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I recently took my kids to a movie titled "Shark Boy and Lava Girl". In the movie, a boy named Max dreamt of a planet where children could have endless fun. He called it Planet Drool. He recorded all his dreams in his dream journal. So real were Max's dreams that he actually dreamt the planet into existence until one day when the class bully, Linus stole his dream journal and scribbled all over its pages. As a result of Max's dream journal being defaced with scribbles, Planet Drool was thrown into danger of destruction, so Shark Boy, Lava Girl and Max had no choice but to try and save Planet Drool which they obviously did in the end.

It was an entertaining movie, especially for the kids, but there was one important lesson in the movie that we can all learn. Every idea or dream starts out on the beautiful canvas of our minds, but how it ends up depends very much on who you choose to share your dream with.

When you share your dreams with the wrong people, you get a lot of "buts" - "but you know'", "but I don't think", "but are you really sure'.?", "but what if'.". They begin to scribble on your dreams with their negativity. You start to factor all this negativity into the already confusing equations of your dreams and chances are you'll end up shelving that fantastic idea in the back of your mind, together with the thousand other ideas that have suffered the same fate!

Sharing your dreams with the right people has the exact opposite effect. Instead of "buts", you get encouragement and support to help you transform your empty canvas into a masterpiece! It's easy to find scribblers ' they're everywhere ' but when you find people to share your dreams with who will dream with you, treasure them, and learn from them!

Here are some tips on how to keep people from scribbling on your dreams :

' Reality check! Know yourself ' know what you're good at and what you're not. Know what drives you and what you're passionate about. When you do what you're passionate about, the sky's the limit.

' Do your homework. Find out everything you can about your dream before your share it with the world. Visit the library. Scour the Internet. Ask people who are already doing it or have done it. Mind you, make sure they've been successful, otherwise they're going to scribble all over your dream.

' Don't walk with turkeys. There's a saying "you can't fly with eagles when you keep walking with turkeys"! People will always give you their two-cents worth, without realizing the effect their words have. Every negative word you hear has the potential to scribble its way into your subconscious. If you keep company with turkeys, your dreams are going to end up burnt to a crisp and served on the thanksgiving table.

' Fly with eagles. Keep company with eagles ' people who know what it takes to make dreams come true, people who are positive! Keep your heart and mind fixed on your goal. If you're sure a dream is workable, then find ways to work it! Seek guidance and support from the eagles in your life. Never be afraid to ask questions and seek help.

' Make your dreams real. The best way to do this is to write down every dream or idea you have. Writing them down makes your dreams something tangible you can see and work on. Vocalize your dream. Visualize you reaching your goal everyday. Keep them in your heart and make sure you jealously guard your dreams against the scribblers.

' Persistence and patience. If a dream is worth dreaming, it's worth struggling for. Problems WILL arise. Take them in stride and keep your eyes fixed on your goal. Break every problem into smaller tasks and solve them one by one. Remember' "How do you move a mountain? One stone at a time, one rock at a time, one boulder at a time".

I wished I had learnt this truth twenty years ago. Whether it's setting up your own home business or making a million dollars or something that's never been done before, dreams and ideas are the seeds of your future. Never, ever let people scribble on your dream! Protect them and nurture them as you would a young tree and watch it turn into a forest of all that you desire!