The Best Of A Bad Situation?

As I was getting up to leave, The New Boss said, “One more thing.” 

"What would that be?” I asked.

“This part where you ask what people get out of burnout.  What’s that about?”

“Even bad situations have hidden benefits. People who are burned out, sometimes consciously, sometimes without realizing it, use their stress to their advantage. They accept sympathy. They use burnout to take the sting out of not meeting their responsibilities.”

“So they’re lazy con artists?”

“No, I’m saying burnout sucks and it has advantages.  It’s human nature to tap into the advantages of any bad situation.  Lemme give you another example. Nobody really wants to relapse. But, relapse releases the tension of struggling to stay sober.  Going back to AA after you relapse gets you all kinds of attention.  Failing to stay sober is familiar.  Relapse sucks and has advantages people need to recognize and deal with to stay sober. Until you recognize what you get out of a bad situation, you’re less likely to change it. Sometimes making the best out of a bad situation keeps you in that situation.” 

Today I won’t make the best of a bad situation.

Burnout Training ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Burnout Training is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/