Clearly you can envisage two steps in the process of self-discovery, the first one being the understanding of the knowledge 'I am' and abiding in it. You must develop the strong conviction that 'you are' and stay there. What will happen then? By and by as you abide in the 'I am' the second step will be to realize that you stand apart from the 'I am', you are free from it! You are not the 'I am' but its witness. Thus abidance in the 'I am' and its transcendence is the key to the whole 'Sadhana' (practice).