nature of real food. I call it the Carrot Conversation. [Excerpt from the Ageless Adept]

"Remember, nature is perfect and foolproof, right? Therefore, the presumption is that everything that the body ever has or ever will require for sustenance has always existed and was provided at the beginning."

"So how do we know what was here at the beginning?" I asked.

"The answer to everything is in what I call the Original Scene, my friend. So to answer your question, let's do a little exercise in observation. Close your eyes. Now picture a landscape without supermarkets, delicatessens, restaurants, hot dog stands or vending machines. What do you have left?"

"Starbucks," I said jokingly. Focus, my friend," the Adept said. "Grass and trees," I said. "Anything else?" asked the Adept. "The sky?" I said. "Anything else?" he asked again. "Rivers, mountains, flowers." "And?" "Animals, birds, fish. Stones, rocks," I continued. "Anything else? Look in the ground, on the plants and

on the trees." "Oh, fruits, vegetables, nuts," I said. "Good, you've described just about everything that

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existed in nature's perfection. You've just described real food." "I'm confused," I said. "That's what I eat now. I eat

fruits. I eat vegetables, nuts, seeds. But I'm still sick. And so is everyone I know. What am I doing wrong? Are you telling me I'm eating them wrong?"

In a way, yes," the Adept said. "Let's go back to our scene. Close your eyes again."

"Now, imagine that you're hungry. Walk over to a fruit tree and pick the fruit. You'll notice that there are no cans, no boxes, no preservatives, no concentrates, no pasteurization vats, no other processes or people in- between you and your food."

"I got that." "Now, reach into the ground and pull out a carrot." "Ok. Got it." "If you place this carrot in the ground, will it sprout?" "Yes," I replied. "If you steam it, even for just a minute, and then put it

in the ground, will it sprout?" "Um, no," I replied. "I don't think so." "If you dehydrate it, pulverize it into a powder and

then put it back in the ground, will it sprout?" "Definitely not," I said. "Correct. Can you see, therefore, that steaming or

pulverizing changes something fundamental in the carrot? It is no longer a carrot. It may taste like a carrot.

It may feel like a carrot. But it no longer has all the properties of a living carrot."

"So are you saying that cooking our food is what's killing us? That we shouldn't eat anything cooked?"

"I'm saying that to sustain life," the Adept replied, "you must eat live food. Remember, you are always free to do anything you wish. Just remember the Essential Truth that there are always effects from that cause. Look to nature for your answers. If it isn't in the original scene, it isn't food, and therefore, not part of the original code. Do you see cows stir-frying their grass before grazing?" he asked.

"The more real food you can include in your diet," he

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continued, "the more in sync with nature you will become. And whatever is of nature will remain young because nature is constantly renewing itself. That's an important point. Did you catch it?"

"Whatever is made from nature stays young because nature renews itself," I repeated.

"So eat. But before you do, simply ask yourself, 'what is my intention?' Is it simply to experience the pleasurable taste of a meal? Or is it to create health and renewal?"

"To be honest, Adept, I really have to think about that one. All my life I've basically thought of great- tasting food as one of life's inalienable rights and pleasures. I'm not sure how I feel about giving that up."

"Well, you don't have to. The two are not mutually exclusive, you know. You can in fact, have great taste with good health. Have you been enjoying the meals I've been preparing?" I nodded. "Absolutely!"

"So, you see for yourself that it is possible. We just haven't been taught how to choose, prepare or eat food in that way. So here's a test. Based on what you now know, you can answer this question for yourself. Are potato chips real food?" he asked.

"Well, you can't put them into the ground and grow something, so I guess the answer is no. A shame too, 'cause they taste soooo good!"

"Remember, you can eat anything you like. The question is: are you prepared for the effects? One of the effects of a high-sugar, high-salt, processed diet is stress on the body, an increase in the activity of free-radicals and an out-of-balance system.

"Think about your body and its code like a car designed to operate on a certain grade of fuel. You can use any grade fuel you like, but you won't get the optimum performance. But even with substandard fuel in our bodies, nature's foolproof mechanism compensates and still allows us to operate fairly well for many years. You might say the body is almost fuel-proof. But, in time, just like your car, you'll start to see the effects of using low-grade fuel. So, again, you're an

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adult. You can choose to eat anything you wish. Just be aware that there will be effects of that choice...now and in the future.

Also see "Everything you believe….is wrong" in Living True to Your Self!, and read Yesterday’s You: How to Reverse Aging.

CONVERSATION 7:The Freedom to Love True to Your Self

[excerpts from “If you want to be my girlfriend…”] The main point of this conversation is: you'll be

happiest in your relationships if you love true to your self. Loving true to your self means that you accept your self, choose your partners, structure your relationship, express your wiring, make promises and set expectations only according to the truest, most honest reality of who you are and who you wish to be.

That does not mean you must be stubborn and unwavering. It means you strive to not settle for less than what you truly believe will make you happy. Remember, some of the coolest dreams that ever come true, aren't dreams at all, but standards that simply weren't compromised."

I believe you and I absolutely, positively have the freedom to set any standards, and demand and expect anything we desire in order to be happy. We also have the right to decide which of these demands and expectations are flexible, and which are non-negotiable deal-breakers.

However, since relationships typically involve at least one other person with their own demands and expectations, the next portion of that statement holds that you can expect anything you want, but if you're placing those demands on another person—who has exactly the same freedom and right as you—he/she must be equivalently satisfied in the exchange—and that's what a relationship is: an exchange.

Now, that doesn't mean the two of you have to provide the same thing in exchange. That would be silly. Everyone is

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wired differently and values different things. This is important, because the next piece of the puzzle is to accept that no one can decide for any other person what that exchange should look like. Let me give you an example.

Whenever I mention to people that part of the construct of my relationships is that I have the freedom to see other people, some will predictably ask, "So, does she have the same freedom, too, huh?" And, they usually ask this in a snarky, self-righteous, "I think I gotcha" tone. The answer is: that's not for me or you to decide. The basis of exchange is unique to each pairing (or harem). Remember, equivalence isn't equality, and sameness isn't necessarily fair.

For example, in coming to our mutually satisfying arrangement, my girlfriend may say to me, "You know, in my previous relationships, I've never been allowed to eat ice cream on Sundays. If I can eat ice cream on Sundays, I don't care if you see other people!" See how that works? It doesn't matter what you think is fair or equitable. That's the individual decision of the participants of that relationship. What's good for the goose may not even matter to the gander. Each duck gets to decide, individually, what's important.

Now, in setting and keeping your standards, it is important to remember this:

The only reason you will ever be unhappy in any situation is because you are holding on to an expectation that is not in alignment with reality.

In other words, a misaligned, out-of-synch, impractical and incongruous standard and expectation is the (only) cause of unhappiness. In order to be happy, you should be doing some introspection to make sure your demands and expectations are reasonable. The process looks like this:

1. Decide what things you want 2. Decide which are non-negotiable for you. 3. Decide if these are practical. 4. Respond accordingly.

Now, I wouldn't be so presumptuous as to tell other

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men how they should live their lives. I'm simply offering my own thoughts, beliefs and practices as a first-hand overview of what works for me. These ideas and practices are simply one option—a choice that at least one other man (me) has made—for how to live and love. Now, should others wish to follow these ideas on a path of their own happiness, I won't sue!

These changes in my own living and loving were necessary because of what I observe and interpret as shortcomings, flaws, errors and outright lies in the belief system that informs the overall state of relationships in our society. Those observations led to a set of questions I had to answer for myself.

In achieving personal relationship happiness in our society, I had to answer:

Who am I?Because we operate from a self-concept that is either

incorrect or incomplete, and thus, we cannot live true to the self if we do not know who that self is.

What is love?Because we do not understand the basis of attraction

and strive for ideals that may be impractical, or non-existent.Why do I love?Because we structure or allow others to structure our

relationships in ways that contradict what we really want.

Whom do I love?Because we choose partners with whom we are

fundamentally incompatible.

How do I love?Because we engage in relationships and intercourse in

ways that limit our pleasure

When do I love?Because we interact for durations of time that

undermine our happiness.

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Where do I love?Because we reside and remain in locations and

environments that do not support our wiring or the fulfillment of our desires, and ultimately:

What is a man?Because we do not have a clear concept of masculinity

and its relationship to femininity.

Answering these questions will be the first steps toward crafting a relationship that sets you free, and truly makes you happy. For more, check out “If you want to be my girlfriend…”

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CONCLUSION:

So, there you have it: seven short conversations to introduce you to a certain way of seeing things, a way of thinking, acting and creating the lifestyle that’s true to your purpose and mission on the planet...and that can help you prosper at the same time!

It doesn’t matter where you start. All of my books and products are infused with this philosophy, strategy and pursuit of the ideal lifestyle.

However, Living True to Your Self might be a good starting point since it’s your belief system that supports your entire existence.

I hope you got some benefit from our conversations. Yes, freedom is achievable! Spread the word! If you like even just one of the ideas

in these conversations, you are invited to: 1. Send this pdf file (or lend the e-reader book) to a

friend 2. Send them a link to www.passionprofit.com so they

can download it themselves. 3. Visit www.waltgoodridge.com for more free

excerpts and downloads 4. Visit my exclusive Amazon page at:

http://www.amazon.com/Walt-FJ- Goodridge/e/B001JRXNXY 5. Print out as many copies as you like!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur Magazine, Source, Billboard, Time, Black Enterprise, Essence, Ebony, South Africa’s SArie Magazine as well as many others have featured his insights and instruction.

His books have been used as texts for university courses, and his ideas have been quoted in books by Guerrilla Marketing guru Jay Conrad Levinson, music industry pioneer Chuck D, and other business authors world wide.

Walt F.J. Goodridge has been inspiring and instructing audiences and readers to turn their passions into profit, since he himself harnessed a passion for writing, matched his civil engineer income and walked away from a soul-draining nine-to-five job. After successfully doing it himself, he codified the process in the seminal Turn Your Passion Into Profit, offering the world a unique PassionProfit philosophy and formula anyone else can follow to do the same.

He is the author of more than 20 books and audio products–all self-published–and escaped from America to live on a tropical island in the Pacific, from where he travels the world. In other words, Walt walks and lives his talk, being himself a full-time “passionpreneur” and “nomadpreneur” while helping others achieve the same freedom!

His interviews are passionate and exciting, and he expertly engages listeners with compelling questions few career coaches, employment agencies or even college counselors ever ask, but should.

Walt’s “Achievable Freedom” Paradigm, “Turn Your Passion into Profit” Formula, and the “Live True to Your Self” Belief System inspires others to think differently about themselves the lives they live, and the paths they choose!

Originally from the island of Jamaica, Walt is a graduate of Columbia University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, and now lives a minimalist, vegan, nomadic lifestyle of freedom and could be just about anywhere on the planet at the moment. However, he’s never too far from an internet connection to communicate via email or Skype®!

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WALT’S BOOKS

• Fit to Breed• The Tao of Wow

• The Ageless Adept• Living True to Your Self

• The Coffeepot Cookbook!• When the Walls Came Down

• Chicken Feathers and Garlic Skin• “If you want to be my girlfriend…”

• Yesterday’s You: How to Reverse Aging• Life Rhymes for the Passion-Centered Life

• Jamaican in China: Guess Who's Coming to Dim Sum

• The Boy Who Dreamed to Be with His Parents on Saipan!

Search Smashwords for other free books by this author.

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Self Help/Personal Growth/Happiness

What is achievable freedom? According to author Walt Goodridge, you can achieve:

1. The freedom to live a life of purpose.

2. The freedom to profit and prosper.

3. The freedom to love honestly.

4. The freedom to escape.

5. The freedom to age less.

In these seven insightful and thought-provoking conversations, Walt introduces new ways of thinking about the world and your place in it that can open up new possibilities and new strategies for achieving that freedom.

Download this book absolutely free of charge at www.passionprofit.com

Search Smashwords for other free books by this author.