I could go on and on. The point is this: Life will always have ups and downs. The secret is to flow with tide as best we can. Complaining about what is keeps you from spotting or even creating new opportunities.

In every panic, in every generation, men and women with eyes wide open saw and seized opportunities.

Whether it was George Washington who went on to become president and build his own fortune, or P.T. Barnum who went on to prosper during Civil War, fact remains:

Circumstances don't make you, you make you.

This "bad time" might become greatest period of prosperity for you.

Maybe you just have to relax your demands. In 1941 Bruce Barton wrote, "I have been out of a job three times in my life. Each time I made a survey of my surroundings and discovered that there was work to be done, though not same kind of work I had been doing."

Barton was a best-selling author, Congressman, popular speaker, and founder of one of largest advertising agencies in world, BBDO. He also became a millionaire.

And don't fall for trap that past was better than present. In 1907 famous tycoon John Rockefeller said:

"People sometimes talk as if we older men lived in a day of peculiar opportunity, as if there were no chance today for a young man to do what has been done by my generation of men, as if all avenues were closed, all big things done. Nothing could be more mistaken. Why, time in which I opened my eyes was a midnight of darkness, and this is blazing noon."

A word to wise: Listen, act and prosper.

There are opportunities around you.

Which will you see first and act on now?

This is your time of blazing noon.

Third, when you call, respect other person's time. Because media people face unforgiving, absolute deadlines, PR pros usually start off something like this: "Hello, this is ____. Are you on deadline or do you have a moment now?" Tell them only as much as is necessary to pique their interest. Don't take it personally if they appear brusque, and never argue with someone who's given you a "no." Simply go on to another person on your list.

Fourth, practice what you'll say when they want a full- length interview. Decide on three major points you want to get across and get a friend who's a Barbara Walters wannabee to feed you relevant and off-the-wall questions. Debra Benton got terrific results from columnist partly because she anticipated what he might ask and prepared compelling examples and convincing replies.

Phone pitches shouldn't replace targeted distribution of news releases, only supplement them in those rare cases where you sense a perfect match between a media outlet and your own specialization.