There is no escape from being infested with all kinds of external bombardments of input that would find their way in our conscious minds and most find a dwelling place therein in allowed to. From the moment you wake up till you go back to bed at night  your mental perception is being fed with all kinds of episodes and dramas some intense while others simply your normal day to day so called activities. Some are there while others are being invited by you to be there. The moment you open you eyes after your night's sleep your mind kicks in, from what the hell is going on out there to what have i got to do today, who should i avoid or should i go should i not to the movie tonight and on and on. This incessant thoughts that run through you mind are just the beginning before you head on to the bathroom. If you are paid for every thought that runs through your mind you would have been a billionaire by the age of fifty.
All these rumblings that passes through your head as the day passes by comes to an end when you close you eyes and fall into deep sleep, however even in sleep you are not free from thoughts as you experience dreams, all sorts of dreams, some that you would never have dreamed of. This is what you have to come to understand of such that you can bring these thoughts within your control at the very least to get rid off the unwanted and unnecessary and irrelevant ones; this is the first few steps towards enlightenment. En-lighten, letting go of, getting rid of putting away that which is not needed or of no consequence in your life. Unburden yourself from the garbage that you have been collecting day in day out for none of it is real as far as you are concern.
What is the real comes from within you and this can only happen if the mind is quiet and free from any intrusion or vexations. It is in this state of being silent and free from distractions, this meditative state that you can possibly catch a glimpse of the real that which transcends beyond the realm of the mind manifested state of being. It is in this quietude and clarity that you are liable to gain insights into higher understanding of what or who you are and what you are capable of as human being. Knowledge can be learned from books and listening to the wise, but wisdom comes of its own from within. The masters of old and the contemporary teachers of spirituality and philosophy and the scientists in their final analysis are almost all in agreement that the ability to bring the mind to a stand still is pivotal in making a transcendental discovery over the mysteries of the cosmos as well as how to make a great coconut milk shake.
It is never too late to begin the process of bringing the mind to quiet down and eventually stop its rambling; it can start now.
Sit! and watch your breadth, in and out. Know that you are breathing in and breathing out and that is all you got to know for now. For the rest of the instructions on doing 'Zazen', look up in the You Tube or Google it. There are great teachers out there ready to share their knowledge free of charge. It is a matter of wanting it or not, to heal your wearied mind, end living in ignorance and delusions and waking up to what is the Real. To be awakened from the eternal sleep where you are a victim to your senses and at the mercy of the conditioned mental states. I am telling this to myself even as i am writing; it is why I write.