Failed DEILD, or...?

Yes, just as the subject bar says I very well may have screwed myself out of a lucid dream last night. I awoke in my bed, and attempted to enter a dream using the DEILD method. I laid absolutly still and tried counting to 200 in twos before trying a reality check. Well, long story short, I got to about 30 when I saw this ridiculously bright light appear out of seemingly nowhere, lighting up my vision with a brilliant white/gold light. I was startled, and jolted up into a sitting position in my bed. I have never encountered the hallucinations associated with WILDing before, could this light have been one of those hallucination? Any answers are appriciated.

Yeah, that was definitely a hallucination. Did you do a reality check after you sat up? Even if you weren't lucid and had lost your chance, don't get discouraged. Use this as a learning experience and know that next time you will be better prepared. Good luck and if you have anymore questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Sounds like you succeeded entered a dream, just gotta remember that RC

Dang it, now that you say that I didn't do a reality check.... Oh my god, I am raging so hard over here now xD But, as Yoshi said, I did learn from all this. Just the thought that I could have had my first successful DEILD and wasted it by rolling over and going back to sleep is making me kick myself. But alas, success rarely comes without first facing failure.

On the subject of reality checks, I do have another question. What can I do to make myself do reality checks more often? When I first started doing RCs I tried to associate the ring my girlfriend gave me with the idea of my reality checks, so that whenever I saw or thought about the ring I would do a reality check. This worked quite well for the first couple days, but it's effectiveness had diminished. Any recommendations or success stories worth sharing?

Well, I would recommend RCing every time you wake up from sleep (so you will train yourself to RC after DEILD attempts and false awakenings). As for other RCs, try to set them up with something that will happen often in your dream. A lot of people like to RC when they walk through a doorway, look in the mirror, hear their name being called, etc. The key to RCs, is to make sure you aren't just going through the motions. Take a few moments to look around at your environment and think, "Could I be dreaming right now?" Then imagine/pretend that everything around you is actually a dream. Finally, perform your RC and confirm or deny being awake. If you can learn to question reality when you are awake, then you will do the same in your dreams. RCs are way more effective when performed properly. With that said, I think the ring RC is a good one. Especially, if you recall it appearing in your dreams.