We co-created MojoLife as a response to the economic downturn and the swathe of redundancies sweeping the nation. We’d like to know what you think.
MojoLife is a philosophy and a mechanism for helping people find their purpose, re-ignite their spark and move their life forward. We’ve all lost our ‘mojo’ at some point, and through redundancy many people end up feeling flat, under-valued, disengaged and pessimistic.
At the heart of MojoLife is the notion that we ALL need to think more creatively and entrepreneurially in the 21st century. That means CONNECTING with others and CREATING opportunities, instead of relying on others. It doesn’t necessarily mean starting a business, but it DOES mean starting to think like a self-employed person. According to Seth Godin we’re all self employed and certainly the entrepreneurial mindset enables you to move onwards and upwards in your career.
Firing off endless CV’s in a world of fewer vacancies and more job seekers is a soul-destroying task (I know, I have been there). It’s the equivalent of ‘push-marketing’ in the business world, and the continual rejection takes its toll. MojoLife takes a different approach – a PULL approach to marketing YOU.
The advent of social media (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs, etc) means it’s never been more within our reach to find and dominate our own preferred niche. We don’t have to wait years for someone else to move us up the ladder. The key is to re-discover who we are, the value we can bring, package it, and communicate it really, really well. Easy? No. Possible? Most definitely, but not without some help. Let me show you how.
Tanya
Tanya is 41 years of age and has worked as a manager in the public sector for 18 years. Originally from Germany, Tanya decided to stay in England after being offered a translation job after finishing her Masters degree in English at Manchester University. She was made redundant 6 months ago and has had very little success finding employment since. She’s received some guidance on putting together her CV and some help on job search/interview techniques. She’s fired off at least 350 CV’s, is signed up with numerous recruitment agencies, had 8 interviews and still no success. Needless to say, her confidence is low. Her relationship with her partner has suffered and she doesn’t go out with friends any more. She’s beginning to resign herself to a future of shelf-stacking and economizing.
An alternative scenario?
Tanya comes along to a MojoLife group and meets other talented, but under-employed people. She’s introduced to a new way of thinking about and connecting with others and creating opportunities rather than putting her life in the hands of others. She’s asked to put together a ‘manifesto’, rather than a CV. She starts to reflect on who she is, what she can do, how she’s helped people and the value she can bring. She’s asked to consider what she really loves doing…what she’s really interested in…can she recall a time was she at her best?
She remembers an occasion 12 years ago when she undertook the 5 Nations cycling challenge. She loved the experience of touring the UK, staying in small Bed and Breakfasts. She’s always loved cycling and travelling and wrote a journal of her experiences and observations of British cultures which she shared with her friends and family in Germany as well as in England. They loved it and to this day still talk about it.
Tanya re-reads the journal and newspaper clippings she kept from the national and local papers that published details of the 5 Nations event and even an interview with her. She recalls how she felt during that time. She shares this story with her fellow MojoLife members
They ask her if she still writes. “I don’t write much,” she says, “but I do still love cycling”. They all encourage her to focus on her loves of cycling and writing and this gets her thinking.
She attends a MojoLife workshop on personal branding and using social media, and starts writing a blog about cycling in and around Manchester. She discovers Meetup (an on-line platform for encouraging get-togethers for like-minded people) and forms a North West Cyclists group. She attracts followers from throughout his region. She does the same on Facebook (more followers, some overseas), starts a YouTube channel and does a few videos, showing her pointing out some of the challenges faced as a cyclist in the North West and quirky stories about people and places she has encountered on her journeys. She starts to engage in on-line conversations about cycling and transport issues – on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. She writes more articles. She’s starting to get noticed.
Her writing captures the attention of the leading Manchester newspaper group. She leads a successful campaign on the importance of cycling as a sustainable transport method. She is approached by one of the leading media groups to write regular articles for cycling and other magazines.
Then, out of the blue she gets a call from one of her fellow members from the cycling Meetup group she leads. It turns out a senior-level job has become available at a large pharmaceutical company in Cheshire – the role is Director for Sustainable Transport Policy.
Now I could go on, but you get the picture?
Even though Tanya has public sector manager all over her CV, she wasn’t getting anywhere because her sector was contracting and more people are chasing fewer jobs.
But through the pursuit of something she’s passionate about, she’s:
- Become pro-active, purposeful, energetic and enthusiastic
- Created a reputation in a niche market
- Widened her network
- Shown she can write, speak and build relationships
- Shown organisational expertise and a willingness to collaborate with others
- Developed some skill in using social media to develop her new ‘brand’
- Started to PULL IN opportunities
In short, she’s a great deal more marketable in every way than she was before. But it’s not just that. She’s also a much happier and more fulfilled person than previously. And of course that has huge implications for those around her – friends, family, etc.
Geoff is 53 years of age and has worked as an IT project manager in the financial services industry for 12 years. He was made redundant 6 months ago and has had very little success finding employment since. He’s received some guidance on putting together his CV and some help on job search/interview techniques, but to no avail. He’s fired off at least 350 CV’s, had 6 interviews and still no success. Needless to say, his confidence is low. His relationship with his wife and kids has suffered, he doesn’t go out with friends any more and he’s beginning to resign himself to a future of shelf-stacking and economizing.
An alternative scenario?
Geoff comes along to a MojoLife group and meets other talented, but under-employed people. He’s introduced to a new way of thinking about creating opportunities rather than putting his life in the hands of others. He’s asked to put together a ‘manifesto’, rather than a CV. He starts to reflect on who he is, what he can do, how he’s helped people and the value he can bring. He’s asked to consider what he really loves doing…what he’s really interested in…can he recall a time was he at his best?
Geoff is passionate about good wine
He remembers an occasion 8 years ago when he organised a wine-tasting trip for some friends to France. He’s always loved wine and he wrote up a diary of the trip at the time and shared it with his friends in the form of a short, self-published book. They loved it and to this day still talk about the experiences they had.
Geoff re-reads the book and gets in touch with those friends again.
They ask him if he’s still doing that kind of thing. “Not sure,” he says, explaining his predicament. They all encourage him to do it and it gets him thinking. His fellow MojoLife members encourage him too and he starts reading up on the wine industry – people who are making a living from it. (He never knew there were so many people involved in so many ways). He reads the Oz Clarke story, takes a greater interest in wine journalism and attends a few events in his region. It seems he’s not alone in having an interest in this area.
He attends a MojoLife workshop on personal branding and using social media, and starts writing a blog about wine. He enjoys writing, especially about something he’s interested in. His (middle-class) friends start asking him which wine they should serve at dinner parties. He starts to circulate and begins to enjoy himself. The editor of the local newspaper asks him if he’d write a short column about wine. A local restaurant opens and the owner asks Geoff if he’d like to come along as his guest, and talk about the wine list.
He discovers Meetup (an on-line platform for encouraging get-togethers for like-minded people) and forms a wine appreciation club. He attracts followers from throughout his region. He does the same on Facebook (more followers, some overseas), starts a YouTube channel and does a few videos, showing him and the same restaurant owner discussing what varietals are in or out this month. He starts to engage in on-line conversations about wine – on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. He writes more articles. He’s starting to get noticed.
Then, out of the blue he gets a call from one of his old friends, someone who came on the original wine trip he organised. It turns out his friend runs a corporate hospitality company. Wine trips are on the agenda and he asks Geoff if he’d consider running one to South Africa, and maybe writing some materials for their blog.
These are imaginary scenarios, but entirely achievable. It’s the MojoLife way of doing things, an entrepreneurial response to redundancy or simply being dissatisfied with your current situation.
That doesn’t necessarily mean starting a business. But in a way we ALL need to think like a self-employed person in the modern age. It’s the most effective response to economic ups and downs, and helps US keep control of our destiny instead of putting it in the hands of others.
The interesting thing about Tanya and Geoff’s examples is that although they really got into something they loved, they reached out to others and communicated their passion and expertise. This is a mistake people often make when they find solace in a hobby after a fruitless job search. They enjoy it but don’t monetize it.
Lauren Luke stayed in her bedroom and showed how to put makeup on, but because she video’d herself doing it and shared it with others via YouTube, her expertise became MARKETABLE and she’s a terrific internet success story.
Tom Peters, the ‘godfather’ of management guruism points out that linear careers are a thing of the past. It’s all about projects now, and the beauty of the internet age is it’s never been easier to create and nurture your own project.
Whether it’s cycling blogs, makeup tutorials or building windmills, our advice is this:
MAKE THE FIRST PROJECT A SIMPLE ONE…YOU!
Invest in this process and see what happens, but don’t do it alone. Come and speak to us at MojoLife.
