Some people are like magnets. The moment they enter a room, they radiate presence. They ooze confidence, warmth, fearlessness, trust-worthiness and charm. They have truly magnetic personalities.
Have you ever wanted to be one of them? Have you ever felt that it is not possible?
Do you have it?
Personal magnetism, or influence, has been a trait associated with almost all great men. Many of them cultivated this trait. Several others, made use of the trait naturally ingrained in them, without bothering to cultivate it or improve upon it.
First of all, let it know that personal magnetism exists in each and every one of us. In fact, it exists even in those people who are severely disliked and distrusted. In them, the personal magnetism is really strong, it is just that the negative pole is operational there. Just like the strong positive pole of personal magnetism works for the really influential and charismatic people, the strong negative pole is working for these people. And what about the ones that fall in between? The personal magnetism still exists in them, it is just that it is not as strong. Its sphere of influence is relatively smaller.
Have you ever heard people say this about someone, “he is a really great guy, once you get to know him.” It means his sphere of magnetism is limited to very close acquaintances. Even the most boring guy on the planet has it, albeit in a very limited form.
Can you develop it?
Yes! You can most certainly develop it, whether you are starting with a very small amount of personal magnetism or a very large amount of negative magnetism. You can always develop it. You just need to keep working on it, patiently and persistently. And the rewards are very great, if you can only put in the effort required.
Mental and Physical Magnetism
The common man’s approach is that personal magnetism is an entirely mental feature, and that the physical body has nothing to do with it. In truth, there are two poles to personal magnetism—physical and mental. A truly magnetic person must try and develop both poles simultaneously. When both these are in sync and well developed, you can see the birth of a truly charismatic individual—one for whom success is an assured destiny.
The two phases of magnetism must work together to gain the best effects. In simple words, mental magnetism can raise the thought waves that influence others, physical magnetism is the force that moves it out into others.
Mental Magnetism
When we think, some areas in our brain are fired up then it means that energy is consumed by the brain tissue to produce this thought, and heat is formed. The brain becomes the equivalent of a magnet—a force field is created, which has an effect on those that come near to them.
To explain it in simpler terms, have you ever met someone for the first time, and felt a ‘gut instinct’ that the person is up to no good, or that he is not worthy of your trust, no matter how polished his behaviour was? That was mental magnetism at work—his thought waves affecting your brain and telling you he can’t be trusted. On the other hand, even very sloppy talkers can often ignite in us a feeling of trust and liking—again, it is personal magnetism at work.
There are two phases to mental magnetism:
1. Creating thought waves or ‘vibrations’ by holding a mental state.
2. Projecting these vibrations to those around you.
Our mental state decides whether our vibrations are cheerful, confident, trustworthy, gloomy, treacherous or insecure. And others coming in contact with us can easily pick up on these vibes, no matter what we say or do. It is often called a ‘human atmosphere’. A strong mental state also creates equally strong vibrations—either positive vibes of trust, confidence and cheer, or negative vibes of mistrust, insecurity and gloom. Very strong vibrations are easily perceived by anyone coming in contact with them.
One of the biggest secrets of personal magnetism is to know how to create and hold the positive mental states that attract others.
Absorption
We all have our ‘aura’ or field of influence. It changes according to our mental state, or attitude. It is not just thought, it is a state of thinking. Having a very strong and fixed mental state creates very strong vibrations. If we have a clear purpose or feeling or resolve, it can create that state. This may be positive or negative, and accordingly makes people attracted to us or repelled. We should always try to maintain positive mental states of courage, confidence, assertiveness, initiative, enthusiasm, passion, self-respect etc, which will make us stronger. Even the slightest shift towards the positive in our mind immediately registers as an improvement in the vibes we send.
Projection
We can project our mental states to our personal atmosphere and to others’ minds. We can project our mental state the same way we project the physical phase, or vital force. We need to believe in our ability to project our mental state, and use our will to project it out.
Physical Magnetism
Have you ever noticed the existence of nerve-force within you or others? It is also called ‘nervous energy’, ‘life force’, ‘prana’, ‘vital force’ and so on. It is the force within us, which is transmitted through our nervous system, but which is not made up of nerve-tissue. It is a force, an energy which exists and flows within each of us. It is carried in the nervous system, but it does not originate there. This is the force behind physical magnetism.
There are two phases to physical magnetism:
1. Generating nerve-force.
2. Projecting nerve-force to those around you.
Like electricity, this nerve-force is present in the atmosphere all around us. Our bodies absorb and use it whenever we need it. And how exactly is it absorbed? By the process of breathing we inhale not only oxygen and other gases, but also the nerve-force present in the universe.
How is this force transmitted, or projected to others? It is by a process called ‘induction’. Magnets attract other magnets over the medium of air, without actual contact between them. Actual contact of conducting materials is often not required for transmitting magnetism and even electricity, and same is the case of nerve-force. Haven’t you seen people who are so full of vital force or energy or nerve-force that they charge you up and energize you when you meet them? Haven’t you also seen people who are so low on this nerve-force, that they ‘feed on’ your nerve-force, leaving you feeling weak and gloomy? Even though nerve-force is available in plenty in the universe, only a few are good at absorbing and retaining it, and it is usually due to their habits and life style.
Absorption
You may well know that the physical part of personal magnetism comes from a vital force, which can be absorbed by breathing. In order to increase this force, we need to use some special forms of breathing. When we breathe in fully and deeply, we absorb a large amount of this vital force. Therefore, it is important to focus our attention on breathing exercises and develop the habit of full, deep breathing.
If you look closely, you can find that you breathe differently when you experience different emotions. Our breathing pattern changes with the way we feel. It follows that in order to create a particular emotion or state of mind, it is enough to adopt the pattern of breathing we associate with it. We can maintain self-control simply by maintaining control over our breathing. Have you ever noticed how we yawn when we wake up from sleep and need some extra vital force? Have you noticed your breathing pattern as you reach into full consciousness? These will give you clues to unlocking the breathing rhythm of vital force absorption.
Distribution
We can use several techniques to distribute the absorbed vital force to all parts of our body. One of the most important ones is stretching. When we stretch by expanding our muscles and then contracting them, we in fact drive out the old and stale vital force and replenish it with a fresh supply.
Elementary stretching is just the mere basic form. The specialized muscle tensing exercises called calisthenics is a great tool in distribution of vital force to all parts of our system. Yoga is another great tool which can be used for this. The important thing to remember while doing these exercises is to never do them to the point of exhaustion or tiring—always do them in a relaxed manner, slowly and moderately, lazily even. Nothing vigorous is required here. This can be done whenever you feel like you need a fresh supply of vital force, and as long as you feel it is required. It is also very important to remember to do the rhythmic breathing prior to the exercises, and also amidst the exercises.
Now, let us talk about projecting this force to others. It is not enough to just be full of this vital force, we must let others be affected by it by using our will. The most important thing to consider here is that you must believe in your ability to project your vital force. That belief is your foundation, and it is essential if you have to get your will to project your vital force to others. Using the power of the mind and will, we can project this force into others whenever we feel like it. It is an art which comes naturally with practice.
Combining both these forms of personal magnetism can indeed create a very influential individual—a great leader and human being.
