In addition, always deviously talk about being safe versus being a risk taker.  Make mediocrity and the mundane look and sound appealing.  Embellish your tedious and taxing life so that it appears charming.  Point out people who have lost money on a risky venture, suffered setbacks, etc., but never, ever, talk about how those people are now kicking butt and taking names while doing what they love.  [Make sure you leave that part of the story out.]

Lastly, if the above efforts roll off the visionary?s back like sanity does off Dick Durbin?s soul, then switch immediately to outright criticism.  If the wannabe player is still persisting in his path then pound him with your wicked words.  Bring up his past failures. Never mind that people who succeed have usually had many failures before they?ve finally scored. 

Bring up their weaknesses versus their strengths in such a way that they lay trembling before their faults and lack.  You must pound them with discouragement.  You?ve got to get them to believe the worst-case scenario.  And remember?it worked on you, so it?ll probably work on them.  Oh yeah, I almost forgot: don?t forget to gossip about them and try to poison their circle of influence.  Remember, sometimes you need the assistance from others when you?re trying to clip people?s wings. 

While trying to slay others? dreams with your words, don?t forget the effective use of non-verbal communication like rolling your eyes, frowning, blank thousand yard stares, dead silence and low chuckling in a condescending tone.  It slays ?em . . . slays ?em!

And one last tip to be one bad wet blanket: try to work your voodoo on the young and na?.  Faulty parents and jaded teachers know how well undue criticism works on their young charges.  The sooner you can disparage hope in others, the better.  As soon as people start showing any desire to get out of their furrows, move away from mediocrity and run from the routine, hose ?em down. 

Why the need to start early with this process of discouragement?  Well, most young people and green dreamers have yet to learn to defy the vision terminators.  They have yet to learn that the wet blanket critics . . . 

1 Are like eunuchs in a harem:  They?re there every night.  They see it done every night.  They see how it should be done every night.  But they can?t do it themselves. 

2 Are fools. . . . and that any fool can criticize, and most of them do.

3 Are a dissembling, contemptible race of men, and that one should view critics like a lamppost views a dog. 

Habit six to follow. . . .