Unemployed but Self-Confident
Your value does not depend on your working condition
I’ve been looking for a job for a while, and still I am unemployed. I do feel worried, moneyless, and discouraged, BUT I am not sad.
Graduated last September, my family expects that I should have already found a job, and by doing this way, they are actually not helpful. I update an Excel sheet with every new job application I send, together with the related name of the company, location, and the role. I began to write it all down shortly after my graduation, but I’ve actually start looking for a job one year ago. So far, I’ve entered 145 applications. Am I desperate? No.
I took advantage of the previous months to work on myself. I’ve started some online courses, I began to meditate, I started writing here on Medium and reading a lot of articles about mindfulness, positivity, and so on. I understood that, even though the situation may be difficult, I want to stay positive. Indeed, I do believe that a positive mind attracts positive outcomes. Keeping myself busy helps me to create a flexible daily routine and not developing depressing thoughts.
What I want to convey with this article is that your value does not decrease because of your working condition. I already experienced it when I was in Austria. At that time, I was very sad, I even cried for weeks. I did a lot of interviews, and I never recognized that I seemed desperate to my interviewers. I learnt that being desperate attracts negative energy, since people around us will show us their pity. Honestly, I don’t want that someone shows me their compassion.
Staying positive is quite hard when you have no job, you must live with your family because you are not financial independent, you cannot simply afford something you wish, your budget decreases, and almost every application sent does not get any reply. This sound awful, isn’t it? If you are struggling to get a job too, remember that you are a person like the others on this planet. Your own personality, your talent(s), your inner resources (bravery, strength, dedication…) should not be influenced by the outside world. Protect yourself and your values from critics and negativity by working on your emotional side. Nourish your inner flower so that it can blossom despite the adversities.
It is also important not to compare yourself to other people: Enjoy their success, take them as example, consider what they have done to come that far, but do not make any comparison. Life is not a running competition. Do not let your attitude and your happiness depend on your working condition. You are not your job, you are not your family, you are not the rumor around you.
