Say the name Cleopatra. What comes to mind?
Politics. War. Romance. Intrigue. Power. Assassination. Sex. Empire.
To live in a time of politics, power, and deception at ever corner require a person to be sharper than a knife. The very epitome of that person is Cleopatra, the Egyptian queen that brought down both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony without an army, without a blow, without a strike.
How was this goddess able to do it? The answer, of course, is out of the scope of this article. But here are 5 traits of Cleopatra’s personality that you can develop in yourself, to keep up with the drama and politics of life in the 21st century.
1. Boldness:
The boldness and its sister bravery traits have long been associated with masculinity. But that is anything from truth. Men have long felt threatened and feared the bold woman, but that very element of fear and fascination at a woman so bold and so brave is the very trait that gives Cleopatra that captivating allure.
Put it to practice: Find out what you want from life, in detail. Then, formulate an action plan to attack it head-on. Learn to take calculated risk like its second nature.
2. Ambition:
Another trait associated with masculinity. Throughout history, it’s the men who organized armies and conquered other lands. It’s the men who became powerful statesperson. To be known as ambitious was a compliment. But as a woman living in the 21st century, to have ambition, to have dreams, goals, and risking everything to achieve it, is an irresistible trait that no implants or make-up artist can achieve.
Put it to practice: Know thyself. Set goals that are challenging. A powerful rule is if your goal doesn’t scare you a bit, it’s nowhere near ambitious enough.
3. Mystery:
They say it’s better to keep your mouth shut and let other people think you’re a fool than to open it and confirm all doubt. Cleopatra was a woman of many sides and characters. She had a shroud of mystery around her that, like a good horror book, keep her audience in absolute suspense.
Put it to practice: Keep a little bit of everything to yourself. Never share too much information, also known as TMI. Keep your goals to yourself, because your ambition is sure to nourish resentment and envy from life’s army of losers. They have the, if I can’t have it nobody can, mentality. Keep your dream and intentions well hidden and attack it every day.
4. Appearance:
Though new evidence have been found confirming Cleopatra as rather normal (some say below normal) looking, Cleopatra knew how to make herself beautiful. She knew the science to making oneself more beautiful and alluring, regardless of what one looks like naturally.
Put it to practice: Learn the art of transformation. Every woman knows that nothing is what it seems nowadays. And it was no different back in Cleopatra’s time. Any intelligent woman can learn the science of clothes, the science of make-up, and the science of colors and become the master of her own appearance. Invest in yourself. Take care of yourself, from the inside out, as opposed to outside in.
5. Intelligence:
Oh, the mind of Cleopatra. They say it wasn’t her looks, nor her powers (for she had very little of both), but her mind that conquered the Roman Empire. She was said to speak multiple languages (a notable thing for a woman of royalty. Why learn your subject’s language when you can make them learn yours?) Her admirers were mesmerized by her ability to discuss any subject and her ability to capture their attention with her wit and shroud of mystery.
Put it to practice: Invest heavily in your mind. Don’t abuse yourself by thinking that since you’ve graduated from school, that learning is over. Learning is never over. Get in a habit of opening your mind to new ideas, even opposing viewpoints. Get in a lifelong habit of reading voraciously. Aim to read at least one book per week. Of course, you can give yourself an unfair advantage over other people reading this by reading even more.
While you probably don’t need to seduce the most two most powerful men of your day, in an age of sensational news, mindless YouTube videos, and time wasting TV – you can easily set yourself apart them the crowd. Start with yourself.