Matt Bacak: Beware of Crabs

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Beware of the “crab bucket syndrome.”

When a single crab is placed in an open bucket, it can escape and it will. However, when more than one shares a bucket, none can get out. If one crab elevates themselves above the others, the others will grab this crab and drag it back down to share the mutual fate of the rest of the group. The crab bucket syndrome is often used to describe social situations where one person is trying to better themselves and others in the community attempt to pull them back down. Here’s how to get out. I’m out of the bucket and many of you want to get out of the bucket. Here’s how to get out the bucket. You can listen to someone who’s made millions affiliate marketing, doing or you can listen to others. It’s your choice.

When I first started out in affiliate marketing, I did a million dollar run. What I mean by that is I decided I wanted to make a million dollars and then I took off running towards that goal. I remember calling up my mother during the middle of my run and talking to her. I said, “Look Mom, I’m not going to talk to you for awhile. I’m not going to talk to you until I make my first million.” She wanted to know when that would be. I told her I didn’t know but I wasn’t going to talk to anyone until I succeeded, except for my cheerleaders that were going to cheer me along.

That sounds harsh, doesn’t it? I love my mom and she has always been there for me. She always knew I could make a million dollars but she was like a fellow crab in the crab bucket. She was trying to pull me down from getting out of the bucket. She didn’t do this purposefully and with any kind of hateful feelings. Simply put, she was just being a mom. In her effort to try to protect me, she was pulling me back down into the bucket. She wanted me to succeed at my goals but she would often say negative things that ended up hindering me.

I’m sharing this story with you because I know many of you have goals you want to achieve but you’re being pulled back by the other crabs in the bucket. These other crabs can be anybody, including the people who love you the most, your parents. They could be your spouse, your children or even your best friend. Now this isn’t to say that they don’t love you or want the best for you because I’m sure they do but sometimes, you have to say to yourself and to them, I’m going to succeed and I want your support along the way. If they can’t be supportive or they act like my mom acted, trying to protect you while in turn hindering you, distance yourself from that person for awhile.

Sometimes, when trying to realize your dreams, you have to make sacrifices. For me, I made a sacrifice by deciding to not speak with my mother until I could accomplish my goal. In less than six months, I made my dream a reality and I called her up and told her I did it. She was ecstatic for me. Our relationship now is just as great as ever. Our relationship has not suffered even though I had to step back from it for awhile.

The point is, do you have someone in your life holding you down mentally? Is someone grasping onto you, trying to maintain the status quo in your life. Who are the crabs in your life? Sometimes, it may be someone who actually doesn’t want you to succeed and then you’ll need to make the decision to get rid of that person in your life. Often times, just like with my mother and I, the people holding you back may be people you love and who love you. Don’t let anyone hold you back or keep you from escaping the crab bucket. You can do it. You must find a way to create a balance in your life so that you can accomplish what you’ve set out to do, even if it means taking a break from the people you love.