You are lighting up a room.
You are able to stand powerfully and magnetize a larger audience that will support your work and voice.
Doesn’t this feel like a sigh of relief?
Except you are probably now saying, “ok great, Nikol…easy to say but HOW??”
There are so many elements to a Powerful Presence, but today I want to offer this simple teaching around how you can create this kind of response with your audience.
Lighting up a room is a reflection of your intention.
For the purposes of today, I’m defining intention as to whether you want to connect or disconnect with your audience. If we want to connect, there is a desire for depth and substance in the interaction, and if we want to disconnect, we will feel we need to separate ourselves and isolate.
There is no right or wrong here, but it’s important to understand that your audience FEELS your intention, physically and energetically.
To explain this, let’s explore the actual phenomenon of “lighting up a room”.
Have you ever experienced this with someone else? Have you instantly felt a shift in your energy from seeing someone or listening to them? You may have felt foggy or sad prior, but within seconds or minutes, you find yourself feeling lighter just by being near them.
You may be able to pinpoint why you feel better because of something this person said or did, but sometimes you can’t fully explain it. It almost feels ethereal or magical.
Whatever the reason, we can simplify this moment as you felt lower prior to seeing them, and then became energized. You literally felt “lit up”, like sunshine was filling your pores.
You FEEL this person’s energy.
Now, have you ever seen or heard someone enter a room and felt your whole being contract? Have you felt tension in your head or stomach, or perhaps found your throat getting tight? You’ve had a shift as well, but instead of sunshine, you feel like someone just blasted your whole being with freezing water.
You FEEL this person’s energy.
We are energetic beings. And what we emit is felt by everyone and everything around us. The intention to connect is like an energetic wave rippling out from you. It’s like warm sunshine to your audience, and the intention to disconnect is like the winter wind.
So, how can you apply this?
* First begin by checking in with yourself BEFORE you are about to go in front of your audience. How are you feeling? Are you feeling jazzed? Are you feeling depleted? Where is your energy? You want to bring presence to what is actually ALIVE in you at this moment. Perhaps you just experienced a loss, or some big disappointment. Perhaps you just broke up with a loved one. Or maybe you had the best night of sleep ever and can’t wait to get on stage. Connect to how you feel first.
* Once you have checked in with where you actually are, then ask yourself if you have a need for connection. Does it light YOU up to imagine an interaction with depth and substance? Do you feel inspired to answer comments on social media, respond to DMs, or meet your fans after a show or talk? If so, you have an intention to connect, and you are full systems go. Shine your light!
* If you check in and find you are feeling depleted and worn out, and really just want to isolate yourself, this is a time for honoring where you are. If the thought of interactions that have depth feels exhausting, then you probably have a need for REST.
There’s been way too much toxic messaging out there encouraging you to “put on a smiling face” or “fake it til you make it”, but because we are energetic beings, the truth is, your audience will be able to FEEL what your true intention is. It may be in your best interest for your well being to actually disconnect and refill your cup.
You are a changing being, complex and glorious. Some days you feel up and some days you feel down, but it’s vital to understand that how we feel is FELT.
This isn’t about being up ALL the time, it’s really about honoring where you are, and being ok with that. You are not a robot, thank goodness:).
Everyone needs rest and recovery. And it’s vital to have a conversation about emotional intelligence, so that you can expand your audience with ease.
Your biggest tool around magnetizing your audience, is knowing where you are in any given moment. It’s your ability to be present with what IS, without judgement or self punishment.
This way you can take a rain check when you really need to rest, and bring your A game when you feel so inspired and can’t wait to hug your fans.
You have the sunshine AND the winter wind within you. There is no problem here, just your human spirit in all its many colors.
Allow the ebb and flow and let your audience bask in the sunshine of your intention when it’s actually present.