When at the beach one day, a little boy collected a bunch of crabs and put them into a bucket. He watched them for hours. The light breeze blew his hair, the sun kissed his skin, and the mood of the crowd at the beach that day was light and happy. His father came over and watched with him for a bit. “Notice what happens when one of the crabs tries to crawl out of the bucket and escape.”
As the boy watched he observed that when a crab would reach for the top of the bucket and get into a position to where he could pull himself out and just when it was about free from the bucket and able to escape, one of the other crabs would reach up and hold onto the fleeing crab and pull it back into the bucket. This happened every single time, all day long.
The boy became frustrated and confused. Why wouldn’t the crabs let each other escape? He didn’t want them to, but as he watched he found himself rooting for the escaping crab, hoping it would somehow make it out of the bucket. Not one of them ever did.
What is the lesson in this story and how does it apply to our lives?
For me, it is this: It shows great character to be happy for others who are succeeding in life, especially when we feel that we are not. When we support others, instead of tearing them down, we become better in the process.
Today’s challenge for myself: Today I will focus on lifting myself up out of my current situation into something even better and I will help others do the same along the way, even if I have to push them out of the bucket of our current circumstances in front of me on the way out.
Check out this incredible interview and see how Rachel Hollis handled the crabs in her life. ❤️
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Remember: Mindset matters. Character counts. That which we choose to consistently focus on is what EXPANDS in our lives. WE CREATE our personal realities.
To try and escape poor decisions and choices and not to let anyone pull you down!