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Working From Inside Out

Written by: Nikki Owen

Article Overview: Inspired by Louise Hay, renowned author and lecturer on the impact of thoughts on the body “when we really love ourselves, everything in our life works” I began to examine Charisma from an‘inside – out’ perspective. By working holistically in the knowledge that the mind and body are totally interconnected I made some fascinating discoveries.

Working From Inside Out

Everything I noticed externally about Charismatic people was a reaction to or an effect of an internal cause. Looking to discover the inside ‘causes’ of the ‘outside’ effects, meant that this information would not only provide the ultimate process for accessing Charisma, it would enable anybody to go through a massive transformation if they so wished. The closer I came to the deeper root causes of Charisma, the more external ‘effects’ were created. If individuals were to learn to incorporate all the external effects of Charisma this would take weeks of intensive study. Instead, if you go to the heart of the matter, any individual can leverage their Charisma levels quickly and with dramatic impact.

As an example, Charismatic people are passionate about what they do. Different individuals will manifest passion in many ways, yet as an observer of a person with passion, we ‘feel’ their passion, without going through a mental checklist of external signs. Martin Luther King’s body language, including his facial expressions was relatively low key during his ‘I have a dream’ speech. His biblical cadences, the evocative pictures he painted and his evangelical delivery were his core channels for the passion he felt. Contrast this with Muhammad Ali who is animated and expressive whenever he speaks – he doesn’t need to talk for a person to instantly get his passion – it is evident through observation alone.




The Importance of Authenticity

There are a number of globally recognised personality profiling tools available to guide a user towards greater understanding of themselves and others. Yet, profiling Charisma has up until recently proved a daunting challenge because of abstract and often conflicting definitions. There is an underlying reason that makes it difficult for profiling tools to provide an indication of the level of a person’s Charisma. This is based around the importance of Charismatic people communicating from their authentic core. To put it another way, Charismatic people speak from their hearts. If you try to emulate Martin Luther King or any other Charismatic individual you effectively ‘act’ and put on a mask of Charisma. You start modelling the external characteristics that may or may not reflect your own external characteristics. This immediately blocks the flow of your own authentic you, consequently, diluting the emotional intensity of your communication. The only way to be truly Charismatic is to be authentic and speak from your heart.


Behind the Mask

Whatever external mask we choose to wear, if it doesn’t reflect the genuine, authentic ‘you’ then this will create a feeling in others that ‘something just isn’t right about this person’. By connecting with the core elements that shape our character we create the opportunity to develop a Charismatic presence. Ralph Waldo Emerson, one of the founders of The Transcendental Club was known as one of the best public speakers of his time. He believed passionately that slavery should be abolished despite overwhelming hostility. His Charismatic presence was heightened because he spoke from his heart, never compromising his beliefs for popularity. Emerson wisely said, “Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.”

In the 1986 Trice and Beyer studies, the authors categorised Charismatic Leadership by a range of features: an attractive vision, believable and convincing communication, unconventional behaviour, ideological function and empowerment. To me these descriptions appeared to go beyond the external behaviours, yet were vague and onerous for others to emulate without substantial study and training.

Symbol of Star Quality™

In every walk of life combining modern science with ancient wisdom is making major insights into Charisma possible. By drawing upon scientific principles, psychology and extensive research-based studies combined with esoteric philosophies, I have developed what I believe to be the internal blueprint for Charisma.
There are five internal characteristics shared by Charismatic people that are vital to developing a strong magnetic persona. I’ve chosen to express these as a powerful symbol of star quality. This symbol is a pentagram - a pentagon encased by a circle, which has held significant meanings in different cultures for thousands of years. A pentagon has five points and the number five has always been regarded as possessing a magical ‘humanness’ to it. We have five fingers or five toes at the end of each of our limbs. In Christianity, Christ experienced five wounds on the cross and there are five pillars to the Muslim faith. Five is a prime number, a reminder that when an individual is experiencing the state of Charisma, they are in a prime position for communication and influence.


(Scan in diagram of Symbol of Star Quality™)


Charismatic people possess:

1. HIGH SELF-ESTEEM and feel ‘comfortable in their own skin’. This conveys they are confident and authentic. When people possess high self -esteem they are relaxed about showing others their true self. Think about it for a moment, if you value and respect yourself you will naturally believe that there is lot’s to like within you, so why try and hide it? Self- esteem is the primary reason why Charisma can be contextual. Some people have high amounts of it in a work or career context, yet lack it when it comes to personal relationships. Elvis Presley ‘owned’ the stage because he was completely comfortable when performing. Yet put him in front of a journalist and he appeared vulnerable and insecure.

2. A DRIVING FORCE whereby individuals are living their life based on what is important to them. Often referred to as ‘values’, these drive and motivate behaviour so that individuals appear dynamic and enthusiastic. This driving force is also contextual, there are many facets to a person’s life. Margaret Thatcher’s drive for her country and her political ambitions provide a stark contrast to how she is at home. Her daughter Carol Thatcher tells us that up until her father’s death, her mother cooked breakfast for him every morning. Their home was a relaxed, tranquil environment devoid of conflict. A very different, Margaret Thatcher to her public persona.

3. SENSORY AWARENESS that allows them to tap into their feelings and the feelings and mood of others. Charismatic people are in touch with their emotions and uninhibited about showing them. This makes them expressive and compelling. Muhammad Ali was phenomenal at expressing his feelings through the use of poems he composed. One of the reasons why he attracted such extreme views (people either loved or hated him), was because he had the silent power of evoking a strong emotional response in others.

4. A VISION of what they want. This creates a strong energy of intent, an intensity that others can feel, an electricity. On a global scale, Martin Luther King had a dream for equality amongst men. On a smaller level, Muhammad Ali had a clear vision for what would happen during every round in every boxing match – even predicting the round he would knockout his rival. Scientific and medical discoveries have proven beyond doubt that positive attitudes and strong intentions result in physical manifestations.

5. HIGH ENERGY that perpetuates and builds energy within others creating a ‘feel good’ factor. Energy is a life force that most of us take for granted. We will all have experienced people who drain our energy leaving us depleted and depressed. Charismatic people both exude energy and simultaneously attract it. They know how to feed and nourish their internal energy levels, as well as how to expand and share even greater amounts. Martin Luther King, Elvis Presley, Margaret Thatcher and Muhammad Ali could all light up a room with their presence because their energy was extremely high.

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Article Tags: authenticity, body language, cadences, charisma, definitions, dramatic impact, dream speech, external signs, facial expressions, heart of the matter, intensive study, low key, martin luther king, massive transformation, mental checklist, muhammad ali, observation, passion, personality profiling, root causes



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