I began trying to have lucid dreams on September 27, 2009. On September 28, 2009 I had my first Lucid Dream. So yes, it varies very greatly for everyone. The key components that will affect your chances of having an LD I rate as follows:
Dream Journal: 40% - Absolutely necessary for hardcore lucid dreamers. If you don’t naturally have lucid dreams this tool is paramount. Not only does it allow you to review your dreams for patterns and improves your ability to recall dreams, but it also allows you to read through the wanderings of you mind from years and years passed. I have dreams from 2009 that are simply a joy to recall.
Technique: 15% - I would say that a good repertoire of techniques is only almost a fifth of the battle for having lucid dreams. While overloading on the techniques can sometimes produce consistent lucid dreams, I don’t find that power housing like this as a reliable means of having lucid dreams. One reason is that it puts an intense bearing on your lifestyle, and if you don’t have time (or just have a hard time remembering to do an RC every hour) this can assist, but generally can’t be counted on to fight the battles for you.
Motivation: 35% - “You’ve got to accentuate the positive, Eliminate the negative, And latch on to the affirmative, Don’t mess with Mister In-Between.” While cliche like, this is undoubtedly true for lucid dreamers. Didn’t have an LD last night? Just wasn’t the time, you will tonight. You had one? HUZZAH! Been a while since last time? Meh, you’re due for a good one any day now. Keeping up a good attitude and motivation will influence everything as your subconscious takes cues based on what you think, ergo every thought you have will either help or hinder you so don’t get yourself down. No matter what!
Luck: 5% - Luck definitely plays a role in LDing. I found that sometimes after I’ve given up entirely (and there’s been a few these past few years) a week, day, or even later that night I’d have an unexpected LD or unbelievable DR and I’d leap back in. Sometimes I’d have pretty decent recall, but no LDs in sight. Then out of the blue, success!
Now I’m sure my little list above didn’t cover every aspect of a successful Lucid Dreamer, I know I covered some major points. There are many more and there are also exceptions to some of the above portions of the list. Techniques for example, the Tech Lucid Living can cause no strain on lifestyle, but is usually very difficult to get into the swing of it.
You can, however, make compromises between the aspects. You could DJ very diligently and only occasionally use techniques. You could not DJ at all, but use a very effective technique (like LL) and not need to record. I myself try to record as often as I can and keep my spirits up, but everyone has their down days. “Accentuate the positive…”
As for techniques, I’m currently focusing on one and only one: WILD. My ultimate goal is to practice this Tech until it is the only one I need. That means no WBTB and then WILD. I know it’s difficult, but I intend to learn / achieve WILD from start of sleep straight into a dream.
Well I hope that’s helpful. Sorry if it’s a little long winded… I like to write.