Posted January 22nd, 2009 in Random by Ronald Lewis
This is by no means an attempt to make fun of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Instead, I couldn’t help but notice the odd timing of Google News’ pairing of a photo (from Globe and Mail) of Ballmer scratching his head with the headline about Microsoft’s announcement that it would layoff 5,000 employees due to weaker earnings and the growing economic downturn in America.
I’ve studied Microsoft for years and believe that Ballmer is more than capable of leading the company to better growth and success over the long-term. Unfortunately, the reality of today’s announcement is a painful reminder that not even the world’s largest software maker is immune to the unraveling of the world’s global economy — A day I never thought would happen at Microsoft (I seem to recall a “no layoff” policy from the 90s, but could be wrong).
Posted January 16th, 2009 in All, Random by Ronald Lewis
Today, I created my first ever lifestyle manual for 2009. Essentially, it’s a personal road map that I’ll use to improve my life and sharpen my focus on core interests over the course of the year. Currently, it’s five pages long, but will expand as I add more content to the document. Because it’s hosted by Scribd, the latest version will always be available here — All you’ll need to do is download it and read.
Why share this personal document with the public? It’s not really that private of a document. It’s really a framework for how I’ll live and advance my life in 2009. I hope it will inspire someone else who’s seeking ideas to improve their personal and professional life.
(To download or email the PDF, click on the “iPaper” drop-down arrow to expose a list of functions)
Ronald Lewis (Twitter) – Lifestyle Manual for 2009 Dear Reader, Thank you for the opportunity to share my “lifestyle manual for 2009″ with you. Although personal, it’s an informative and interesting way to take a glimpse of the inner workings of my life, thought process, desires and more. My only reason for offering this personal document is to hopefully inspire others who are seeking ideas to improve their personal and professional life in 2009. This is the first time I’ve ever created something like this and I am very glad I did. This document is my personal road map for the calendar year. Best, Ronald Lewis This lifestyle manual was created for one purpose: To help guide, inspire and manage my core personal and professional interests in the 2009 calendar year. This manual -A live document — shall be read, updated and maintained to track and improve my progress as necessary. Pledge: I, Ronald L. Lewis II, pledge to dedicate my focus to the interests outlined in this lifestyle manual. It is my “life reference” to ensuring I remain on on track and focused on the “interests” contained herein. It is my duty alone to study and execute it. Calendar year theme: “The best year ever” Employment status: Self-employed (full-time since 2005) Personal victories in 2007 and 2008: Returned to Denver in April 2007 … Eliminated a multi-year “mental slump” due to an emotionally challenging relationship in mid-2008 … Re-established living independence in early 2008 after returning to Denver from Canada and Michigan … Greatly improved self-employment income in 2008 (best period to date since full-time self-employment began in 2005) 30th birthday: September 10th, 2009 Ronald Lewis (Twitter) – Lifestyle Manual for 2009 Ronald Lewis (Twitter) – Lifestyle Manual for 2009 Personal and Professional Development, Improvement For 2009, it’s important to reduce/eliminate mental distractions (constant ideas, new projects, etc.) and focus only in areas which make the best use of my time, money, energy, knowledge and visibility. Doing so will lead to great improvements in my financial stability, flexibility, lifestyle management, and personal/professional development. Thus, only the following interests shall be developed and/or improved this calendar year: • Advisement/Consulting, Education and Evangelism ◦ 100% virtual and “location independent” by mid-year (currently at 90%) ◦ Cloud computing: Linux, Windows, OSS (MySQL, Apache), open source telephony (Asterisk, FreeSWITCH) ◦ Create media (documents, videos, etc.) to educate, promote work and expand visibility ◦ Partner with industry players to help evangelize certain interests (cloud computing, etc.) • Branding and Public Relations ◦ Hire brand / PR rep (selected — Retain by March) ◦ Consult with CD and BM to develop image, branding ◦ Isolate certain interests (cloud computing, etc.) and create separate branding, Internet presence ◦ Further develop personal blog to serve as a conduit and marketing platform • Public Speaking ◦ Organizations (employee morale building, inspirational storytelling, ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ dream/imagination engineering) Non-profits, schools and universities (inspirational storytelling, dream/ imagination engineering for students and youth) Conferences (cloud computing, open source telephony/telecom, general technology and social interests) Roundtables and Townhall meetings, events (interviews and social interests) Lifecasting (inspirational storytelling, dream/imagination engineering) • Book (“Stick It To The Man”) ◦ Research, develop and implement unique marketing concepts to help drive sales Ronald Lewis (Twitter) – Lifestyle Manual for 2009 Ronald Lewis (Twitter) – Lifestyle Manual for 2009 ◦ Promote book via the Internet, media, bookstores, etc. ◦ Develop strong, visible Internet presence • Social Media / Networking Continue improving genuine presence, relationships Focus on top social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.) Increase activity and visibility on “lightly used” networks Produce and publish at least three podcast interviews per month for Spotlight Magazine ◦ Expand presence and visibility of Spotlight Magazine ◦ Promote “personality talent” as a professional, effective and engaging interviewer ◦ Partner with event organizers (conferences, etc.) to cover and interview attendees, guests ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Relationship and Community Development For 2009, it’s important to realize one thing: I will never fully grasp how human beings truly think or function. To agonize over and analyze each negative experience is pointless and emotionally paralyzing. I must accept that I have no control over anyone’s interpretation or impression of who I am as an individual and human being. I do, however, have complete control over how I live, learn, listen and relate in society. • Developing new or existing relationships (platonic, professional, romantic) ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Mine existing relationships to discover and create new ones Eliminate “social postings” on Craigslist and similar sites Increase activity with various Meetup and interest groups Spend more time with friends and family Make better use of technology to improve relationships Do not stress over fickle behavior Monetary and Economic Policy For 2009, it’s important to pay even more attention to real-world data to understand the failing health of America’s infrastucture and economy: Job losses, bankruptcies, foreclosures, “health of the Dollar”, and office/storefront closures. Maintaining keen awareness of the important indicators is the only way to navigate the turbulent journey ahead. • Diversify currency, investments and metal holdings ◦ Maintain a “comfortable” reserve of USD currency for domestic activities Ronald Lewis (Twitter) – Lifestyle Manual for 2009 Ronald Lewis (Twitter) – Lifestyle Manual for 2009 ◦ Invest in precious metals such as silver and gold ◦ Generate income in Euros, Canadian Dollars and other currencies which are more stable than the Dollar ◦ Investigate foreign stock exchanges Health and Fitness For 2009, a healthier lifestyle is important as I approach my third decade of life on Earth. I am slightly concerned about my family’s blood pressure and cholesterol history, so I’d like to mitigate future risks by implementing and maintaining a healthier diet going forward. • Weight ◦ Eliminate 40-45 lbs (from 200lbs) by June 1, 2009 ◦ Permanently maintain weight between 145-160 • Food Permanently eliminate carbonated beverages Increase consumption of fruits, nuts and vegetables Increase consumption of boiled, baked and broiled foods Maintain consumption of chicken, turkey, fish and shellfish; Permanently eliminate infrequent consumption of red meat, etc. ◦ Eliminate all foods with preservatives (as best as possible) ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Travel and Transportation For 2009, it is important to expand my travel schedule to explore new cities, countries, events and more — I must satisfy my nomadic nature. It is also important to explore acquiring a personal vehicle once core interests start paying dividends. • Cities, States and Countries of “short list” ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ London, England Perth, Sydney and Melbourne, Australia Tokyo, Japan Shanghai, China Hawaii Germany Anchorage, Alaska Artic circle • Vehicle “short list” Ronald Lewis (Twitter) – Lifestyle Manual for 2009 Ronald Lewis (Twitter) – Lifestyle Manual for 2009 ◦ Volvo XC60, S80, XC90 or S40 ◦ Toyota Prius Ronald Lewis (Twitter) – Lifestyle Manual for 2009
Hey guys! I haven’t mentioned it until now, but I’ve been writing a new book over the past few weeks. “Stick It To The Man” is a collection of light-hearted stories and examples about dealing with corporations (crappy customer service, bad products), government (greedy politicians, taxation), the workplace (bad co-workers, horrible bosses) and more. It will publish in a few months on Skyhorse. It is my first book, so like any new project, I invest myself mentally and otherwise to grasp it and evolve with it.
I’ve never truly sat down before to write a lengthy piece of work, so you can imagine the struggles I’ve had to create a system and strategy to make this book possible. Fortunately, I have a wonderful mentor (whose published more than a dozen books) and an enthusiastic publisher backing the project. Much progress has been made and I should be finished with the manuscript by this weekend.
I receive thousands of visitors searching for Twitter’s elusive ‘mission statement’. Obviously, people are interested in learning about Twitter’s values, goals and principles.I’ve emailed both Biz and Ev about creating a page. So far, they haven’t responded. Stay tuned.
Tech, social media, voip, politics, logistics, society. Current events, trends, news, products, companies. Writer, author, speaker, activist, journalist.
That’s the bio from my Twitter profile . It’s simple and explains a lot of things about who I am. I joined the Twitter community with a lot of curiosity. My presence on Twitter has grown steadily over time. I’m still surprised that my conversational approach to tweeting has garnered almost 4,000 followers without gimmicks, campaigns or other tricks. ‘Organic growth’?
While I do not command six-digit followers. I am still amazed by my ability to connect with and engage interesting people. So, here’s an opportunity to explain my own Twitter Mission Statement. The intent here is to educate the community about my interest and purpose for being a member of the expanding Twittersphere:
Relationships
I am a community-oriented individual. Creating great and long-lasting relationships is my goal in life, whether online or off. Twitter affords me a great opportunity to connect with the world in a new and exciting way.
By focusing on the creation of great relationships on Twitter, I have already realized some of the following:
Great new friendships
Great new opportunities
A priceless education in life, business and more
Because of what Twitter means to me, you will discover that:
1. I am genuinely interested in learning about you
2. I am brutally honest — even if I know it will be unpopular
3. I will always be honest about who I am, what I’m feeling and how I see the world
Sharing
I believe it’s important to share knowledge and insight with the world. The power of sharing is priceless. I enjoy tweeting about a variety subjects on Twitter:
Politics
Society
People
Social media
Current events
News
Products
Companies
Technology
Government
Business
Everything I share on Twitter is a reflection of who I am as an individual.
Laughing
Not all is serious in my world. I do enjoy unwinding and having a nice time. Laughter is an important component of life, so I try to mix in some light-hearted stuff on occasion as well. We may not be in the same room, but I hope that my approach to humanizing the Twitter lifestream will bring us closer as community members.
Learning
I am a life-sized sponge at heart. I never stop learning. I will ask you many questions about things I’m curious about or have no knowledge of. These questions could be about you, your business, talents, experiences, etc. In return, I will also answer your questions.
At the end of the day on Twitter, it’s all about the relationship. Let’s connect.