I've written before about men and women who email and call me from overseas, or anywhere they happen to be on active duty, to let me know that they aren't going be able to make it to an event. They always apologize for not being able to make it and want to know when the next show is.
I don't mention this because it makes me feel big or important - it humbles me beyond words. I share these notes from servicemen and women because they are the definition of a positive mindset. If you don't have that to begin with in every facet of your career search, any other guidance that I or anyone else can give you is useless, simple as that.
I communicate with people every day who are fed up with their job options. We wouldn't be doing what we do here if that frustration wasn't there. What I hate seeing is the frustration spilled over into a toxic negative mindset. You know it when you see it; it happens in every facet of life. Somebody got "jaded" somewhere along the way and now makes ridiculous generalizations based on a few bad experiences... and they don't even know they're doing it.
You have to fight that mentality; I do it all the time. It's a fight. It requires strength, smarts, preparation, endurance, and commitment if you're even going to last the first minute. Once you step in, though, things take on a different appearance. You're hitting for positivity.
It makes you take sides. You can either complain that not as many companies showed up at a job fair as you wanted, or you can come in with solid research and preparation on a select few you really like, in the career field you're specifically interested in. Positivity is knowing what you want in a career, being prepared to talk about it with the people who can make it happen, and forgetting about the rest - focusing until a "problem" looks like a goal.
