Light Your Own Lamp by Leisa Blanch

Following doesn’t set you free.

Another workshop. Another podcast. Another event. Another modality. Another promising thing to learn.

Each one feels like progress, and in the short term, it often is. We come away inspired, with new ideas, new perspectives and something else to explore.

But if you want to keep evolving, and you want to influence the world around you, it’s worth asking yourself a question. Is all that input creating meaningful change, or is it simply the next stimulation to get lost in?

The world is constantly tempting us with more. More information, more experiences, more things to learn and more people to follow.

So what could you let go of?

When we’re already mentally and emotionally overloaded, taking in more information can make it harder to process what we already know. We can end up getting in the way of our own growth.

The intellect is a gift. It allows us to analyse, create and bring ideas to life. But it can’t do the whole job. Some of the answers we’re looking for require us to become quieter, more present and more aware.

My number one productivity hack

I first discovered this in the corporate world.

I was working in Melbourne’s CBD in a role that depended heavily on gaining the support and cooperation of people outside my immediate team. It involved a lot of conversations, negotiation and getting the right people on board to move things forward.

I started attending a meditation class during my lunch break. Something interesting began to happen.

On the afternoons following those classes, I would regularly bump into exactly the right people. Conversations that should have taken weeks would happen in minutes. Projects that had previously felt difficult to move would suddenly progress. Opportunities seemed to present themselves without the usual effort.

I couldn’t explain it at the time. I simply noticed the pattern, and kept going to the class.

Looking back, I can see how those periods of stillness changed the way I approached the rest of my day. I was less caught up in the noise, more aware of what was happening around me and better able to recognise opportunities as they appeared.

It became my number one productivity hack, long before productivity hacks were a thing.

Where the answers come from

I’ve recently returned from the US, where my business partner, Daryl Mitchell, was involved in filming The New Woo, a three-part documentary exploring thought leaders and practices that have historically been dismissed as ‘woo’, and are now attracting greater scientific interest.

One day, during a shuttle ride post filming, another cast member was trying to intellectually analyse something that couldn’t be resolved through analysis alone. It needed to be experienced.

I watched Daryl, who has spent more than five decades studying and teaching Qigong, energy cultivation and human potential, help her recognise something remarkably simple.

Sometimes, the more we try to work something out, the further we move from what is already available to us through direct experience.

Action is most effective when it comes from present-moment awareness.

It’s something I experience regularly in my work as a naturopath. When I’m genuinely present with a client, I can listen differently, notice things I might otherwise overlook and respond to what is actually happening in front of me. The work flows, and the next step often becomes clear without having to force an answer.

This is the value of presence. It changes the quality of how we think, respond, interact and act.

Learning to be present

So how do we develop this awareness?

Through practice. Through creating space for stillness.

That lunchtime meditation class taught me something valuable, back before mobile phones and the constant stream of notifications, messages and information we now live with.

It’s harder to find that space today. We’re surrounded by stimulation, and many of us have become so accustomed to it that sitting quietly can feel uncomfortable.

Yet presence is something we can develop. It starts with something as simple as bringing attention to the breath.

I often introduce clients to simple breathing practices. Taking a few moments to breathe through the nose, gently lengthening the exhale and allowing the body to settle can provide a starting point. We also provide ZEN KI Energy wearables to deepen your presence by pushing back the noise.

From there, the practice can deepen. You begin to notice more, become less reactive to every passing thought or distraction, and develop the capacity to stay present with what’s happening.

You don’t need to spend hours meditating or retreat from everyday life. The real opportunity is to bring that awareness into your conversations, decisions, work and relationships.

Without presence, life can become an endless cycle of reacting, searching and doing. With greater presence, we can respond with more clarity, recognise opportunities and act with greater intention.

And perhaps that’s where real personal evolution begins.

Light your own lamp

There is nothing wrong with learning from others. Teachers, mentors, practitioners and new experiences can all play an important role in our development.

But at some point, we have to take what we’ve learned and put it into practice. We have to develop our own awareness and learn to trust our direct experience.

Nobody can light your lamp for you. And nobody you follow can carry it on your behalf.

The next workshop, podcast or person with an interesting idea might give you something valuable. But remember to leave space for your own experience.

Light your own lamp. Then notice what becomes possible, and who turns up.

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Explore your own patterns of awareness

Curious about how you experience and respond to the energy around you?

Take the free ZEN KI Energy Archetype Quiz. In around three minutes, discover your energy archetype, explore your natural patterns and receive a free special report.

Visit www.zenkienergy.scoreapp.com to get started.

About the author

Leisa Blanch is Lead Naturopath and Director of Gisborne Health Essentials, Macedon Ranges’ leading naturopathic clinic. She is also co-founder of ZEN KI Energy, alongside Qigong Master Daryl Mitchell. Together, they offer wearable tools, Qigong practices, retreats and an online community supporting sensitive, aware people navigating an increasingly overstimulating world.

Leisa combines her clinical experience, business background and interest in human potential to help people develop greater awareness, resilience and capacity for change.