I became a lucid dreamer about the age of seven. The turning point came when I had a series of dreams about being chased by monsters.
This particular series of dreams occurred at a time when I was sick. In some dreams I was being chased by hideous monsters. The dreams became increasingly more intense with each night until I began to wake up screaming and sweating. I even began to fear going to sleep at night.
After many nights of terror, I finally decided that I was going to resolve this problem once and for all. I had determined that I was going to face these monsters directly, even if it meant they would kill me.
The next night I found myself being chased by a huge tiger. I ran and ran and ran. And the harder I tried to run, the slower I got, until eventually I was moving a quarter inch per hour.
At my most dire moment, I remembered my commitment to face the monster directly. So with all my courage I turned around..., only to see my best friend.
That was the most profound moment in my life up to then. Even as a kid I could fully appreciate the power I had discovered by learning to live without fear. By facing all my problems directly and honestly, I would go through life with happiness.
These dreams coincided with actual events in my life. As I walked home from school each day, two older boys were following me home and talking about how they were going to beat me up. It is clear from hindsight that they were instrumental in causing my dreams of being chased by monsters.
It just happened that after I awoke from the last of the dreams and after confronting the tiger only to find my best friend, that I was followed home that afternoon by those same bullies. And while they were taunting me, I remembered my dream and suddenly found the courage to turn around and face them. I told them rather sternly that I was going to take them up on their offer to beat me but that I would die trying to kill them first. They both turned pale white and then one of them caught his breath and said, "We were just kidding, Dave." We then shared a laugh and walked home as a trio of friends.