Quote Originally Posted by sivason View Post
"I am dreaming" as a mantra is a very solid approach. You do not need to make it any more complicated than that. Learning to stay aware as your body gets closer and closer to sleep is something to work on, as it takes practice. You need to find a balance were you stay a little bit aware but not so aware that it keeps you from sleep.
It is important to keep in mind that it rarely works. It is worth doing as everyone wants to get lucid. To put it in prospective with my training (maybe 2500-3000 fully lucid adventures, 10s of thousands of moments knowing I was asleep/dreaming, 32 years of lucid dreaming and a few more of mental yoga) and if I really try WILD with true intent I will only average 1 in 3, and if I half ass it maybe 1 in 10. The point is never get discourages if it does not work. Learn the skill and you should be able to have at least 1 LD a week, perhaps many more.
Thank you for the inspiration. I have read many books on LD in an effort to find something that works for me, and at least one of those books makes a strong case that a positive attitude fosters lucid dreaming. For me, it brings to mind the Noam Chomsky quote:
If you assume that there is no hope, you guarantee that there will be no hope. If you assume that there is an instinct for freedom, that there are opportunities to change things, then there is a possibility that you can contribute to making a better world.
I have found something that has worked for me, and I think it makes sense to me to continue my efforts with WILD rather than give up since many of my efforts have not been successful. WILD has worked for me in the past, continuing to practice it makes sense to me.

I have kept a dream diary for about 25-years, and in the books I have read, there are a few things that I have fallen short on in the past which I am now changing. Better sleeping habits is one, and the other is fostering a meditation practice. I am also practicing, when I remember to do so, shifting my mind into a state, in my waking life, where I view everything as if I were dreaming. My dream recall appears to be picking up as a result.

Thanks again!