The *MOST* important skill you need to have a Lucid Dream is Dream Recall. Why? Simple. Lucidity means awareness, and dream recall *directly* improves your dream awareness. So if you want a head start on having Lucid Dreams, the first thing you should do – and keep doing – is start remembering and writing down your dreams as soon as possible.

It’s not really about training to remember Lucid Dreams – honesty, most are pretty unforgettable! – it’s about using your memory to build a bridge between your waking and dreaming selves. You also aquaint yourself far better with the dream dimension, allowing yourself to more readily recognise when you’re dreaming.

Here are some great dream recall tips:
* get a dream diary and always keep it handy so you can use it whenever you need it (a small torch or book light is helpful too)
* always get enough sleep – mental tiredness will certainly not help your recall
* before sleeping, tell yourself “I will remember my dreams.” (This is very effective!) “I will write them down when I wake up.” And optionally “I will have vivid exciting dreams” (hence more memorable as well.)
* don’t move too much when you wake up, remember as much detail as you can about the dream you just had first
* give your dream a title or keywords
* once you’ve remembered as much as you can, write down the important elements as soon as you open your eyes, don’t wait even a minute
* elaborate on your notes later, as the writing process will trigger more detailed recall

After a few days of this, your recall will vastly improve. But don’t stop!!! It’s like muscle building. You don’t just want to exercise your memory, you want to start stretching it and build its capacity. See how many dreams you can remember in one night and try to best it. (My record is seven – two of which were lucid – no guesses why!)

Well, that’s Key Number One: *MEMORY*. Simple, but EXTREMELY important.