New kid just wants to say hi.... Hi!

Quick self-introduction:
I used to have lucid dreams very often. The last one I can remember was about 7ish years ago. This is a concept that I slowly forgot about, mostly as a result of the stress resulting from trying to get good grades, stay on my parents' good side, and eventually trying to stay off the streets.
Watched a movie that sparked a memory, and one google search later, here I am! Been lurking for a few days, and I love this site. (Yes, I lurk a lot online. Takes me a while to get the feel of a new community. If you post often, chances are I already know you a little bit. Just sayin'. Okay, that was creepy... Swiftly moving onwards!...)

I've been trying to start lucid dreaming again regularly. Why?
Because life is mundane at times, frightening at times, and always a little bit more complex than it needs to be... because I don't live in the world- I live in my mind. I think dreams are powerful, and have a few things I'd like to accomplish:
-Use my dreams to try and learn things about myself. Figure out what I should be doing instead of kissing ass for minimum wage and drifting around.
-Add spice to my life, without polluting my body. If I could get the release in my dreams that I've been using other things for, I could save a lot of money, and add years to my life. I want to try to dream in another dimension consistently. I'm not kidding. This is something I'm intensely interested in. I don't just want to mess with anti-gravity or whatnot. I mean laws about fluid mechanics, force, mass, and inertia, conservation of energy, quantum mechanics. Time, obviously. Decisions.
-Face my fears. (There's evidence that this is one of the purposes of dreams in general, yes?) Eventually, eliminate my anxiety disorder.

I understand that these are quite ambitious. So, question: Does anybody have an experience to share that would help me with setting for short-term goals?