What Makes a Person Charismatic?
Right now I am writing a book about sales and charisma. In my research about charisma I found a couple different definitions of charisma. I chose only one of them to base my book around. You’ll have to read the book to find out which one I chose. 
Before I launch it I thought it would be fun to get some opinions on what you think about charisma. Here are some questions to get your mind going . . .
- How important do you think charisma is in business and selling.
- Do you think being charismatic is a learned or natural born characteristic?
- Who in the online world do you consider to be full of charisma?
- Do you think people who seem charismatic are more successful?
- Do you see charisma in a person as something negative?
The Pursuit of Passion
This guest blog post is by Brandi-Ann Uyemura. Her blog, The Inspiring Bee, lead me to ask if she would tell her story for the Were You Born to Inspire natural born gifts series. Enjoy her story!
After I got my second degree (my first was a BA in English and then a MA in Counseling Psychology), I reached an inevitable confusion spurred from a lifetime of being a professional student. It was 2006 and I had suddenly wakened from my reverie.
I spent most of my twenties sitting down in the career section of Borders thumbing through guides with titles like, What to Do With Your Life . And now that school was over and my pocketbook showed no chance of going back, I realized it was time to finally answer that question for myself.
In 2007, after a decade of shopping around for the “perfect job, “ I made a commitment to return to a past dream. I put away my assistant hat (there would be no more research assistant, administrative assistant positions for me) and said goodbye to the random ways I chose jobs. That meant no more chance encounters with exciting positions either like the time I worked as a private investigator.
I was ready to pursue my life-long dream of being a writer. Writing had always been a part of my life, whether I was filling the now full ten diaries I had as a child, typing faux news articles on my plastic typewriter or writing poetry something I started doing when I was 7 and then had published in Blue Mountain Arts when I was 27. For a few years, I worked as a copywriter for various online retailers, newspapers and magazines. Last year, I got a job as an associate editor for Psych Central, a position that allowed me to connect my past two degrees.
But what surprised me most about my venture to find my passion and pursue my dreams is the journey that took me there is what inspires me most and what I am most passionate about. And as a result, I created The Inspiring Bee out of pure selfishness. Because I had been on that difficult road to follow my own dreams, I had a profound passion and compassion for those who were struggling to find and pursue theirs. I had a strong belief that everyone had a purpose and fulfilling it would not only make him or her happier, but that the world would be a much better and happier place.
Interestingly enough, I found it serendipitous that once I began to separate myself from the crowd of writers online, my opportunities grew. My husband saw a documentary, for example, on people who were living their dreams. It was so moving to me that I contacted the production company who did the film. I was able to interview Bonnie St. John, an Olympian and an author who had an inspiring story to tell of her life.
Everyone wants to find their purpose, to know that their unique experiences and talents have a reason and a place in this world. I know now that there may not be one dream, but that there are many dreams to pursue like streams in the big river of life. The reason I am so passionate about writing blog posts, connecting with blog readers and continuing to pursue projects that fulfill this purpose is that I have personal experience walking the walk. I grew up in a family who were mainstreamers, working in conventional careers and I stepped away from what was considered normal and took a chance. While the road is bumpy, I learned that sticking to what I am most passionate about my purpose. If I can use my life and experiences to help others who are going through the same thing and if I can continue to follow the beat of my own drum, then I know for sure I am fulfilling my purpose. And I definitely know that I’m on the right path.
A Joyful Spark of Wisdom
I thought it would be great fun to share some stories from people who lead with the gifts I featured in my “Were You Born to . . .” series. Today’s blog post is about a person who leads with the gift of spreading joy to others and his new book that tells us how to live a life filled with joy.
It’s with great pleasure I share with you Steven Rice’s new book: An Imperceptible Spark: Finding the Courage to Live a Life of Joy
An Imperceptible Spark is raw, honest and very reflective. In it Steven shares his personal story about his journey back to joy and what he learned. He then shows us the roadblocks to joy through relatable stories and how to bust through them. He brings home the point that joy is our natural state. He also shares wisdom on why you may not be experiencing joy and how to get there. Through out the book the message is clear. Joy is a choice we make every day in every moment of our lives.
Here’s a favorite quote of mine that gives you a feel for what the book is about:
“We can certainly chose to live a life of suffering and striving, but there is a another way. We choose the path of surrender. We can choose ease and allow the flow of life to pass through our experience unimpeded.” Steven Rice
It’s important to note his approach isn’t passive. There is some mental and emotional work involved, but come on . . . if the end result is a life lived joyfully the work is 100% worth it.
Steven Rice says he hadn’t given joy much of a thought during his youth but I strongly feel that he is meant to teach us about joy. Besides the fact that his face clearly indicates a joyful person, people who sit down and write a whole book on the subject are meant to share joy with us. Thank you for sharing this joyful wisdom with us, Steven!
By the way, Steven E. Rice also has two great blogs to check out: The Spark Book and the Karmic Kappuccino. You can also find him on his Facebook page.
Note: You can read my blog post about Were You Born to Spread Joy to learn more about this beautiful gift.
Were You Born to Spread Joy?
Are you surprised this one on my featured natural born gifts? If so, great! I love to surprise people. Joy is one of the highest positive energies in the world and without the people who share and spread joy we would be doomed to a life of drudgery.
Okay. That may be a slight exaggeration. But, we are beginning to awaken to the knowledge that experiencing joy is one of the reasons we are alive. The people who are naturally gifted at spreading joy are here to lead us to the experiences that give us joy.
To me, this is one of the most misunderstood gifts. The people who lead with this gift can be labeled Pollyanna’s or do-gooders. They’re natural, joyful spirit may be suppressed in their youth because they may not feel it’s very mature way to live, that life is supposed to be serious. They may even diminish their natural gift to match the people around them.
If you feel you lead with this gift, I ask you to feel honored as you read on. You are here to show, teach, inspire and spread joy. We all need to be reminded that the sweet spot in life is experiencing the beauties of life and that the true feeling of joy is better than any drug. Throw back your shoulders and feel proud you give such an amazing gift to us all.
So, do you lead with the gift of spreading and sharing joy? Here are a few clues:
- You love special occasions whether you are attending or hosting them.
- You find contentment with the smallest things in life as well as the largest.
- People tell you your smile lights up a room.
- You love to surprise people with unexpected gifts, thoughtful emails, etc.
- You’re instinct is to lighten the mood when around people. You may even value being goofy at times.
Does this sound like you?
If not, do you know someone who fits this description? Make their day and tell them thank you for doing what they do. Speaking of spreading joy, be sure to stay tuned for my book review of my blogging buddy Steven E. Rice’s new book “An Imperceptible Spark: Finding the Courage to Live a Life of Joy.
Dispensing joy isn’t one of your gifts? No worries. Check out these other natural born gifts.
You can view my Affiliate Compensation Disclosure Policy on my Fine Print Page.
Were You Born to Motivate?
Do love to motivate? Are people like Tony Robbins your mentors? Then this post is for you. Your natural gift is to get us all moving forward. Without motivation most of us would languish in our comfort zones. In life, sometimes we need an external push and the motivators are there to give it to us.
Think of motivators as powerful cheerleaders with practical advice and a no holds bar attitude. Traditionally motivators can be seen in professions such as public speakers and coaches but they can use their natural gift in many other ways as well. You can find them using their gifts as teachers, parents, bosses, and much more.
Just in case you haven’t read my past blog posts I’ll state again that the skills I’m writing about come naturally to some people so they are gifted in that area of their life. For instance, motivators have a natural instinct to use this skill, may study to further enhance it and motivate professionally.
How do you know if you lead with this gift? Here are a few clues:
- Have a “You Can Do It” attitude.
- Don’t accept excuses from themselves or others.
- Love to tell others what may be stopping them from achieving their dreams.
- Become impassioned when speaking about goals and getting ahead.
- Help to remove doubt from people’s mindset.
Does this sound like you? Tell me what other ways you motivate by leaving a comment.
If you missed the previous natural gifts posts in the Natural Born series click on the links below.
We all lead with one or more natural gifts. The most important thing is to understand what they are and how to best use them in your business.
Were You Born to Empower?
The fourth blog post about our natural born gifts is about the gift of empowerment. Have you noticed the word floating around more lately? The true meaning of the word is to give someone else power. In the past decade or so the spiritual/self-help communities have adapted the word to mean to help someone else find their own power.
People who lead with the gift of empowerment teach us that true power comes from within. We don’t need to wait for permission for power to be given to us. They want to help us become more courageous and bold within our own lives. They walk their talk and don’t shy away from making strides in their own lives. They tend to be people who can overcome adversity quickly and can teach others how to do the same.
Were you born to share the gift of self-empowerment? Here are a few clues:
- You lead to be courageous by example.
- You love to challenge the status quo.
- You tend to see the world in back and white terms.
- You find joy in seeing others become courageous in their own lives.
Do you see yourself leading with this natural gift? Please leave a comment and tell me how! Stay tuned for the next post about people who lead with the gift of spreading joy.
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