Thread: Am I on the right track?

Hey guys.
I've been interested in lucid dreaming for a few weeks now and I'm just wondering if I'm on the right track.
I'm pretty good on the dream recall part. I can recall up to three dreams a night, though it usually takes me a while to remember them (like I'll get up in the morning and I'll remember my dream when I'm taking a shower or getting dressed a while later) and then some nights I don't remember any at all.

I've been keeping a dream journal thing too, which mostly has just amused me because I forget what I dream by the end of the day and it's interesting to read them again.
The thing is though is that when I dream, I don't realize I'm dreaming. I do the reality checks often during the day and I say to myself before I sleep, "I will have a vivid dream tonight and remember to do a reality check", but I never think to do them when while dreaming.

I've also set my phone alarm clock to 12:30am and 4:00am as well as my regular 5:10am alarm clock to wake up. Though I've noticed that when I wake up at 12:30 or 4, I don't remember dreams, but I do when I wake up at 5:10. I go to bed at about 10:30 or 11, so is this result normal?

And then recently I've downloaded a lucid mp3 and listen to that while counting to 100 when I'm falling asleep. I usually don't make it all the way to 100 and I think I've seen the HIs.
I know that it sometimes it takes a while for some people and that I shouldn't get frusterated, but I can't help but to think I'm doing something wrong. Or maybe I'm just trying too hard. Who knows?

Any advice?
That'd be great.