Is it the world that says I am real, or is it you?
The normal self is the mind. The mind is with limitations. But pure Consciousness is beyond limitations, and is reached by investigation into the "I."
Let what comes come, let what goes go.
Thoughts come and go. Feelings come and go. Find out what it is that remains.
The "I" thought is said to be the sum total of all thoughts. The source of the "I" thought has to be inquired into.
The greatest obstacle to enlightenment is getting past your delusion that you are not already enlightened.