Charisma is that quality in a person that attracts you to another person, you may think of a charismatic personality with words like charm or magnetic. It’s that special something that causes people to respond in a positive way. Often charisma is thought to be a gift that is reserved for those who God has deemed worthy or special – either you have or you don’t. While there are those who have a natural bent toward charisma, it is something you can develop on your Life Palette that will add value to your life as God’s masterpiece.
God has created you with personality and your personality has a charisma about it that is natural for you. Charisma cannot be confined to a certain personality type or specific actions or traits. You’ve got personality, a God-given personality, and within your personality as God’s masterpiece you have your own traits of charisma that attracts others to you. You have a responsibility to develop all that God has given you to live in your life as His masterpiece – living out your potential. That means developing and growing in your personality.
I love acrostics and acronyms. I found this acrostic for C.H.A.R.I.S.M.A. from Dr. John C. Maxwell. This simple acrostic reveals 8 areas that you can focus on to work on your personal charisma, developing and growing your natural God-given personality:
• Concern: The ability to show you care about people’s needs or interests.
• Help: The ability to reach out.
• Action: The ability to make things happen.
• Results: The ability to produce.
• Influence: The ability to lead.
• Sensitivity: The ability to feel and respond.
• Motivation: The ability to give hope.
• Affirmation: The ability to build up.
Charisma Barriers
Developing this part of your personality is important for your Life Palette. A key element for helping you do this is consistency. In my book Life Palette I wrote: “While we will never be perfect in all our ways here on this Earth, there are some things that we can do daily to improve our consistency, allowing our lives to better reflect the nature and character of God as His masterpiece.” Be consistent in humility, consider how you speak to others, is it condescending or encouraging? Be consistent in your personal security. Know who you are in Christ, and secure that you are His masterpiece. Be consistent in having an optimistic attitude, anyone can be negative and moody and no one wants to be around a negative moody person – it is the opposite of charisma.
Focus On Others
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that charisma is all about focusing on yourself, it’s actually quite the opposite. You will be attractive to others when they sense you are more concerned about making them feel good about themselves than you are about making them feel good about you. It is a concept that Jesus taught: “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.” (Luke 6:31 NLT) Paul said it this way in the Bible: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Eph 4:29 NIV)
Next Steps:
Think of one action you can take today to show someone that you are more concerned about making them feel good about themselves than making them feel good about you – do it! Consider your personality – what are the strengths of your personality. (If you have never taken a personality test, go to http://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test and begin understanding and developing the strengths God has created in your personality as His masterpiece.)