That quote comes from Colin Powell, and recognizes how negative thinking can drag down an entire army.

This morning, I heard that unemployment in Kalamazoo hit double digits, rising above the 10 percent mark. I have also heard plenty of doom and gloom. My wife sees it, too. She works for the bank that handles the Michigan unemployment cards. Of every ten people who come into her branch, she says only one of them seems to have a plan. The other nine are either defeated, confused, angry at "the system" or are drunk/high.

There are two important take-home messages here.

1. On the surface, there seem to be too many competitors for too few jobs. But if only one of those ten people have a plan, you need to make sure you are that one person. See how this improves your odds?

2. There is no room for negativity, especially if Jesus is Lord. There are opportunities out there, but they require a high degree of faith, self-knowledge and the ability to think outside the box.

The first step is prayer. The second step is to go and buy yourself a copy of "What Color Is Your Parachute." This book leads you through a "life-changing job hunt." This book also asks you to do a lot of work. But you have to do the work to get work. You will discover plenty of things about yourself that you will be able to put to use in the job hunt.

Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing in this space pieces of a 12-week job hunting class my wife and I taught at our church. The next post will be about the pieces of a job hunt.