The Secret to My Medicority

Hey Gang,

There are are a lot of books, videos and websites about becoming the best version of yourself.  Apparently striving for excellence is a top selling subject.  Today I want to challenge that theory.  I feel there is no shame in mediocrity, as long as you are the best mediocre that you can be.  Excel in being so-so!

You may be thinking, 'Cathy Gainer Corporate Trainer, that is easier said than done.' I agree, but with a few of my pointers you can succeed in being just a little better than average.  Remember, there is only one you in a sea of 7.5 billion people.  If you can barely out-do 3.75 billion other humans than you can be an expert at being intermediate.

Tip #1- Rest is important.  Successful people will work around the clock to reach their goals.  Mediocre people will take breaks, naps and pauses.  The mediocre folks may not achieve greatness, but their Candy Crush scores will be pretty darn high.

Tip#2- Don't sacrifice comfort.  Being comfortable is key to staying happy in the moment.  Some may say a short-term surrender of personal enjoyment will pay off with long-term accomplishments, but it may cause one to be deprived of instant gratification.

Tip#3- Done may be better than perfect, but never-starting is better than done.  If there is nothing to accomplish then there is nothing to complete.  It's math.

I hope these tips help you to be the commonest you can be.  The Latin phrase "carpe diem" is used a lot, but I prefer the French "comme si comme sa."

Have an ordinary day!

Cathy Gainer Corporate Trainer

Spanksgiving

Hey Gang,

I'm hoping everyone is having a Happy Thanksgiving!  I have my turkey jerky and bottle of gravy-flavored Gatorade, so I am set for the holiday!  Many people use this day to reflect and find gratitude for the things in their life.  I have decided to add a twist to this tradition and start swatting all the people I know and love, and some that I just know.

It started out when I went to the gas station to buy my holiday meal. The attendant scanned my turkey flavored feast and I looked at him deeply. (It seemed that he was avoiding eye contact with me , but I kept staring.)  I said, "Hey, I see you almost everyday when you ring up my dried meat pieces, you are great and you matter."  Then I swatted his hand and he looked surprised.  I thought, how sad...probably no one else took the time to tell him what a great job he was doing.  I decided to spread the cheer to the rest of the gas station.

As I was leaving, I saw a gentleman headed to the register to buy a case of beer and a pack of cigarettes.  I told him, "We all celebrate the holidays differently, kudos to you for polluting your body while we commemorate our founding supper."  Then I gave him a gentle punch and the shoulder.  He replied with profanity.

I continued my journey into the parking lot.  I stopped to greet a lady, who was putting gas in her car.  I told her, "Way to fill up using pump number 7! Keep it up!"  I smacked her on the behind and skipped along.  She yelled, "Hey what's your problem???" 

I told her, "It's no problem, I am happy to oblige."

She put the gas handle back on the pump and yelled, "My hands aren't full anymore.  I dare you to come back and do that again, you psycho!!"

I replied, "I don't have time.  I am on my way to inspire others and no, I'm not a Psychologist, just someone who cares." I could tell I changed her day! 

I challenge all of you to do the same.  If you spend today with your family, take the time to tell them how you feel and follow it up with a punch, a slap or even a noogie.  Or, if you are like me and weren't invited this year to eat with your relatives, then spread the love to strangers.  You definitely will make it a Thanksgiving that they will talk about for years to come!

Happy Spanksgiving!

Cathy Gainer Corporate Trainer

Let a Compass be Your Compass

Hey Gang,

I was listening to the radio the other day and heard a song with the lyrics, "Let your heart be your compass."  I thought that was just a nifty idea.  Let your feelings guide you. Feelings are led by emotions and emotions are always very consistent!

I put this theory to a test and went camping!  I threw out the GPS and any navigational tools that I had packed.  I wanted to take a walk and see where my mental state took me.

At first, I was very happy and excited so I decided to hike into the most condensed woods that I could find.  If I was in this good of a mood, can you imagine how delighted I would be to see a cute fuzzy bunny?   Following my heart, I walked deeper and deeper into the wilderness.  I didn't find any adorable animals.  I did find a lot of insects and a hardy patch of poison ivy!

After several hours, fear and fatigue starting to take over, so I decided to switch it up and let anxiety be my compass.  It was at this point that I tried running away from the most condensed trees in the woods.  My feet were constantly getting tangled in vines and the sun was starting to set. It seemed that leaving a forest isn't as easy as walking into it, so I turned full-blown panic into my compass.

Luckily, some nearby school children heard my screams and led me to safety.  As it turned out I was just in a neighborhood park and a playground was only a quarter of a mile away.  I was grateful to get help, although the parents of the children filed a petition to never let me near the playground again.

I do, though, recommend that everyone should try at least once to let their heart be their compass, but maybe keep a smartphone in your back pocket, just in case trouble arises.

Happy Camping!

Cathy Gainer Corporate Trainer

Get Onboard With Cathy Gainer Corporate Trainer

Hey Gang,

As a Corporate Trainer, who neither works for a corporation nor trains people, I like to keep my ear to the ground on industries that I am not employed in.  I have seen a lot of articles lately about onboarding and the importance of doing it correctly.  I don't really know what the term "onboarding" means, but agree that the process is important.

 Here is some of the information that I have gathered: Onboarding has something to do with new people working at a company.  Contrary to my behavior at new jobs, where I walk in and ask, "Where's my desk? Who is in charge of getting me coffee? What exactly does this business do???" some companies have a whole system designed to get fresh employees "on board" to their new surroundings. As an almost-professional trainer, I have thought of some great ways to improve on this mechanism.

First Day of TRAINing - Rather than having onboarding, companies should have, "All Aboarding!"  This is when the hiring manager or HR reps greet employees on their first day dressed like a train conductor.  The employees will hand their offer letters over and the manager or HR rep will punch holes in it like one of  the cartooned Tom Hanks in The Polar Express.  It would be a hoot!  HR could yell "All Aboard...When I say Chugga, you say Choo Choo....Chugga..."

What's more fun for a new employee than dancing and clapping along with the person that they will be reporting to for the foreseeable future?  Good stuff!

Hang Ten on Day One- Another great idea is to have a surfer theme on the first day of employment.  That same manager or HR rep could greet newbies in a sarong and flip flops (which are huge dress code violations) while carrying a surf board over their shoulders. They could greet everyone saying "Surf's up and so is Benefits Enrollment if we don't hurry and get started."

So Boring- Let's face it onboarding isn't always exciting, so my last idea is to embrace the blase. Give each new hire a fidget spinner on arrival, encourage them to check their phones for messages or even watch You-Tube videos.  "This Onboarding is Oh-So-Boring" could be on a banner hung in their new cubicle.

As always, I love training and hope this helps any hiring professional out there!  Also if anyone wants to hire me, just send me an email.  I have my first-day sarong all ready to go!

Cathy Gainer Corporate Trainer