5 Tips for getting back in the game when you've been kicked out

Inspirational speaker Willie Jolley is on a national tour sponsored by E*Trade, traveling the country and speaking to people about how to get back into the workforce when you've been kicked out.

Jolley says he found out he could be a successful professional speaker after he was fired as a nightclub entertainer. With no good opportunities in sight and $200 in his pocket, he took a job with a drug-prevention program for at-risk youth.

“I had to give speeches to kids in tough neighborhoods, and I guess because of my background as a performer, people really seemed to like them,” he told Success magazine. “One thing led to another, and by word of mouth, I kept getting invitations to speak at different companies, teachers’ associations and churches. Then Les Brown heard me speak, and he liked the way I mixed music and motivation. So he invited me to be part of the Music and Motivation Tour that he was doing with Gladys Knight.”

Since then, Jolley has made a career out of inspiring people. Among many jobs, he says he was hired to speak to Ford employees when the going was toughest for the car company. He's also written several books, including It Only Takes a Minute to Change Your Life and A Setback Is a Setup for a Comeback.

His new book, Turn Setbacks into Greenbacks, is due out in January. His advice for the unemployed in his latest book includes these five tips:


Stop commiserating. People who sit around and commiserate are the people who would rather complain about being unemployed than do anything to fix the problem.
Don’t just look for a job; make a job. Success is linked to thought, so get creative and become the CEO of YOU, Inc. What need do people have that you can fill? How can you use your expertise and get paid for it? What’s something you can offer customers that other companies in your field aren’t doing? Down times are the best times to start a business because there are so many problems waiting to be solved.
Don’t let your pride poison your prosperity. Stop trying to put up a facade of success and get real. The classifieds are full of jobs. Any work that is moral and legal is honorable, so even if you have to temporarily take a job at a lower skill set it is okay.
Upgrade your network. Build a network of people who are big thinkers. It is your network that often determines your net worth and your job situation. Who are you hanging out with? Who are you talking to and sharing ideas with? Make a commitment to network with people who will inspire ideas and encourage your entrepreneurial spirit, because these people will have a major impact on helping you make a comeback.
Stretch your goals beyond what you think you can accomplish. This puts you in the right frame of mind to make it happen. Thinking on a higher level leads to acting on a higher level.

Source:http://www.mlive.com/jobs/index.ssf/2011/10/5_tips_for_getting_back_in_the_game_when.html