UNEMPLOYED AND HAPPY?

You are what you eat. But are you where you work? Or the lack thereof?
I graduated two months ago, and I'm unemployed. Which has given rise to a question that has been haunting me for a few weeks, can I be unemployed and happy?
Think about it. Often, we place a lot of value on being busy. Busy is the new cool and if you are not tired, running place to place, or wired on coffee or an energy drink are you really part of the cool-kids club?
I might be exaggerating, but slowing down after being busy for a long time is odd. My system is not used to it, and my self-confidence has taken a toll. Doubt begins to creep in, and I find myself questioning my worth and capabilities. I'm I fit for the world? Can I make it?
The problem with this mindset lies in my desire to have someone acknowledge me and provide me with feedback. And I think this stems from the school system. Whether the professor acknowledged me or not, there was always a clear response to my work. I either got an A or an F. There was a clear correlation between how hard I worked to how well I did. Of course, there are situations where hard work does not always translate, but there was still a clear grade for me to see.
I've been in school all my life until now, and I am subconsciously waiting for someone to grade me. To acknowledge me and tell me what to do. But that is not how real life works and my "grades" will no longer be in the form of a letter.
Getting a good grade provided me with the self-assurance that I was doing something right, that I wasn't lagging behind. But now I find myself conflicted because there is no specific thing I can point out to that represents who I am. And that is scary. But it's also liberating.
When I was stressed about my grades I would repeat to myself "grades don't define you." And I still truly believe in that, but the thought of seeing a measure of my being seems much easier than trying to figure it out on my own.
So to answer my question. YES. You can be unemployed and happy. You can be happy if you give yourself tasks that will get you a little closer to where you want to be, even if you don't know where you want to end up. You can be happy if you begin to see your self-worth not based on the work you have or how much you make a year, but in what you can offer to those around you.
Although I do hope to get a job sometime soon, I will find my happiness in myself and not in others. So yes, be happy and unemployed. Afterall, you can always become your own boss and create your empire. You just have to be consistent and lay your bricks with love and care.

Until next time.