Personal Magnetism
We hear much about Personal Magnetism these days. It is a peculiar
quality of the mental being of the individual that serves to bring
other persons into a mood or state of mind sympathetic with that of
the magnetic person. Some men have this quality developed to a
wonderful extent, and are able to bring about a harmonious agreement
on the part of other persons in a short time, while others are almost
entirely deficient in this respect and their very presence tends to
arouse antagonism in the minds of others. The majority of people
accept the idea of Personal Magnetism without question, but few will
agree upon any theory attempting to account for it. Those who have
studied the matter carefully know that the whole thing depends upon
the mental states of the individual, and upon his ability to cause
others to "catch" his mental vibrations. This "catching" is caused by
what is known as Mental Induction. Induction, you know, is "that
property or quality, or process by which one body having electrical or
magnetic polarity produces it in another without direct contact. "And
Mental Induction is a manifestation of similar phenomena on the mental
plane. People’s mental states are "catching" or "contagious," and if
one infuses enough life and enthusiasm into his mental states they
will affect the minds of persons with whom they come in contact. We
have explained this matter in detail in the little book of this series
entitled, "Mental Influence. "
It seems to us that the prime factor in successful Mental
Induction, or manifestations of Personal Magnetism, is Enthusiasm. In
another lesson in this book we have told you about Enthusiasm, and
when you think of Personal Magnetism, it will be well for you to read
what we have said about Enthusiasm also. Enthusiasm gives Earnestness
to the person, and there is no mental state so effective as
Earnestness. Earnestness makes itself felt strongly, and will often
make a person give you attention in spite of him self. Walter D.
Moody, a well-known writer on the subject of Salesmanship, says,
truthfully, "It will be found that all men possessed of personal
magnetism are very much in earnest. Their intense earnestness is
magnetic. "And nearly every student of the subject has noted this
fact. But the earnestness must be more that a firm, confident, honest
belief in the thing being presented tot eh attention of the other
person. It must be a live, contagious earnestness, which can best be
described as Enthusiasm – Enthusiastic Earnestness, that’s the term.
This Enthusiastic Earnestness has much emotion in it – it appeals
to the Emotional side of human nature, rather that to the Thinking -
Reasoning side. And yet an argument based upon reason and conducted
upon logical principles, may be presented with Enthusiastic
Earnestness with much greater effect than if the appeal to the reason
is conducted in a cold, unemotional way. The average person is so
constituted mentally that he thaws out under a manifestation of live,
enthusiastic "feeling," under the term of Personal Magnetism. The
"feeling" side of mentality is as important as the "thinking" side –
and it is far more common and universal, for the majority of people
really think very little, while everyone "feels. "
A writer in the "early seventies" of the last century said:"All of
us emit a sphere, aura, or halo, impregnated with the very essence of
ourselves; sensitive knows it; so do our dogs and other pets; so does
a hungry lion or tiger; aye, even flies, snakes and the insects, as we
know to our cost. Some of us are magnetic – others not. Some of us are
warm, attractive, love inspiring and friendship making, while others
are cold, intellectual, thoughtful, reasoning, but not magnetic. Let a
learned man of the latter type address an audience and it will soon
tire of his intellectual discourse, and will manifest symptoms of
drowsiness. He talks at them, but not into them – he makes them think,
not feel, which is most tiresome to the majority of persons, and few
speakers succeed who attempt to merely make people think – they want
to be made to feel. People will pay liberally to be made to feel or
laugh, while they will begrudge a dime for instruction or talk that
will make them think. Pitted against a learned man of the type
mentioned above, let there be a half-educated, but very loving, ripe
and mellow man, with but nine-tenths of the logic and erudition of the
first man, yet such a man carries along his crowd with perfect ease,
and everybody is wide-awake, treasuring up every good thing that falls
from his lips. The reasons are palpable and plain. It is heart against
head; soul against logic; and is bound to win every time.
If you will notice the man and woman who are considered the most
"magnetic," you will find that almost invariably they are people who
have what is called "soul" about them – that is, they manifest and
induce "feeling," or emotion. They manifest traits of character and
nature similar to that manifested by actors and actresses. They throw
out a part of themselves, which seems to affect those coming in
contact with them. Notice a non-magnetic actor, and you will see that
although he may be letter perfect in his part, and may have acquired
the proper mannerisms, gestures and other technical parts of his art,
still he lacks a "certain something," and that something may be seen
to be the ability to communicate "feeling. "Now, those who are in the
secret know full well that many of the successful actors, who seem to
burn with passion, feeling and emotion on the stage, really feel but
little of these qualities while acting – they are like phonographs,
giving off sounds that have been registered in them. But if you will
investigate still further, you will see that in studying their parts
and practicing the same privately, these people induced a stimulated
emotion, such as the part called for, and held it firmly in their
minds, accompanying it with the appropriate gestures, etc. , until it
became firmly "set" there – impressed upon the tablets of the
mentality as the record of a phonograph is likewise impressed upon the
wax. Then, when afterward they played the part, the outward semblance
of the feelings, with the motions, gestures, emphasis, etc. ,
reproduced itself and impressed the audience. It is said that if an
actor allows himself to be actually carried away with his part so that
he feels the same keenly, the result will not be advantageous, for he
is overcome with the feeling and its effect is upon himself rather
than upon his audience. The best result is said to be obtained when
one has first experienced and felt the emotion, and then afterward
reproduces it in the manner above stated, without allowing it to
control him.
We mention the above facts for the use of those who do not
naturally possess the faculty or quality of Personal magnetism to the
required degree. Such people will find it to their advantage to
endeavor to work up the desired feeling of Enthusiastic Earnestness,
in private, fixing the mental impression by frequent private
rehearsals and practice, until it becomes registered in their "habit
mind," to be reproduced upon occasions when needed. Be a good actor –
that is the advice in such cases; and remember this, that frequent
practice and private rehearsal makes the good actor. It is a far
better thing to be able to induce feeling and enthusiasm in this way,
rather than be lacking of it, on the one hand; or to be an "emotional
inebriate" on the other hand. One may be rationally Enthusiastically
Earnest, without being filled full of "slushy gush" or maudlin
emotionalism. We think that the careful student will see just what is
meant here, and will not misunderstand us. And remember, that through
this repeated "acting" the desired quality will often become real and
"natural. "
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