Transcription
You have to have some control over your own image. You have to know this is a quality that I have that people like and I'm aware of it and I'm going to use it and I'm going to play it up at times. So, you can't just naturally be yourself. You can't just be completely authentic in this world.
Um, the question is how do you, um, you know, straddle that line between being authentic and being strategic in this world? And in the art of seduction, uh, in the first section, I very much answer that question because I have these nine types of seducers and I'm telling you the reader that you are one of these types. That you are naturally, in your in your own nature, the way your brain is wired, the way your personality is, you fit into one of these types, right? But, if you if you're not aware of it, if you don't if you're not aware that you fit one of these types and you just be yourself, that's not being seductive in this world. So, it's a kind of a dance that you have.
I know that this is a quality I have that is very interesting to people, right? You have to be aware of the qualities in you that excite people, that have a degree of charisma, that make them interested in you. And then you have to know how to kind of play that up a little bit and use it for effect. And so, if you're not authentic at all, if you're only playing a role in life, if you're only wearing a mask, it doesn't have any power, particularly if you're in in media of any sort, right? People value very much authenticity, but authenticity is actually something that you have to play, is actually something you have to wear, is actually something you have to know how to use, right?
So, if you're just completely yourself in the public eye, if you just say whatever you want to say, if you're just naturally being yourself, you're going to offend a lot of people, right? Because you're going to say things that are stupid. You're just you're going to you're going to you're not going to look good. So, you have to have some control over your own image. You have to know this is a quality that I have that people like and I'm aware of it and I'm going to use it and I'm going to play it up at times, right? So, you can't just naturally be yourself. You can't just be completely authentic in this world.
The human beings are actors. We're continually wearing a mask. So, when you see somebody in the public eye, like a rock star or a political figure, you go, "Wow, that person is so authentic." They're actually playing a role. They know what works in the public eye. They know how to appear authentic and they play it up. Now, it's they are using qualities that they have that are different that make them unique, that make them authentic. But, they know how to play that up and to give it a kind of an edge to it and to make it more seductive and more charismatic.
It's not black or white. It's not being strategic or being authentic. You have to be strategic with your own image, okay? So, in the 48 Laws of Power, I talk about recreating yourself. People are always judging you. They're always putting you in a category. They're labeling you. You have to take control of your image. You have to take control over how people see you. But, it can't be completely fake. It has to be something that comes from within. So, you can be strategic with your image, with how people see you, but also be authentic at the same time. It's not black and white. The two can go together.