Don't dwell on all the bad news. Bad news sells newspapers, TV and radio advertising - the more sensational it is, the greater the audience. It is not sensational when a start-up hires 5 or 10 employees, and that happens thousands of time a day in this country. Has the economy changed since September 11? Yes, but take a look at Raytheon, Lockheed and a dozen other stocks. They have all increased in value. The fact is that the economy is always changing. Catastrophic events like those that occurred on the 11th intensify and accelerate the normal rate of change.

Who has read, Who Moved My Cheese? We all need to learn to adjust to changing economic conditions. Better yet we need to learn to anticipate and prepare. What have you read recently that would make you a more valuable employee? What training have your received? What courses have you taken? I speak with executives in transition every day who are using the time between jobs to sharpen their skills attending seminars and training sessions - not a bad idea.

1. Practice pleasant persistence. The people you are contacting have the capacity to do 50 -100 tasks per day at best. You may be their 101st priority. Keep that in mind. Don't take it personally. Just keep trying.

2. Even if you think you hated the job, your boss and the company you just left, don't be negative. It will catch up with you. Remember Mom's advice, “If you can't say anything nice. Don't say anything at all.” Better yet, think of something “nice” to say about your ex-job, boss, and company.

3. Paradox of positioning - You want to present yourself to be as versatile as possible so that you will be considered for the greatest number of opportunities but …At the same time, employers today want and need new hires who are an exact fit for their needs. They want someone who can make money for them the first day, the first hour on the job. Some even want candidates to make money for them before they are hired - “Give me an analysis of how we should deal with this issue …” Free consulting? A good deal for you or not? You have to decide.

Being caught in a downsizing or restructure is a lot like death. You are dealing with the loss. You MUST GRIEVE the loss. How do you deal with the grief? Here are some thoughts:

3. Talk to someone about it who is positive and supportive - preferable someone who is not personally impacted by your transition. Your spouse and kids may be too close, too afraid and too uncertain about their own future to support you effectively despite their desire to do so.

4. Get some exercise - daily - a walk is fine if you haven't been doing much recently, but little by little work up to a minimum of 45- 60 minutes per day. It will help you burn off a lot of anxiety and it can also help you sleep, which is critical.

5. When we get stressed we often have trouble sleeping. When we are sleep deprived, we experience more stress and less sleep. Oh, and sometimes we can go to the other extreme and sleep all the time. So getting up at a reasonable time and going for a walk or a jog is a great idea to start the day.

6. Journaling is a constructive and proven method of dealing with grief. So is talking to friends and family, but you may find that your friends shy away from you after you are unemployed. I have experienced it myself. I think it is because they expect you are going to ask them for help and they aren't sure what they can do.

7. Family members are having an even tougher time. They have all kinds of concerns. Will we have to move? Where will we live? My kids used to joke about finding a big cardboard box that refrigerators are shipped or in a finding a nice spot under the freeway overpass. Kids wonder if they will still be able to go to college. This time is particularly tough for the wife of someone in transition. Oftentimes, the house is an extension of a homemaker's identity. The wife may be facing the loss of part of who she is. So if she finds it difficult to be supportive, don't be surprised.

The October 1, 2001 issue of Human Resources Executive talks about a motivational presentation by Art Berg, entitled Take Control of Your Destiny. Berg is perhaps an unlikely motivational speaker. He hasn't run a Fortune 500 company. He didn't win the Heisman Trophy or land on the moon. In fact he was paralyzed from the neck down in an auto accident at the age of 21. After considerable study and insight, he has determined that successful people share a common characteristic. They talk about, they think about and they do things that they can influence or control. No matter how dire the situation, Berg said, “focus on what you can control.” This should apply in all aspects of your life; not just in the workplace.