Morning Pages - The Crab who carries a Thousand crabs

05/15/24 - Journal Entries - Morning Pages - 9am Jig Young

Crab mentality

I think there are three visceral feelings you can experience when you hear the word “crab mentality”

1. You can feel that the crab mentality doesn’t exist and people are overreacting. This may be a sign you are a crab.
2. You can feel the claws of maybe 1 or 2 crabs in your life. You can visualize the person.
3. You can feel the weight of thousands of crabs on your body - clawing at you. You can’t even imagine a single person. They’re strangers. They try to weigh you down with attacks on your character. With lies and gossip. Their emotional burden is heavy and yet you keep climbing anyway.

When I hear the word crab mentaltiy, I feel the 3rd.

I feel the weight of lost time and energy on petty people.

I truly do just mind my own business.

I focus on my company, my family, my friends.

But since highschool (for almost a decade), I am always shocked to hear resentment and anger from strangers & even people who declare themselves as friends.

I don’t feel anger at the crabs, they don’t hurt.

I feel sad.

I feel their anger. I feel their disappointment. I feel their frustrations.

I feel the weight of their lost time and dreams rushing into me.

I feel urgency to rush. I feel the urgency to win the day.

Then I get excited thinking about how I can motivate them.

I get excited thinking if I work hard enough I can maybe inspire them!

I want to bring them along for the ride. I want to give them wings!

Why do I always choose the impossible burden? What’s wrong with me?

Am I sick and twisted? Why do I get excited chasing after the impossible?

I don’t only want to silence a jesters, I want to inspire them. I want to be their friend.

Am I lying to myself that this is a hero’s journey or is this a tyrant’s?

Do I really want the crown? Do I really want to carry crabs on my back?

I guess I do. I enjoy my life the most when I shoulder the burden.

My family needs me. My team needs me. That’s a given.

But the crabs need me too. They need me to try for them.

They need me to show them it’s possible to dream.

They need me to show them it’s fun to fail. We’ll laugh about it.

They need me to show them it’s fun to try. We’ll smile brighter.

I enjoy my life most when I carry the unlived dreams and hopes of crabs on my back.

It’s free energy.

I literally figured out how to convert hate of others into love for my wife, for my team, for my work, and the people around me.

Hate from others is a physical sensation I feel in my right shoulder and I redirect it into my heart and body pain.

I need the free energy to get where I’m going.

I’m going to carry the crabs with love.

I choose the hero’s journey

I choose love. I choose kindness.

I choose inspiration.