The following are ideals to try to aim for. As in darts, the ideal aim is the middle bulls-eye. It's often missed, but we try.
Prayer and Meditation is like Asking and then Listening, and for many of us with "noise" the listening can get cluttered.
Of the things that really matter I have been shown to Ask and Listen then write down what I "hear" on paper. Anything that comes to mind just write it down.
Then "filter" what's written by using the Four Absolutes below as a guide.
There is so much more about the Four Absolutes written we don't hear much about these days, just do a search and something may inspire what you read.
To me it seems like the basics. With a bit of practice this really works. It seems to work for many even atheist, agnostics.
I use it often to decide what meeting to go to if I cannot decide.
The results are astounding, my own thoughts can often delude me, but a filter can get me to the right place.
Sometimes it's instant, sometimes it seems there is nothing, but from my own experience there has always been something.
Honesty
We must ask ourselves, over and over, "Is it true or is it false?"
Unselfishness
At first blush, unselfishness would seem to be the simplest of all to understand, define and accomplish. But we have a long road to travel because ours was a real mastery of the exact opposite during our drinking days.
Love
A good question to ask ourselves on love might be, "Is it ugly or is it beautiful?" We are experts on ugliness. We have really been there. We are not experts on beauty but we have tasted a little, and we are hungry for more.
Purity
Purity is simple to understand. Purity is flawless quality. Gerard Groot in his famous fourteenth century book of meditation, has an essay entitled, "Of Pure Mind and Simple Intention", in which he says, "By two wings a man is lifted up from things earthly, namely by Simplicity and Purity.