5 Necessary Steps to being Mysterious
I'm a magician... part of my job is to be the mysterious stranger approaching people, showing them something amazing, then leaving never to be seen again. The audience is left wondering "How did he do that? Where did he learn these impossible things?"
You don't have to know any card tricks to by mysterious. Here's some tips from a professional...
Be intriguing.
There's a fine line between the mysterious and the unknown. You don't know what's under the rock on the side of the road... and you probably don't care.
Whatever is under the rock is not mysterious, it's just unknown. The difference is that the mysterious is unknown, but also intriguing. For something to be mysterious, it has to be interesting, surprising, or give you some reason to care about it.
As a magician, I entertain people. I'm interesting and fun to watch. That's why they should care about me and what I'm doing, because they're enjoying themselves.
Do interesting things.
Get a hobby. You can join a sports team on with the local Parks and Recreation.
Learn some origami, or fix up a classic car. Local bars host poker games, or paint night.
Geocaching is fun!
Maybe some advice from Dr. Who "Travel Broadens the Mind".
Do whatever you want, but the more interesting it is, the more interesting you will be!
Have more than one circle of friends.
This might be difficult if you live in a small town. If you don't, then there really is no excuse to not be able to meet new people.
I personally love special events. Street fairs, festivals, shows, all are a ton of fun and a great way to meet people as well as investing in your own personal growth.
Look different.
Maybe wear a hat. Dress in your own style, do something different from the people around you.
Jeff McBride, the magician with the worlds fastest hands and highly mysterious, says "Always dress like you're going somewhere better... Later".
Never be the first or last to leave a party. Once you have found your different look, you must also do different things (of course socially acceptable and responsible things). Make people wonder "Where is he/she going?" or "where was he/she today?"
Don't brag.
The more you tell people about yourself, the less mystery there is.
It's good to be proud of something. That might even be more important to you than being mysterious. At some point you'll have to decide which one is more important to you.
Even when you're are proud, no one likes arrogance or egocentricity. It's just one more fine in this big beautiful world we live in.
Imagine a person at your work. You talk to him sometimes, but you don't really know him all that much. Imagine you walk into the break room one day and this guy is in the corner on the phone speaking an unknown language. He sees you, and takes his phone call somewhere else....
That scenario would be mysterious for most people (unless you work for the UN), because it's surprising and unexpected.
A similar scenario... imagine the office milquetoast comes into work with a black eye and cut knuckles. When asked what happened, he smiles and politely changes the subject.
MYSTERIOUS!
When someone accidentally lets slip something surprising, mysterious, and intriguing, you might think of it as an "intrigue bomb"
Be careful when dropping your own "intrigue bombs". It's as tacky as 'name dropping' if it's obvious. But if it's not obvious, it can make you much more interesting in the eyes of the people around you. You might have to let your 'intrigue bomb' burn a hole in your pocket for quite a while before you can drop it properly. In fact, wanting people to know things about you, interesting or not, is the opposite of mysterious.
People enjoy a mystery. The world is better with more mystery.
Just ask Einstein...
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom the emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand wrapped in awe, is as good as dead his eyes are closed."
