Appearance: A charismatic appearance comes from yourself

In summer, people often pay attention to their appearance again. Gone are the thick coats and hats that hide you so well. When the sun shines and it's nice and warm, there's no room for that anymore.

Instead come shorts, t-shirts, summer dresses and swimwear. So how is it that some people have charisma and others do not? How is it that even people with bodies that you think "that's not going to have charisma" still have it?

I will explore that in more detail in this blog article.

Importance of a good image

Your presence matters not only in the summer, but actually all year round. Presence is often associated with charisma, and Belgian research shows that people who possess it in the long term—such as fifteen years down the road—often have a more successful career (as it appears to an outsider), earn more money , and manage more people[1].

So reason enough to work on your appearance this summer and hold onto it for the rest of the year.

Charisma for charisma

When it comes to charisma, many people also think of having charisma. It is not always clear why one person now has charisma, or charisma, and another does not.

Originally, the term charisma comes from the Bible and it refers to people who are inspired by the "holy spirit." Since the 1960s, the term has actually been revived after that, and has since been linked more with charisma[2].

But that connection to the "holy spirit" does hint at it. For example, I am also often on stage, having once been touched by the power of hypnosis and how I wanted to help people with it.

When I am on stage, or talking about hypnosis, I do so with the energy of that inspiration. Jordan Peterson would say that for my mission with hypnosis, I have been touched by the Holy Spirit 😉.

Researchers also note that people with charisma are often politicians, CEOs, or artists. What do they have in common? They are usually engaged in something they find important; they have a personal mission.

And being engaged in carrying out that mission creates charisma.

Other research also shows that having a vision helps you to be charismatic. In this regard, social sensitivity also helps[3].

On the other hand, your charisma can also be influenced by certain personality traits, such as how extroverted you are (the more extroverted, the more charismatic) and how neurotic you are (the less neurotic, the more charismatic, source 1).

In addition, the following characteristics may also be important to your appearance:

1. You are inspiring.
2. You are energetic.
3. You are optimistic about the future.
4. You can generate enthusiasm.
5. You can cope with change and still move toward your goal (source 1).

Speaking and appearance

If someone is giving a speech, for example, to receive an award, or to win votes, charisma is also important.

Research shows that not only what is said is important, but also how it is said[4].

For example, when you stand completely behind what you are saying, you say it with more authority and that is also something that creates more charisma. People on a mission already do this automatically.

But if you’re working on your presence in personal situations, this also means it’s helpful to stand by who you are and to be somewhat proud of yourself, without becoming arrogant.

Recognition for appearance

As an observer, what you mustn’t forget when judging whether someone has charisma or not is that your own beliefs about life also have a significant influence on this.

After all, how else do you explain one politician's super charisma for one person, and another person thinks he or she is nothing at all.

For example, if the person's mission is something that touches you, you find that person has more charisma[5].

So when you see someone who has that certain something, that person is doing something that, in one way or another, resonates with you on a subconscious level.

That way, you can be unaware of your positive charisma because you just don't know who you are touching with your charisma.

This difference in what someone may find charismatic may also depend on cultural factors. Something that may be seen as charismatic in the West may not be at all in Eastern countries and vice versa.

What was a nice similarity in a study of people of Palestinian descent and people of English American descent was that when people recognized a speaker that person automatically became more charismatic[6].

So the more famous you are, the more charismatic no matter how you say something or what you say.

When someone speaks on a topic that is a social issue, that person is also viewed as more charismatic (in both cultures).

How you talk and your appearance

One obvious difference, however, is that for Western people, someone who talks faster often comes across as more charismatic, whereas in Eastern countries, someone comes across as more charismatic if they have different speeds in speech. So sometimes fast, sometimes slow.

Also, the more pauses there were in speech, the more charismatic, the more charisma, for Arabic speakers, but conversely, the less charisma for Western English speakers.

This does come in handy in a multicultural country and especially if you want to reach everyone with your image.

Improve your appearance

If you read back for a moment, there are a number of things for an aura that really come from yourself and do not depend on the recipient, such as:

1. You are energetic.
2. You are optimistic about your future.
3. You have a mission.
4. You can deal with change.

What someone finds inspiring, what someone can be "turned on" by, that in turn depends on the recipient.

But you can also play with this for your appearance.

However, consciously changing your speech patterns for more charisma is difficult.

Therefore, it is especially helpful to start working on yourself internally to improve your appearance that way.

To be optimistic about the future and handle change well, for example, a dose of self-confidence is helpful. This ensures that even when the going gets tough, you continue to take steps or think of ways to deal with setbacks.

Hypnotherapy for Appearance

Hypnotherapists can play an important role in boosting your self-confidence. Researchers even encourage hypnotherapists to create content on social media that helps people gain a stronger ego, thus reducing the negative effects social media has on people's self-confidence[7].

It's often those vacation photos that can make you start thinking about your appearance.

In addition, self-affirmations can also be very helpful in dealing with setbacks[8]. By using self-affirmations during hypnosis (or during difficult moments), you can better manage stress. Examples of such affirmations include:

"I am good enough".

"What I have to say is important."

"I get to show myself as I am."

These are just examples. Depending on your needs with charisma, a hypnotherapist can help you with other self-affirmations or suggestions that strengthen your ego.

Enhancing Optimism

In addition to self-confidence, it’s also helpful to be optimistic about the future. This often goes hand in hand with greater self-confidence.

A fun exercise you can do is to visualize your optimal self for five minutes daily. This helps you to be more optimistic and feel better[9].

In the study showing this, people had to visualize 3 things in their lives:

1. Their very best selves.
2. Their best self in relationships.
3. Their best professional selves.

If you find this difficult, a hypnotherapist can help you get started and guide you in continuing to practice this through self-hypnosis.

Finding your mission

In addition, having a mission in life can be beneficial for your presence. For example, my mission is to introduce as many people as possible to hypnosis and help them become hypnotherapists, because I believe the mental health care system needs this.

This doesn't have to be your mission. You can also have a more personal mission, such as being there for your family or something else entirely.

Hypnotherapy can help you have a clear vision of the future you want to work toward, and this helps you experience more feelings of happiness and steadfastly pursue your mission[10].

The result is more exposure.

Improve Appearance

So the great thing about your appearance is that it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with your body. For more radiance, you don't have to get slimmer. It depends much more on how you act and the energy with which you do something.

Of course, a healthy lifestyle can give you more energy, but without a sense of purpose or optimism, your charisma won’t get you very far.

Hypnotherapy can be very helpful in improving your self-confidence and optimism. In the process, it can also help you gain clarity about a vision of the future that you want to work toward. A mission you want to work on.

Want to learn more about hypnosis? Then join the free online masterclass.

Or sign up for one of our events or training courses.

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