It is 31st December and I am reflecting on the journey we have travelled with Hireland. We started this as an idea on a wet night last February and by the time we launch Hireland will be just short of a year in development. None of us thought it would take so long, none of us thought we would have grown this idea into something with such potential for impact in our domestic economy and none of us thought on that night in February sitting around a kitchen table that this idea would capture the hearts and imaginations of so many along the way.

Throughout 2011 the Hireland crew worked without any budget, sacrificed paid employment to stick with the project, collaborated with experts across public, private, student and citizen sectors and learnt the hard way about the slog and commitment involved to take a big idea and make it a reality. Did we run into all the obstacles swimming upstream will throw at you ? Absolutely. Were there times when we thought are we completely crazy to be trying to push this vision forward week in week out? Yes again. But never were the barriers so great that we even considered throwing the towel in.

We are now at a point where we are saying goodbye to 2011 and looking forward to 2012. We are getting ready for Hireland to set sail on January 16th. We don’t know what course Hireland’s journey will take after that but we do know that when the first job pledge goes up on our website that Ireland’s business community will have kick started a momentum which we can start to build on one job at a time.

Happy new year to one and all of you who believed in us and who got behind Hireland. Its been an incredible journey so far and in many ways is only really beginning.

The other day I was asked why we were approaching the jobs crisis with such a rebellious and idealistic concept. It made me stop and think about it. In the words of social activist Lois Kelly – €œrebels have the courage to name the elephants in the room, see new ways to solve problems, bring outside ideas into the organization, and be the first to try new approaches, € She also talks about rebels being important catalysts in getting jobs rolling in a suffering economy because they creatively stir peoples minds about the possibility of a different outcome and incite them to act on it. So does that make all of us at Hireland rebels? I suppose it does and proud to be. Come wear the badge with us. Let's stir things up and rack our brains. Let's get Ireland back to work one job at a time in 2012.

Motivation can be described as a driving force of stimulating and sustaining goal-directed behavior. It is the most influential force amongst humans to reach their aspirations, and it is the most important in fulfilling Hireland’s initiative. The best kind of motivation comes from within. Whether it be for a sense of achievement or the desire to make a change, it is the driving force that can spark a change anywhere in the world. Hireland is looking for those with the motivation and the enthusiasm to make a change for Ireland. No matter what your motivation we are calling on you to be apart of our initiative. There are thousands of unemployed Irish citizens who WANT to work. What is their motivation? To support their families, to help the economy, to make a difference, to grow intellectually, to put their knowledge and skills to good use, and the list goes on. These are the people we want to be hired. Don’t be afraid to be the first. It is the SME’s that are the backbone of Ireland’s economy and it is YOU who could be the motivation that sparks a change towards a better future for our country.

Somebody sent this to me and it made me smile. Sometimes the simplest of explanations around some of the most complicated matters can demystify them for us all. After reading the story below it’s not too hard to imagine the knock on effect in our domestic economy if everyone had a job to go to.

It is a slow day in a small town in Cavan and streets are deserted.
Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and everybody is living on credit.

A tourist visiting the area drives through town, stops at the B&B, and lays a ‚¬100 note on the desk saying he wants to inspect therooms upstairs to pick one for the night.
As soon as he walks upstairs, the B&B owner grabs the note and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher.
The butcher takes the ‚¬100 and runs down the street to retire his debt to the pig farmer.
The pig farmer takes the ‚¬100 and heads off to pay his bill to his supplier, the Co-op.
The guy at the Co-op takes the ‚¬100 and runs to pay his debt to the local prostitute, who has also been facing hard times and has hadto offer her “services” on credit.
The hooker rushes to the B&B and pays off her room note with the owner.
The B&B proprietor then places the ‚¬100 back on thecounter so the tourist will not suspect anything.
At that moment the tourist comes down the stairs, states that the rooms are not satisfactory, picks up the ‚¬100 note and leaves.

No one produced anything.
No one earned anything.
However, the whole town is now out of debt.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how a “stimulus package” works.