"THE CRAB EFFECT"

If you put a crab into a bucket by itself it will climb out. Put several crabs in a bucket and they will ALL stay there. The reason for this is something called "The Crab Effect." As soon as a crab starts to try to make it's way out.. the other crabs pull it back into the bucket. This one crab did not want to be confined. He believed he had a choice and did not have to accept his lot in life. He was willing to venture outside of his imposed boundaries in search for freedom.

Unfortunately, the others in the group did not recognize that they too had a choice, and would not allow the venturing crab to leave the rest of them behind.

Funny enough.. this describes human behavior. If a person busts their ass and begins to excel, they may find that those around them begin to actively discourage their efforts, even mocking their success. Kind of like a "if I can't have it, neither can you" attitude. Some people are afraid of being left behind and don’t want to be left alone. Like they say, ‘Misery loves company.’

Ultimately, no one can keep you in the box except you. It’s hard to succeed without people trying to pull you down but it can be done. Want to lose weight and improve your health but friends try to talk you out of it?? Perhaps they aren't happy with their OWN weight/health and that's why they feel insecure about you bettering yourself. Want to start your own business and live life by design but every person you talk to about it calls you bat-shit crazy? There's a massive discomfort when someone’s potential outgrows the norms surrounding them. In the same way that once the four minute mile was broken then many more followed, success breeds success... and to get there one must resist those that try to pull them down. All too often the weight of the people pulling you down is the only reason that you fail to jump the hurdle.

If you’re happy being confined to the box, then great.

However, if you are a dreamer, a visionary ... or if you simply want a better life, then the effort, the struggle, the sacrifice will be worth it all.

Oh yea.. and get the damn crabs out of your life.. will ya?