"Spooky Catches of the Week"

1.How to be most effective when you take control of a team

2. 3 tips to improving organizational collaboration

3. Developing Your Leadership Presence

4. Are your employees telling you what you want to hear

5. Dont let the organizational chart hinder talent developments

Now that you've read those Catches...expand your knowledge with these Halloween Facts!

1. An October 2008 CNN Poll showed:
• A majority of us, 48 percent, believe in ghosts.
• Twenty-two percent of Americans say they’ve seen or felt a ghost.
• Women are more likely to say they believe in ghosts than are men.
• More than half of younger Americans aged 18 to 45 believe in ghosts.
• A whopping 78 percent of us believe in life after death.

2. The next full moon on Halloween night will be October 31, 2020

3. Many historic events have happened on Halloween Day – among them:
834: The first Halloween (All Hallows Eve) is celebrated
1876: A cyclone hits Bengal, killing about 200,000
1918: Spanish flu kills 21,00 people in the U.S. in one week
1922: Mussolini becomes the Premier of Italy
1926: Harry Houdini dies in Detroit
1941: Mount Rushmore is completed
1952:The first thermonuclear bomb was detonated in The Marshall Islands
1968: President Johnson issued a “cease all bombing” order in North Vietnam

4. Adults love Halloween, too. It is estimated that one-third of all adults don costumes and join-in the “spookiest- night” festivities. The 2005 season had almost 4 million of us wearing a “Witch” costume. That’s 16.4% of all adult Halloweeners. And...we like “Vampires” too – 1.4 million wore the vampire cape and fangs in 2005. Costumes for famous people and celebrities tied with monsters at about 7.5 million each. The child’s “Princess” costume was most popular in 2005, almost tripling the sales of 2004’s most popular costume, Spiderman.

5. One of the "most filmed" movie characters (if not the most filmed) is Dracula.

6. What are the "most thrilling" movies of all time? The American Film Institute polled 1,500 members of the film industry. Their Top 10 are: (1) Psycho, (2) Jaws, (3) The Exorcist, (4) North by Northwest, (5) The Silence of the Lambs, (6) Alien, (7) The Birds, (8) The French Connection, (9) Rosemary’s Baby and (10) Raiders of the Lost Ark.

7. Moviegoers consistently vote for Silence of the Lambs, Psycho and The Exorcist as the scariest movies of all time. There’s no clear ranking within these three - we just think they are scary.

8. The Salem Witch trials of 1692 are known for burning so-called witches at the stake. Actually, not one witch died by burning; most were put to death by hanging. One unfortunate witch was “pressed” to death and several died in prison of natural causes.

9. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Utah, in 2004, had the highest proportion of its total population trick-or-treating in the 5-to-13 year old age group with Alaska following closely behind.

10. A new Guinness world record was set October 1, 2005 for the "Biggest Pumpkin." Larry Checkon of North Cambria, Pennsylvania is the grower of this 1,469 lb. giant. Checkon’s pumpkin outweighed the 2004 winner by about 23 lbs.

11. The gold standard among pumpkin growers is producing a pumpkin weighing at least 1,100 lbs., which is automatic entry into The 1,100 Club. Numerous professionals hint that you can grow a really, really big pumpkin by planting the Atlantic Giant pumpkin seed.

12. The first "Jack-O-Lanterns" were not pumpkins - they were hollowed-out turnips and originated in Ireland.

13. We love Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups - so says ExtremeChocolate.com’s survey of our "favorite Halloween candy." The clear winner is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups with 20.8 percent of the vote; second is Candy Corn at 15.8 percent and third is Snickers with 15.3 percent of the vote. One thousand people voted, and results were posted on September 13, 2006.

14. According to ExtremeChocolate.com: “Chocolate is much better than hard candy for you and your child’s teeth. Chocolate contains tannins, which slow down the formation of plaque on the teeth....Further, chocolate usually stays in the mouth a shorter time than hard candy, which is another dental benefit.”

Happy Halloween!!! ><((">

Catch Your Limit Consulting is a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit http://www.catchyourlimit.com/.

Evaluating your leadership

I am a perfectionist.

I know I am and I have come to accept it. You would think that this would be okay and just make the caliber of my work better, but in the end being a perfectionist is just an annoyance to myself. I enjoy being in a leadership position because I like to have my hands in all aspects of a task or an organization, but what I'm realizing is that I'm having trouble with delegating. I don't give other people as many tasks to take on as I should because I don't trust that the work will get done on time or to the level of expectations that I would have for myself. So the result of this is that I end up overloading myself with work and all the accompanying stress.

Each day I'm realizing more and more that I have to move away from my current method and more towards one that does divide the work out amongst the team but I'm struggling with the 'how' part. How do you motivate your team to have the same expectations as you? How do you get them to understand that when you set a deadline... you mean it?

I am also an easy going person. I prefer to stay away from confrontation (although I'm not afraid of it if it's necessary). Yet again, I've realized some times you need to stop being overly nice to make sure that you are not being walked all over.

The way I see it is this: When you are working in a team situation, there should be a mutual respect for one another.

I think that step one in my in the effort to fix my situation is to evaluate myself. I started doing some research so that I can make an honest effort to fix my faults that are contributing to this lack of team work and I found this article that gives 10 tips for being a good leader.

Check it out:

http://www.uptonscouting.org/Leadership/10Tips.html

This is something that every one from time to time needs to do. Sit back, evaluate yourself, and try to realize the things that you could change or improve on to make yourself a better leader, team player, and peer.

><(("> Michela

Michela Fleury is a ><(("> Team Member at Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visithttp://www.catchyourlimit.com/.

It's Never Too Early...To Be Happy

Recently I posted a picture and caption on facebook stating that I had begun listening to my Christmas music. This was on Monday, October 26th. If you know me, you know I am a huge fan of the holiday season. Everything about it makes me happy, so what's the problem? Well after posting my comment to facebook, I wasn't too shocked when I received a numerous amount of negative feedback on my early display of holiday cheer. It happens every year and I always respond, "It's never to early..." There is no law stating that holidays have designated times, it's just a socially created time line on when and how long one can begin the celebration of a holiday. I say NAY to that! I listen to Christmas music because it reminds me of what is soon to come and excites me for the season. It's not like I am forcing my music upon anyone else, so why do so many people have a problem with it and continue to tell me to stop? Everyone is always so worried in what others are doing or what others think of them and don't spend time to please themselves. (The music thing was a lighter example, of course, but I've come across this problem many times dealing with other situations.) Well I say ignore that! Do what you love and makes you happy because you can never please everyone. I will continue my listening until January and embrace every moment of it! :)

><(("> Erin

Erin is a ><(("> Team Member at Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visithttp://www.catchyourlimit.com/.

Need to Be a Better Planner?

The first step in getting better is getting an understanding of where you are currently as to measure progress against. Our planning survey will allow you to get a snapshot of where you are.

As we continue to focus on planning we're trying to get a better understanding of how people and organizations plan and people's attitudes on the subject. Please take a few minutes to give us an understanding of your organization's approach to planning and planning strategy, take this quick survey and you’ll receive your “score” and some additional resources on planning. TAKE SURVEY

Cirque du Fish

Catch Your Limit performed last week at the Circus-Themed, TSAE Education Day & Tradeshow. Melissa Laughon spoke on The Future of Social Media, Tom Laughon and the ><(("> Team spoke on Creating a Creative Workforce and the Catch Your Limit Tradeshow Booth even won Best in Show. Check out our performances...

Inspiration From My Dad

I make my living quoting my dad. I admired him immensely and I enjoy sharing the lessons he taught me.

He used to tell me "there's nothing out there that you and I can't eat, one bite at a time."

I used to think this was about breaking challenges into manageable pieces and working until we'd accomplished our goal.

I still appreciate that piece of wisdom in the comment, but I've also come to realize the comfort of the "you and I" part.

My dad and I were a team. Together, I perceived us to be invincible.

Let me encourage you to break your big challenges into little pieces and eat 'em up a bite at a time.

And I hope you have teammates that make you feel invincible, but whether you do or not, go out there and take a bite out of your challenge and when you've chewed it up, take another bite.

><((">
Gayle Turner

Gayle is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. He is a keynote speaker, facilitator, blogger and contributing author for international, national and regional publications. To learn more, visit http://www.catchyourlimit.com/ .

Catches of the Week!

"The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself."-Alan Alda

1.Break the Rules to Boost Your Business
2.Fail Often, Fail Fast, Fail Cheap
3.Why You Aren't Allowed to Panic
4.10 Tips for Winning Respect of Your Followers
5.Tips for Enjoying Work More

><((“>Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia.

To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

Xobni - Trick or Treat?

Each week, we have weekly "Digital Relations" meetings where we focus on social media and other digital ways to connect with everyone.

This week, Jeff from our ><(("> team shared a new tool with us - xobni (http://www.xobni.com/). He said that it would (1) consolidate a lot of our social networking tools into Outlook, (2) organize a contact's info, email stats, recent emails exchanges and files all in one place, (3) make scheduling appointments easier and (4) some other cool stuff that I didn't absorb because I was focusing on all of the above.

And, as I was listening to this ... I thought (as a skeptical gen x would) ... this is a TRICK!

But, I followed along and downloaded xobni and have been using it and loving it. I like all of the integration of different programs, but what I like most so far is the Outlook scheduling feature. Once you download xobni, a new column will appear in Outlook. You can click on an email in your inbox, look to the xobni column, click on "xobni actions" and then click on "schedule time with (name)" and a new email pops up ready to go with a draft email that has pulled your available time for the next several days from your Outlook calendar. All you have to do is edit based on your preferences and push send.

So, I've been using xobni and have decided there's no trick to it, in fact it's quite a sweet TREAT! Thanks, Jeff for encouraging us to download this.

To get a quick overview of Xobni (which is inbox spelled backwards), check out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YhpdKa-NgY

><(("> Melissa Laughon

Melissa is a ><(("> Team Member at Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. She is a consultant, facilitator, speaker, blogger and contributing author for a variety of publications. To learn more, visit http://www.catchyourlimit.com/.

Cirque Du Success!!!

Today was the TSAE trade show and Catch Your Limit was there in full fun mode with our homemade circus tent, music and performers. We had acts every half hour but really just kept the fun going the entire day. Everyone seemed to love it and we even won an award for our space. It was great seeing everyone work together, doing their thing and pulling off such a great event. From the first sit down to discuss potential ideas and possibilities to seeing it all come to life is always so rewarding. I feel so proud to be a part of the team. (I also enjoyed being a human sponge, thank you to Jeff and his fish squirtgun) Also bringing back some gymnastics moves was fun too, I am hoping I'm not too sore tomorrow. Can't forget about the other booths which had some very unique things, one had an awesome balloon guy that made a really cool FISH balloon hat for Michela and myself. Who knew there were actual eyeball balloons?
Great Job to everyone at CYL today!! I had a blast!


><(("> Erin
Erin is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

I Woke Up Scared to Death

I woke up Saturday morning so scared I was immobilized. I lied there frozen. Just writing about it right now, makes the muscles between my shoulder blades tighten.

For several weeks, I've dreamt that I was up in the air. High up in the air. Not above the clouds because I could see them, but I knew I was off the ground. During these dreams, I've been sort of lying in a hammock and thinking about the future.

Saturday morning, I turned over and looked down. *&^%$

I am scared to death of heights and it was a long damn way down.

This experience was so real. I felt in such danger that I awoke with a start and was almost speechless.

I lied there in terror.

Eventually, (it seemed like hours, but was probably less than a minute) I was able to regain my senses, get up and get on with my day.

I've told a story for years about how you need to keep your eyes on your goals and not on the shoals below. Because if you focus on the dangers, it's almost a self fulfilling prophesy that you will wind up lying among the rocks.

This dream was a visceral reminder of that tale.

For many people this is a scary time.

Our challenge is to acknowledge the threats, but to stay focused on our goals and the steps needed to achieve them.

Focusing on the perils can paralyze you.

Here's to keeping your eye on your goals.

><(("> Gayle Turner

Gayle is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. He is a keynote speaker, facilitator, blogger and contributing author for international, national and regional publications. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

Why Do You Go to Work?

When you've done a task repetitively the human brain creates synapses, little connective wires that allow us not to think about the process we're engaged in. We're able to do things on autopilot without really thinking about what it is we're doing. It's the beauty of our evolution. It's why practice makes perfect. We don't think about tying our shoes, we just tie them, driving to work we turn on the autopilot and suddenly we're there.

While this aspect in which our minds work has allowed for our evolutionary success it also comes with a price. The price is that we become robotic in some aspects of our life, tedious and repetitive. It makes it more difficult for us to be impulsive and also to adjust to change because we're so good at what we've already practiced.

I encounter a lot of people who have set their lives to autopilot both professionally and personally. I see them on my lunch break their hearts beating just enough to allow for survival. They drive home sunken into their car seats. They're waiting to move up into the next position in the corporate ladder. These are the people who say, "well at least I have a job right now." I say, "crap on that." Who cares if you have a job if you hate it. Or maybe you don't even hate it but if you don't love it, so what?

Yeah, I realize there are bills to pay but do the bills that your robot life allow you to pay provide you with possessions that are more valuable than living a life you're excited about?

Don't tell me "sometimes you have to do things you don't want to." No you don't. You've just not taken the time to figure out how to stop doing them.

Please people, ask yourself why you go to work? If you don't have a good answer, get yourself fired and live on unemployment until you find something you're passionate about. I'm tired of watching you drool on your California Roll.

><((“> Jeff Brainard

Jeff is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. He is a keynote speaker, facilitator, blogger and contributing author for international, national and regional publications. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

Creativity. My Qs. Your As.

My blog consists of a series of questions.

Remember, consultants have no answers. We just ask good questions.

Are you:

Extremely creative?

Creative?

Creative on occasion?

Not very creative?

A turnip is more creative than I am?

When were you the most creative you've ever been?

Who has most impacted your creativity in a positive way?

What did he or she do to nurture your creativity?

Who hindered you from being creative?

What did he or she do to hinder your creativity?

Is there an environment or place that you feel more creative than others?

Is your current workplace a creative environment?

Do you work for an organization that supports/nurtures creativity in you and your fellow workers?

Who is the most creative person you have ever personally known? Why?

Out of all the creative people you've ever learned about ... who would you say is the most creative? Why?

I encourage you to share your answers, and if you would rather answer via phone, call me at 850-894-3474.

If you take part in my little challenge, I will send you some creativity tools and thoughts that will impact your creativity in a positive way ... even if you think turnips are more creative than you are.

><((“> Tom Laughon

Tom is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. He is a keynote speaker, facilitator, blogger and contributing author for international, national and regional publications. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

Catch the killers of Creativity!

Whenever I find myself sitting at my desk wanting to blog, I always struggle with a topic. Then instead of persevering through it and coming up with something, I usually get distracted with some other task. My procrastination ends up being fatal with my time. Before I know it, the day is done and only a word or two is typed in the submission box.

So today, while I was sitting down staring at my computer screen contemplating what to write, I did the same thing as I always do... something else! I started just searching the web and reading articles that people posted on twitter.

Then, I stumbled across this article on the killers of creativity. I found that almost every single one of them has affected me at one point in time. So I wanted to share them with you.

The article that I found on "Freelance Shack" blog, calls them "The Dirty Dozen" and they are "the 12 things that kill creativity".

1. Mouthful : basically, biting off more than you can chew stresses you out and ruins the quality of your work.

2.Fear: Don't be afraid to go outside of your comfort zone and explore new things.

3.Money: the economy has caused a lot of money issues- for everybody. This in turn makes people work harder and faster, but possibly may lead to a sacrifice of quality.

4. Distractions: this is probably my biggest killer... and it is exactly what it says it is. If you are working.. stay working, avoid these pesty distractions that avoid you from being productive.

5. Family & Friends: try to work through any issues calmly so that they don't cause a sky-rocketing stress level.

6. Your Health

7.Insomnia

8. Lacking Direction in life: this is a huge stress factor for a lot of people and causes loss in motivation. They struggle to focus because they are unaware of their goals and wishes for life.

9. Deadlines: I think this one can go without explanation!

10. Block: sometimes, it just happens. Writers block that is! (or designers or planners or just thinking in general)

11. Competition: Instead of letting your competition get you down, use that competition as motivation to be even better and more creative!

12. Belief: The most important thing... if you believe it, you can do it!


So take all these "killers of creativity" and murder them! Throw them out and get to being the creative person you are!!


><(("> Michela Fleury


Michela is a ><(("> Team Member at Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit http://www.catchyourlimit.com/.

"Catches Of The Week"

"Anyone can look for fashion in a boutique or history in a museum. 

The creative explorer looks for history in a hardware store and fashion in an airport."

— Robert Wieder

1. Innovation Inside the Box

2. 3 Ways to Manage Up

3. The Most Influential Business Thinkers

4. Measuring Success In People

5. The Currency Of Trust

><((“>Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. 

To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

Beyond the Lands of Shoulda, Coulda & Woulda ...

Just outside my office is a huge sign that takes up an entire wall :


Somewhere out there beyond the lands of Shoulda, Coulda and Woulda is a place where the living is easy and the challenge is to always catch your limit. That is the exact place where Catch Your Limit is located. It's dedicated to fish tales, good times and the serious business of helping our clients to catch their limits. We not only guide you to catch your limit ... we clean your catch for good measure. The only thing that is off limits at Catch Your Limit is making excuses.

And, as the end of the year nears, I look at this sign and can't help but reflect on the fish tales, the good times and all of the hard work and accomplishments of 2009. I think about what we've accomplished and what we haven't. And, it's the list of what we haven't done that I just can't shake.

When I think about that list, I can come up with a million great reasons (a.k.a. excuses) why some things just aren't done or why we haven't taken the time. But, I'll be damned if I want that list following me into the New Year. So, what are we going to do about it?

Well, next week, every ><(("> team member is making a "Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda List" for themselves, their teams and our organization. We'll compile the list and create a plan to divide and conquer. And, for the areas that are going to require some real brainpower or simply uninterrupted time, we're scheduling time on the calendar between now and the end of the year to devote to tackling this list.

So, if you're like me, and part of "catching your limit" means starting next year feeling "caught up," make your "Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda List", prioritize it and get going.

And, don't forget, www.catchyourlimit.com is just a click away. Think of our site as a virtual fish camp having non-stop rocking chairs, the freshest air you've ever breathed and a view that lets you see the other side of the universe.

And, if you need some help making lists, check out this site:

http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/08/06/online-to-do-list-tools/



><(("> Melissa Laughon


Melissa is a ><(("> Team Member at Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. She is a consultant, facilitator, speaker, blogger and contributing author for a variety of publications. To learn more, visit http://www.catchyourlimit.com/.

Will The Twitter Bird Die?

I don't know if you all have heard but Twitter has one less Tweeter. Miley Cyrus

dropped the bomb on her 2 million followers and the rest of the tweeting world

last week by announcing that she is deleting her twitter account. You know its

big news when it makes it to MSNBC. (oh America, why?) The tween starlet was

sick and tired of everything she tweeted ending up in the tabloids or on gossip

news shows. That has to be annoying when every little Tweet ends up blown way

out of proportion in the headlines of these shows. I understand why she deleted

it and yes I did follow her and enjoyed reading her tweets and tweetpics. Now I

wonder who will be next to delete their twitter account. There is great buzz

(mostly from twitter haters) that this is the beginning of the end of the "Twitter

Fad". I disagree with that statement, people are still discovering twitter and how

to use it to its full potential so I seriously doubt it is just a fad. The twitter bird

will keep flying until the next new social media site is developed (can't even

imagine what that will be!).

Though Miley said farewell to Twitter, she is no stranger to YouTube, here is her

"Goodbye Twitter Rap":

><((“> Erin

Erin Albano is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia.

To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

Waiting in line

Over the weekend I saw an interesting documentary that was discussing the lengths that crazed fans will go to watch their beloved teams, musicians, or movies. The part of the documentary that particularly caught my eye was the amounts of time some people would wait in line. According to their research the average person spends approximately an hour a day waiting in line, which totals to about 2 to 3 years in a lifetime.

Now the people in this documentary weren't your "average" people, and they would definitely count as the outliers in this research. Some of the startling numbers popped up when the event was for sports abroad like Wimbledon, especially during finals. One fan admitted to standing in the queue for over 90 hours just to catch a glimpse of England's golden boy Andy Murray and still didn't get to see him.

I had first hand experience with the queue at Wimbledon over the summer while working in England. However, unlike the people that waited over 90 hours I found a creative way to get the seats that I so longed for. Here is my story:

I was told it was never going to happen and I would be wasting my time trying. After 32 hours, one sleepless night, and a killer John McEnroe outfit I defeated those odds and made it to the second row of the Centre Court at Wimbledon.

Last week I decided I was going to attempt a feat that was practically impossible; get into the Centre Court match to see Andy Murray play. I did a bit of research and was rather discouraged when I saw the price of tickets; I knew if this dream was going to happen I would have to be creative. Then it hit me, why not dress up in a John McEnroe outfit and gain so much attention that they would have to let me in. That is exactly what I did.

Armed with a sweatband, wristband, a cut-off shirt, and shorts that barely fit I camped out at Wimbledon on Friday to get a decent spot in the queue. I felt like a movie star, with random people approaching me from left and right to take a picture with Mr. McEnroe. Saturday morning with a coffee in my hand, I walked into Wimbledon. I was discouraged when I could only get a general admission pass but was still determined to make it into Centre Court. That’s where my outfit saved the day.

I was able to trade my ticket in for a Centre Court pass, when someone graciously lent me a favor since my outfit was “Amazing!” I got in and was lucky enough to see Haas vs. Murray. I was taken aback as the crowd cheered and did the wave during the match. The best part of the day was when the camera panned towards my area and did a close up on my outfit. I started yelling and screaming like a child. This was one of the best days of my life and it all happened with a bit of creativity and a glorious outfit to match.

><((“> Jonny Arcila

Jonny is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

­

Creating a Safe Place to Create

I'm a very lucky man. I get to do, what I do for a living. Many people have to do, what they do.

When I was a boy, I remember my father telling me to find work I enjoyed and if for some reason I found myself in a situation where I either didn't enjoy the place I was working or the work I was doing, then to find a way to change my attitude until I could find a way to change my circumstances.

Either way I was responsible for my response.

If you don't like it, then change it.

I was listening to a fellow speak the other night and he said something similar.

"If you can't change your associates, then change your associates."

I bring this suggested mindset up as a frame for the idea of creating a safe environment for creativity.

I've been fortunate throughout my career to have worked with some very, creative people.

The one I enjoy working with the most is Tom Laughon.

I've often wondered why is it I seem to do better work when I'm teamed with Tom, than with other creative people.

I think I've identified the one ingredient in our relationship; the secret sauce that makes our collaboration so productive.

Here it is.

When we're creating we always accept whatever the other says and try to build on it.

Sounds simple doesn't it.

Well, ask yourself how often someone offers you an idea and you immediately jump to why it won't work.

Now, I'm not inside Tom's head, but I can tell you occasionally he offers me an idea and the first thing that pops into my head is "that won't work."

The key is to keep that to yourself, don't voice the negative.

It's like hacky sack, you have to keep the ball in the air, keep the momentum going.

Creating is a form of play. It's a party and no one likes a party pooper.

So, when you're engaged in the creative process, trying to solve some problem, save the editing for later and just throw yourself wholeheartedly into the game of generating options and ideas.

We can edit later.

Don't worry that an idea is stupid or not good enough, because your inane response just may be the catalyst to help your creative teammate to come up with the idea that carries the day.

I've worked on and off with Tom for decades and we have come up with some pretty amazing solutions to some pretty gnarly problems. I can't tell you which of us is more creative individually, but I can tell you that when we play together as a team, I believe we're more creative than either of us alone.

So, the next time you're charged with creating a solution, grab a partner and play. Fuel your partner's imagination by building on his or her ideas. Use each offering as a platform to leap to the next idea.

By accepting your collaborator's contributions and building on them you'll be doing your part in creating that safe place where ideas are planted, nurtured, bloom and can be harvested.

><((“> Gayle Turner

Gayle is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. He is a keynote speaker, facilitator, blogger and contributing author for international, national and regional publications. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

"Catches of the Day!"

Weekend is here! 

Sit down and enjoy the ><(("> Catches of the day! 

1. Why The Best Ideas Are Simple Ones

2. How to manage your brand image through context

3. Unusual strategies might help recruitment, retention

4. 16 cheap creative marketing strategies

5. What does your Organizational Chart say about your company?

><((“>Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.  

Consider yourself TAGGED.

THE TOPIC: THE STORY:
I'm sure many of you have seen things like this before on facebook. I am constantly being tagged in either pictures like this one or notes that basically have the same idea- to leave a memory you've shared with the person who tagged you. Whenever I'm tagged in one of these, initially I'm annoyed. I know that I'm going to start recieving a million of notifications that are simply "Sarah Smith commented on your photo". But then, after getting a ton of the notifications, that really have nothing to do with me, I usually look at them. Then I always find myself amused with the little jokes and stories that people share. It's a way to be nostalgic and show how much you appreciate that person in your life without being over the top mushy-gushy.

THE CHALLENGE:
If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged. Leave a comment about a memory you've had with the CYL team- whatever comes to mind! (-- and then we can all be amused by each other's stories)

><((“> Michela

Michela Fleury is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

Stairs? No way. Giant Piano? Yes Please!!

A friend posted this on her facebook and I thought it was really cool. (Thanks Ashley!)

People just like to have fun and experience something completely out of the ordinary, and in this

case it provided some people with the only exercise they've probably done all week.

The caption with the video was: "We believe that the easiest way to change people's behaviour for the better is by making it fun to do. We call it The fun theory."

><((“> Erin

Erin Albano is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more,visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

October Happy Hour

Our next Happy Hour will be on Friday, October 23, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. as usual. It's going to be a lot of fun!

Please email me if you are not on our invite list but want to come. I promise it is not because we don’t like you…

><(("> Melissa Duvall
happyhour@catchyourlimit.com

Melissa is a ><((“> Friend of Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To contact Melissa email her at happyhour@catchyourlimit.com or to learn more about Catch Your Limit, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

If I Can Do It - So Can YOU!

I thought perhaps last week was to be my last installment of my triathlon blogathon, and then two things came to mind. Firstly I need to do a little reflection, a recap, an evaluation, and secondly I am not going to stop training. Now my focus is on the upcoming trail 1/2 marathon!

The Catch Your Limit credo has been on our minds lately. And it occurred to me that in my pursuit to train for my triathlon I was also in pursuit to catch my limit. On reflection, my training has challenged and encouraged me to work harder and motivated me to what I feel was a very successful end result. I finished 6th in my age group. After a very fast swim I slowed a little on the bike, but fell into a great rhythm for the run finishing in a respectable time of 3:10:28.

There's room for improvement of course, but I discovered my capabilities and strengths and I am thoroughly celebrating my success. I also had fun and had a smile on my face even at the finish line.

One of the best parts of the triathlon experience for me is when the athletes gather on the beach at sunrise, and you embrace the idea that everyone standing there is your team mate. Everyone who has aspired and trained for this race has been on your team all along, supporting each other every step of the way. How? Because our story is the same.

During the swim, as I reached the last buoy, I pushed myself towards the beach by telling myself this is why I, and we, got up at 5am three times a week to endurance train. Then those last 2miles on the bike, when the sign at the last water stop asks how much your bum hurts and when you really want to just get off the bike, place it gently next to a tree and start walking but determined to reach the transition area, you continue. Then you find yourself running 6.2miles with wobbly legs, burning quads and a bottom that is numb. I fell into a trance of sorts and found myself re-living conversations I have had with my running buddies: Robin, Vicky & Shelby. I think I even giggled out loud at one point to the conversation I was having in my head with my absent running buddies.

And then there it was, the finish line. Allan, the amazing boyfriend, was waiting ready to take that finish line photo (not too bad as it turns out). With a medal around my neck, my good idea to complete an Olympic distance triathlon was achieved.

So the Catch Your Limit logo at least has swam a mile with me, rode 25miles on a bike and ran a 10k race, what a team!

><((“> Emma

Emma is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. Emma is a keynote speaker, facilitator, blogger and contributing author for international, national and regional publications. To learn more, visit http://www.blogger.com/www.catchyourlimit.com.

Fruit Flys Are Not Welcomed Here

I have a problem. Somehow, someway our apartment has become a new nesting ground for those obnoxious fruit flies. They are harmless yet very annoying and I (along with the roommates) have spent all day and week sporadically clapping mid air to try and smash each of these little multiplying devil flies. I love the kitchen and cooking and to have these unwanted guests in my home has been very difficult to deal with. They seem to just multiply on the spot, probably mid-air, and then disappear like magicians. They are even invading my dreams. So today after much internet research, I tried creating a fly trap with a soda bottle and some vinegar and then another one with an empty peanut butter jar, and banana, then covered it with saran wrap. I made sure they had the option to choose which death they'd like more. So even though the internet swore on those inventions, hardly any damage was done. Now I am going back to the drawing board and finding a newer, better method to complete elimination! If anyone feels my pain and has a death method, a WORKING method, I'm desperate!

Fruit Flies - Lifes Biggest Torment

><((“> Erin

Erin Albano is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

#1 Key to Success in Business: Hire 9th Graders

Fire your MBAs.
Eliminate the most qualified people within your organization.

Qualification doesn't = passion. Yeah, I know, you agree but do you actually implement it?

I was at a high-school volleyball game this evening, the coach of the Junior Varsity team is a friend and it'd been a while (never been to one) since I'd been to a high-school volleyball game, so I decided to stop by and watch.

Half the team was sick. Girls were playing in positions they weren't accustomed to in order to compensate. You can tell when an athlete wants to win, there is a difference in their energy and it's visible. As a spectator you could feel the nervous energy as the girls tried to do what they could to save the game. The girls were the word "hustle."

What motivates an athlete on a JV high-school volleyball team? It isn't a college scholarship, a big contract in the pros or endorsements. They just want to win. Maybe they don't even know why. It doesn't matter.

If I'm building an organization and I ask, "who do I want on my team" the answer would always be the person with the JV Volleyball Player attitude over the person who has the perfect resume.

Most leaders, managers and those in the position to build teams would nod their head in agreement. Still, I don't think most organizations put this into practice. Why is it that job postings rarely say, "We're looking for passion." Instead there is a list of qualifications. Even if it does say it in the posting, does that really apply once the person is sitting across your desk in the interview?

Skills can be taught, passion cannot.

><((“> JEFFY

Jeff Brainard is a><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. He is a keynote speaker, facilitator, blogger and contributing author for international, national and regional publications. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

Be the Captain of Your Soul

Thought I'd start the week by sharing one of my favorite poems.

Invictus

OUT of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley. 1849–1903

><((“> Gayle Turner

Gayle is a ><((“> Team Member at Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. He is a keynote speaker, facilitator, blogger and contributing author for international, national and regional publications. To learn more, visit http://www.CatchYourLimit.com/

Where Are You Planning to Go?

It is a terrible thing to see and have no vision. Helen Keller

So many of our plans get bogged down in the "how to" and the "now" that we don't think about where we are going or why we're even going there in the first place.

In other words, we lose sight of the vision or maybe never really had a clear sense of what it was in the first place.

So ... we find ourselves just going, going, going and getting nowhere fast!

If you are going to pick a vision, pick one that gets your adrenalin pumping. Pick one that is aspirational. Pick something other than the following:

• I can't wait to go to Mediocre-ville tomorrow and the next day and the next and the next.
  
  
• Let's be "me too." Let's go where our competition goes. They look like they are doing great.
  
  
• Let's create a place where no one else wants to work or do business with. Then we won't have to deal with anybody but ourselves.
  
  
• Let's build something that won't last until next Wednesday!
  
  
• Let's be here today and gone tomorrow.
  
  
• Let's don't go anywhere, let's build a dead end street.
  
  
• Pretty good is good enough.
  
  
• Let's let everyone guess who we are and pick the best one.
  
  Here are some great aspirational visions to pick from, and hopefully add yours. Go ahead, surprise yourself and others:
  
  
• I can't wait to be World Famous in our world.
  
  
• I can't wait to be Out of this World Famous!
  
  
• I want to be Great, not just good or worse, complacent.
  
  
• Number One!
  
  
• The One and Only ...
  
  
• A necessity to ...
  
  
• Preference over all others in our category.
  
  
• The best brand in the land.
  
  
• The brand everyone would recommend to a friend for what we do.
  
  
• Category changer!
  
  
• World changer!
  
  
• Life changer!
  
  
• Always innovating, creating, adding value and new ways to look at things to our universe.
  
  
• Kick Ass, WOW, Irreplaceable, Love, Respect, Irresistible ...
  
  
• The COKE of our category (#1 Brand in the world).
  
  Once you decide on your aspirational vision, the "how" becomes an adventure in itself, because no matter what challenges, roadblocks or threats come your way, you will muster the will power, strategies and wherewithal to get you where you want to go!
  
  Lesson: If your firm, product or service doesn't have a vision that gets and keeps you excited and on the road to glory, create one or find a place that does.
  
  Why tread water when you could be reaching for rainbows and beyond!
  
  Advertisement: We help organizations create big, tall, audacious, wondrous, heart thumping visions and guide you to reach beyond the stars to get to them!
  
  Tom Laughon
  
  Proud ><(("> Guy
  
  Tom Laughon is the founder and CEO of Catch Your Limit Consulting, a management and marketing firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. He is a senior consultant, keynote speaker, facilitator, blogger and contributing author for international, national and regional publications. To learn more, visit www.catchyourlimit.com.

Creativity-Just Like Riding a Motorcycle

By Quinn McDonald

While out taking a ride in the break between rainstorms, I realized how much riding has in common with being creative. Both give you a huge sense of freedom. Both are fun, dangerous, risky and make you nimble. Neither is boring. Common riding rules can also apply to creativity. Like this —

1. Give the narrow mind a wide road. (My father, who rode a motorcycle 80 years ago, taught me that rule.) Whether it's a car driver that hates motorcycles or a co-worker who doesn't want to consider any ideas other than his/her own, leave a lot of room around an angry head.

2. Don't look right in front of you, look where you want to go — the bike will follow. Short-term planning is helpful, but unless it's linked to long-term plans, you'll wind up in the ditch.

3. A moving bike wants to stay upright. A bike that isn't moving wants to fall over. Keeping your creative project in forward motion keeps you moving toward your dreams, your goals, or just the end of a difficult project. Take some measures to keep moving — whether it's downshifting to keep rolling or upshifting for a smooth ride, forward motion helps keep your feet on the pegs, not dragging on the pavement.

4. If you come across a big obstacle in the road, and you can't avoid it, slow down until you are close, then gun the engine, stand on the pegs, and accelerate over it. No creative project comes without obstacles. Don’t act until you get a grip on the problem, then get it over with as fast as possible. Standing on the pegs keeps the bike from tossing you off when you hit the obstacle. Keeping your balance when you power over that creative obstacle is also a good idea.

5. Stupid hurts ® is the motto of the Honda Riders Group. I hate the time it takes to put on boots, a helmet, and gloves in case I dump the bike, but I do it. In a creative project, shortcuts almost always undermine the result. It’s not fun to sweat out the right answer, but you feel great when you see that the time was worth it. And creativity is always worth it!

><(("> Jonny

Are Things Meant To Be Planned?

Lately I have been thinking about the future, where I will go, what I will do, etc., even though my parents say that I shouldn't worry about that right now because things will happen and just focus on the "now". As much as I like not having everything planned out, sometimes I get stuck on thinking where will I be come graduation. It also doesn't help that some of my friends know exactly what they want to do post-graduation. That's great and at times I envy them, but for right now seeing what will happen down the road and new adventures that come along is exciting for me. I like to think things happen for a reason. Life is full of surprises, bumps and turns along the way and if you just go straight towards only one destination, I think you will miss the things that build experiences and character to life. So for right now I am just focusing on "the now" and not worrying about what is planned out for me in the future.

Enjoying the ride!

><(("> Erin

The Barking-Lot Happy Hour was a Success!

Thanks to all who came out for our first ever Barking-Lot Happy Hour. The outrageous five-o’clock heat had EVERYONE panting but it still proved to be a good time.

Apparently, there were a lot of guests that were “like a dog” from their impressive amount of shedding to their problematic salivating condition and their affinity for raw meat. Jeff certainly showed his enthusiasm for the Barking-Lot. Though he had no dog to speak of, he certainly compensated! (By the way, Jeff, my dog said thanks for backwashing into the water bowl—way to go.) The dogs also had fun meeting little baby Laurelie who crawled around on the floor (in the true canine spirit.) Glad to see everyone getting in touch with their animal roots. ; )

The next Happy Hour on October 30th is going be a good time with fun people, tasty brews, and ridiculous costumes ... it’s the FALL FESTIVAL and it is going to be amazing.

Stay well and, while you are hard at work and scrambling to meet deadlines, remember that there’s a cold beer at our next Happy Hour just waiting for you.

Oh yea, and please email me if you are not on our invite list but want to come to the next one. I promise it is not because we don’t like you…


Best,

><((“> Melissa Duvall
mduval@catchyourlimit.com

71 Proof, LLC: A Timeless Cocktail Experience

● One ounce Grey Goose L’Orange
● One-half ounce Cointreau
● Fresh squeezed orange juice

Sugar half the rim of a highball glass with superfine sugar. Add all

ingredients to ice-filled highball glass. Garnish with orange slice

and enjoy.

When LaTanya White first made her “Orange Marmalade” it was by mistake for not having been supplied all the ingredients necessary for a guest’s order for a “Sex on the Beach”. As I sit here in my one-bedroom home, sipping on my makeshift version of the drink in a champagne glass, rather than the preferred high-ball glass, I can taste White’s simple—yet elegant— talent. But let’s start at the beginning.

Ms. White began her path to her career with no thought of bartending or entrepreneurship. In fact, she was still working in pharmaceutical sales when she was asked to serve drinks at a sorority sister’s milestone birthday party. Though it was just beer and soda that White was serving, she says she “had a blast.” After that, LaTanya decided to make bartending her hobby and pet project.

In 2007 she registered her company, 71 Proof, with the state. At the time she still intended the company to be an aside in her life. She was featured in Essence Magazine in April 2007 with her company as the “Side Hustle of the Month.” As her passion grew, however, she thirsted for more. After a particular contract ended in her pharmaceutical sales job, she decided to travel to the birth place of the American Cocktail, New Orleans, to volunteer at Tales of the Cocktail in hopes of sitting in on some of the workshops.

She made an impression at the event and her passion gained momentum as she was chosen for a Cocktails Apprenticeship the next year. From there, she researched and attended numerous workshops. White was grateful for the exposure to the upscale cocktail industry that is just not found in Tallahassee. “It’s just like any other network,” LaTanya imparts, “Once people know who you are and know your name and know what your goals are, if they can help in any way, they will.”

To gain knowledge and credibility, White attended bartending school in Tampa, FL where she could attend classes on the weekends while still maintain a full-time job during the week. There, she focused on bartending efficiency but not really crowd dealing skills. Those she learned from experience. Since 2006, Ms. White has bar-catered numerous professional events including events with Florida A&M University, the Florida Commerce Credit Union (“I love those guys over there”,) and local attorneys Parks & Crump.

What I think is one of the most interesting facets of her concept (or of any bar-catering service I’ve known) is her “Custom Cocktail Designs.” Beginning with the aforementioned Orange Marmalade, White has produced copious unique cocktail recipes. “One day,” she says, “when they figure out how to clone people, I will get them all published.”

She eventually plans to host what she describes as “almost a Tales of the Cocktails but on a smaller scale” where she will have a panel of local celebrities each design a cocktail.

White has now officially been bit by the entrepreneurial bug and is working on securing a location for her upcoming lounge, Concept Creative Hospitality Group (http://71proofllc.com/ ). Because of her energy and because of my entrepreneurial heart, I truly hope to see LaTanya reach her goals. I have a feeling, however, that she doesn’t need my hoping.

Cheers!

><((“> Melissa Duvall