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45www.i-am-magazine.com\ are what we think.All that we are arises with our thoughts.With our thoughts, we make the world.%u201d- BuddhaWays to Find StillnessThe easiest and most reliable place tostart for me was in mastering my breath.There is a huge difference betweenbreathing and knowing you arebreathing. If you are walking, you mightstart by breathing in deeply, butcomfortably, while counting the inbreathe slowly and then counting againas you breathe out slowly. I like to do 10breaths, counting 1,2,3,4,5 then the nextbreath 2,2,3,4,5 then the next breath3,2,3,4,5, etc. If you lose count, it meansyou got distracted from mastering thebreath and your mind wandered. Startagain from 1. Then rest at 10.The key for me in finding stillness is thatwhen thoughts come (and they will), aimto not follow them off into the past orfuture. This is the hardest part for me,but practice really does make it easier.When I am calm and centered, I find thatmy voice comes through - the inner voicethat is the true me. If we don%u2019t follow ourthoughts, we override the ego and theprograms we were raised with.When it seems like the right time, e.g.before I go for a walk or sit in stillness, Iraise questions I would like to explore.For example, you could try posing wellbeing questions such as:Who am I?, What do I really want? Howam I meant to show up in the world?What opportunities excite me? What amI grateful for?Then listen for the answer - it maywhisper, or it may be a feeling ratherthan a clear thought. Listen to yourbody - what is it telling you? How doesthat feel?My favorite of the questions above is%u2018What am I grateful for?%u2019. Gratitude hasSO many benefits (just look up anyleader online, and you will find they havea gratitude practice). Knowing what youare grateful for also helps you get toknow yourself and your inner joy. Thiswill help you go beyond what you wereprogrammed to enjoy. In fact, you mayfind that what you enjoy is the oppositeof what you have always said you enjoy.