Once upon a time a man was walking along the beach and saw another man fishing in the surf with a bait bucket beside him. As he drew closer, he saw that the bait bucket had no lid and had live crabs inside.
“Why don’t you cover your bait bucket so the crabs won’t escape?”, he said.
“You don’t understand.”, the man replied, “If there is one crab in the bucket it would surely crawl out very quickly.
However, when there are many crabs in the bucket, if one tries to crawl up the side, the others grab hold of it and pull it back down so that it will share the same fate as the rest of them.”
So it is with people. If one tries to do something different, get better grades, improve herself, escape her environment, or dream big dreams, other people will try to drag her back down to share their fate.
This dragging down is often in the form of criticism and is subtle. It could be a casual joke. It could be outright laughter at what you are doing. It could be a rude comment. Your peers might also distance themselves as you begin to progress in life.
The fear of criticism is one of those basic fears which often prevents us from doing things differently and stay within our comfort zones.
The criticism is often not about you but rather a reflection of what is going on in the other person’s life. The critic is simply projecting their own fears and limitations on you.
At best simply ignore the critics and move boldly towards your financial goals. At worst treat criticism as feedback that you are doing the right thing. The critic often silently admires you for being bold and resolute in pursuing your dreams. At times they are simply craving lost attention from you. So take heart and carry on.
Don’t allow the fear of criticism stop you from pursuing your dreams.
Unlock your true potential 