This is the first time I’ve tried to write on this topic in relation to Dreamwork and I’m sure to not get it right. But it’s a first attempt and all good things must start somewhere.

A powerful personal symbol for learning new skills is Taekwondo. The reason it symbolizes learning new skills is because there was a time in my life when I had a lot of fear in real life. In the past, others with negative intentions were able to cause a lot of disruption to my self and my life. The solution to having the fear that something which happened before will happen again is to learn a new skill. By learning a new capacity or developing a new quality, a more positive experience can emerge and the past can stay in the past.

Nothing that I had done before could protect me. I had to learn something new.

The reason I tried Taekwondo is because I had a dream about being in a dojo with a blackbelt who saw potential in me and started teaching me. Soon after having that dream I actually met someone with a blackbelt at work who invited me and my daughter to train at the club he trained at. If it wasn’t for that dream I wouldn’t have gone so willingly to try it out. But because of the dream, I went with curiousity.

When I started training, it didn’t take long for me to realize that when I was focusing on the new forms and kicks, and when I was doing more push ups than ever before, I couldn’t worry about other things. My fear dissolved. Taekwondo training was good for my mind and my body.

I continued to dream of training with blackbelts and always learned a lot from the dreams. In a few, I was a blackbelt teaching others.

Then the other night, I dreamed that I was an advanced red belt which is the rank right before black. I thought this was so interesting. In the dreamworld, it would symbolize I lost my rank, since I was always blackbelts in dreams, which would be a highly embarrassing thing.

But in real life, to dream of being advanced red belt is actually a symbol of growing capacity because it is my real life training in Taekwondo which even gives me an understanding of what it means to be a red belt. Advanced Red has a rank all of its own and I never would have known of that type of experience if I wasn’t training. It’s unique to me.

For me, to dream of being a red belt was a real sign to remember what I’ve learned.

Then last night I dreamed of being Advanced Yellow which is my rank in real life.

In the dream, there was so much commotion. So much going on. We were outside and I have no idea what was happening. But then a senior told me it was time to demonstrate and we all lined up and performed our Forms. I did mine with excellence.

So what does all this mean for personal growth, learning and developing?

Quite simply, it is just a good demonstration of the way in which learning a new skill can help.

Right now, in real life, I’m going through a situation which in the past would have elicited so much fear as to render me non-functional in day-to-day living. Instead, I have these new skills. Physically I have more strength, flexibility and cardio-vascular capacity than ever before, but emotionally I am also stronger, more flexible and have increased endurance as well. This leads to having a more emotionally strong and flexible approach to life too.

In the past 18 months, externally I was learning an introduction to Taekwondo but on the inside I was learning inner Strength, Flexibility and Endurance. These qualities and virtues are now a new part of me and can be used in any area in life. So for this situation which came up recently which would have brought so much fear, now I can be Strong, Flexible and Energized. Everything is different now and so much better.