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Voices of ACES Blog

Crabs in a Bucket

ACE students discussing policy.

About this time my freshman year, I heard Joe Rogan say in a podcast that “the number one problem in this world is crabs in a bucket.” If you’ve never observed crabs in a bucket, Rogan explained that one will begin to try to climb out of the bucket but all the other crabs pull him back down, and people are the same way. 

This really stuck with me and as college students I think we need to keep this in mind. There are always going to be people in your life that will try to keep you from succeeding. Don’t let them pull you down. You do not have common life goals, and if they are trying to hold you back, it’s because you make them feel guilty for not being the best they can be. As you work through college and into your future career, remember not to let people hold you back like crabs in a bucket. As they say, “You do you” and I think you’ll be very happy with your results.