24. You Didn’t Fail. You Were Consumed

(Burnout is what happens when you’re harvested.)

Write. Laugh. Hope.

You gave your time.
Your energy.
Your soul.
And they called it productivity—
until there was nothing left to take.

You didn’t fail.
You were extracted.
Pulled apart in spreadsheets and reassembled in performance reviews.
Smiling while dying.
Exhausted but expected.

You were never lazy.
You were devoured.

They told you self-care was selfish.
Told you rest was weakness.
Told you boundaries were bad for business.

So you worked yourself hollow
and they still asked for more.

This system doesn’t crash you by accident.
It designs you to run out of steam
just before your benefits kick in.
Right after your last workable nerve snaps.

Burnout isn’t a personal problem.
It’s a corporate goal.

You are not broken.
You are burned.

And even now, they’re still lighting matches.

Write. Laugh. Hope.
Because what the hell else is there?