When crabs are thrown into a bucket, they instinctively grab at other crabs trying to climb out. As a group, crabs in a bucket pull each other down, preventing one another from escaping.
Like crabs in a bucket, people may try to drag you back down when they sense you’re striving to become something more. They might shame you, mock you, or exclude you for daring to try something new, voicing a dream, or thinking differently.
Think of:
- The poor kid (maybe you) who was bullied when they wore new clothes on the first day for school.
- The fat kid (maybe you) who was mocked for trying to eat healthy.
- The family member who constantly reminds you of your past mistakes, no matter how small.
- The friends who accuse you of being “too good for us” when you stop drinking.
People usually aren’t doing this out of malice. They’re just scared. Scared you’ll outgrow them. Scared they’ll lose you. Scared you’ll prove that change is possible, and that they lacked the spine to change themselves.
This is worth repeating: Whether they realize it or not, some people will take your work toward self-improvement as a personal threat and then attack you for it.
From now on:
- Never be a crab dragging others down. Don’t shame people for trying to grow, learn, change, or move beyond your class. Your insecurity isn’t their fault.
- Never bury yourself in a bucket. Fight that voice telling you you’re an imposter, that you don’t deserve opportunities, that you should quit without even trying. Do not tolerate self-sabotage.
- Leave the fucking bucket. Whatever it takes. Leave town. Leave people. Disappoint them. Break habits. The temporary pain of trying will always beat the permanent pain of regret.
No matter where you begin, there is no lid. Just crabs. So fight for every inch until you’ve left the bucket.
If reading this is your first inch, keep climbing.
“Crabs in a bucket, wanna see you at the bottom, don’t you love it? When they’re hatin’ so you hit ’em with the encore, sendin’ shots but you at the top floor.”
~Vince Staples, Crabs in a Bucket (Song)