DID you know that people are born with only two fears - of falling and of loud noises?

These fears are in our DNA, providing the instincts for survival that keep us motivated to avoid perceived and potential danger.

When I was younger I used to have a recurring dream of falling from heights. This dream went on for several years - it would stop for a time and then come back.

I'd dream that I would be climbing tall things, very high, tall things. It could have been a tree or a building, a rock face or a wall.

In my dream I would work really hard to get to the top - the climb always appeared easier than it was - and what would happen when I got to the top or just near the top? I'd fall. Unless you've experienced it, that sensation of falling is very difficult to explain.

The thing was I would plummet to the ground below and, as I hit the ground, obliterated, I would wake up heart racing, partly in panic and partly in frustration.

At some point I had read about how you can control your dreams so when this dream continued to occur I started to experiment with it.

Rather than end up crashing horrendously to earth, as I fell I turned myself into a round rubbery figure and when I hit the ground I would bounce and roll. That was great.

The dream could continue which meant more climbing, falling, bouncing and rolling.

I wouldn't wake up in alarm or panic, yet I would wake up feeling frustrated and, as time went on, I realised that something wasn't complete for me.

On one particularly momentous night, in fact the last night I had the dream, it unfolded and I remember climbing and falling, bouncing and rolling several times until - and I remember this so vividly - when I fell I decided to fly and when I flew, beneath me on what was a barren landscape, colour and life appeared, flowers bloomed and it was such a moment of pure unadulterated joy that I woke laughing … and have remembered that ever since.

When I reflect on this, it was a formative event and - funnily enough - a metaphor for my life.

I realise, as no doubt you would too, that when we challenge our fears we realise our strengths.

Wouldn't you like to fly?

Nick Bennett is a facilitator, performance coach and partner of Minds Aligned: http://www.mindsaligned.com.au.