The Human Constant with Ryan Ellis
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Ryan Ellis

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Communication 7 Mins Read

How I Designed A Communication Exercise Using LEGO

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Lego City

Developing exercises for training sessions can be a big challenge. If we get complacent we can fall into the rut of the same old style of training. We go into a conference room, sit down around a table and stare blankly at a power point until the trainer releases us mercifully, not knowing what happened over the past couple of hours.

For training to be most effective, it needs to be interactive and memorable. One of the most memorable trainings I can remember vividly happens to be one I took online several years ago. Now what could be so vivid about an online training course you ask? This wasn’t any online class, this was Harvard University Computer Science Professor David Malan’s CS50: Introduction to Computer Science course which is open to anyone who wants to take it. 

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Fulfillment 11 Mins Read

Want to Be Rich? Plan For Time, Not Money

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picture of a clock

This moment represents the most time you will ever have left on this Earth.

If that cold hard fact doesn’t freak you out, then you might want to check your pulse. The honest truth is that time is always running out on us. We don’t know whether or not we are going to walk out on the street and get hit by a bus tomorrow. Very comforting. 

That is also very inconvenient for us as we need time to become successful, develop relationships, and ultimately end up where we want to be on this Earth. So why then is so much of our focus when it comes to success focused on money instead of time?

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Leadership Challenges 2 Mins Read

Leadership Challenge: The Old Should Not Be Forgotten

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old hands

I recently heard a clergy member describing how we think about things that are 100 years old. In the context of people, he said, we think of someone who is 100 years old as frail and brittle and perhaps of little relevance. When we think of organizations and buildings that achieve 100 year status, we celebrate them as being strong and standing the test of time and valuable.

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Change Management 12 Mins Read

Giant Changes are Coming to Your Job: Are You Ready?

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City with roads at night diverging. Metaphor for changes.

Fears About Job Changes are Natural

There is nothing that can be more unsettling in the workplace than looming changes. Especially if it is rumored to be big. It’s understandable. We have gotten to see this up close and personal in the Federal Government recently. Big changes can have big ramifications and in today’s world that could mean being laid off, forced to relocate, or ending up doing something that may not be as fulfilling as what you are doing now. 

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Fulfillment 9 Mins Read

Three Ways to Transform Your Habits to Increase Fulfillment

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A shipping Port

Define Your Imports and Exports to Increase Fulfillment

If you remember back to high school economics, we learned about imports and exports. When a country was exporting more goods than they were importing, they were probably in pretty good shape. If they were importing more than they were exporting, things could be getting a bit dicier financially. The concept is quite simple and we can apply the same logic when we think about how to change your habits to increase fulfillment.

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Mindset 12 Mins Read

Playing the Chess Game With Anxiety: How to Keep it in Check

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A chess board with the king fallen over.

DISCLAIMER: The advice presented here about anxiety represents my personal experience and is not intended as medical advice. Please seek the care of a physician or psychologist as it pertains to your individual circumstance. 

Lately it seems that anxiety is on the rise for one reason or another. Or maybe it’s always just there. We are all dealing with something. Ever get “white coat syndrome” at the doctors when your blood pressure goes up because you don’t like being there? Maybe you didn’t get the job you wanted or you are burnt out at work. Or, if you are a federal employee like me, there is a real possibility of losing our jobs right now.

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Communication 13 Mins Read

Your Idea Doesn’t Suck, Your Presentation Missed the Mark

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A presentation in a board room.

This post contains affiliate links, for more info see our disclaimer.

Presentations can be tricky. Many of you have had this conversation before. Your co-worker comes to you with an idea. The kind of idea, they tell you, that is so good that it keeps them up at night. This is their ticket to finally get noticed and take the next step in their career. 

You recognize this kind of thinking, because you have done some of it yourself. If you could get someone to just listen, you would be flying rocket emojis to the moon in no time! Now you are getting excited about the possibilities with your own ideas and….

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Mindset 11 Mins Read

MAJOR LIFE UPDATE!!! I Didn’t Get the Job

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Man sitting on a couch

This post contains affiliate links, for more info see our disclaimer.

We have all had the pleasure of scrolling through social media and running across the “I’m incredibly excited to announce…” or the “Major Life Update” post. What follows is usually someone shouting from the hilltops that they just landed their dream job, they are moving to a new city, got married, bought a house, or are having kids. The more you extend your network, the more frequently these posts come across your feed. And while you are always happy to see your friends succeed, sometimes it can just feel like “When am I going to get my piece of the pie?” Especially if it’s been a while since you had one of your own “Major Late Breaking Life Update!!!” proclamations.

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