[Help] First Ever Real Lucid Dream

I really need some advice...
Last night I had a very very different dream then I've ever experienced, I'm too embarrased to share this with anyone who I know in real life, so I thought that I'd come to the experts to see if I could get any input...
I've realized that I was in a dream a few times before, usually I end up telling everyone that it's a dream who is IN my dream so that they can be notified that they are, in fact, not real. I then proceed to plot doing things that I would never do in real life, such as saying things to people that I would only think normally. After I plot these things, I usually start to doubt if it actually is a dream, and I decide it's best to just do wake up (I can control when I wake up in these dreams, I don't know if that's normal). This time, I had a very vivid dream with 2 women, I knew 100% that it was a dream, and it was about to go very well. But JUST before it got good, I started to think of the consequences of if somebody saw me while I was having this dream and if I would say anything awkward. I then zoned out and ended up on mozilla firefox, and thinking I was awake and this was totally normal, I clicked the "return to dream" button and then was kicked out of the dream again, at which point I woke up. I have never had such a powerful dream where I felt like I was in complete control, and I remember every aspect, such as the colour of peoples' clothes etc.
Is there anything strange about this, is there any way to have more dreams like this, and is there any way to better control this? (I read some other forum topics about "reality checks") etc.
This was nothing like I have ever experienced before, and I'm really noticing how awesome dreams can be as I read around...

EDIT: Night 2 I had a weird dream about Pokemon cards (I don't know why, but it was the second one in around a week). However, I just went with the flow and never considered doing a reality check or though about dreams or anything.

Hi SDG and welcome to dreamviews!

Cool dream you had there. Loving the "return to dream" button part :lol:

Yes, it's 'normal' to have dreams like this. Even though most of the population doesn't, it's only because they don't know about it or know how to! You're one of the lucky ones who has discovered the wonder of lucid dreaming. Glad you can see how much fun it is.

I suggest you check out the tutorials and read some journal entries.

See you around :banana:

Oh and as for being too embarrassed to share your experiences with people you know... yeah, you'll soon learn that most people just won't 'get it' no matter how hard you try to explain lucid dreaming. But don't worry coz we get it! :)

Thanks, glad I got a response before I went to bed tonight, hoping to dream again so that I can investigate further. I can't really keep track of time in my dreams but they seem to be about a minute or so long, I'd better learn to make the best of that timespan!

Nice dream, SDG.

You'll find that many of your dreaming experiences which people wouldn't understand in your ordinary life, people here on DV can relate to.

As far as the vividness, that comes with a balanced focus on your dream environment and continued action, (that is, don't stay still and stop doing things if you want to keep your dreams clarity.)

It's great that you enjoyed your fist lucid so much. Go with that! The accomplished feeling you have now should be carried over into your next lucid and you'll meet more success, I'm sure.

As far as inducing dreams, reality checks are important but I would say that keeping a dream journal is even moreso! (That is, write all of the dreams that you remember in a notebook upon waking every morning.)

Good dreaming!
~Spockman

Welcome to Dreamviews!