Sooner or later some event comes along and hits us on the head.

It could be an event that triggered your job search.  A sudden call to the bosses office.  An unexpected takeover.  A dive in the market.  Or perhaps politics.

It could also happen during the search.  The lead that seems perfect for you just doesn't move along.  Or a search that is suddenly pulled or put on hold.

It can also work the other way.  A break comes out of nowhere.  Suddenly the phone starts to ring again.  Momentum shifts your way.

So how do you react to those events?

Here was an exercise a speaker mentioned in a talk we heard awhile back.  Take a lemon.  Cut it open.  Give it a squeeze.

Now take an orange.  Put a similar cut in it.  Give it the same squeeze.

You gave each the same squeeze.  But in one case, you got lemon juice.  In another, you got orange juice. 

It wasn't the squeezer that made the difference, it was what was inside.

We see this lately in some golf tournaments.  Some crowds have been a little feisty.  A fan might make a comment, perhaps inappropriate.

The players react differently.  Some snap back.  Others refocus.

Once again, similar squeeze, but different reaction.

You have gotten squeezed, otherwise, you might not be here.

So how to you respond?

• With bitterness, i.e. like the bitter taste of lemon juice straight up?

• With sweetness, i.e. like the sweet taste of orange juice?

This is easier said then done.  We are not always one or the other.  Sometimes we are lemons, other times we are oranges.

This time can be a good time to practice being more of an orange.  Take control of how you react. 

You might then start attracting more better breaks your way!

In some cases, the reverse could apply.  The golfer who snaps back at a fan might actually encourage more fans to heckle him/her, however inappropriate that is.

However, a lot of times there is not a correlation.  That job loss comes through no fault of yours.

That unfortunate event is behind.  Don't feed it energy.  Don't let it keep a squeeze on you. 

Move forward and be ready to get the good squeezes!