Eyes on Fire | Six Steps to becoming Unstoppable
Eyes on Fire | Six Steps to becoming Unstoppable
“The eye of the master will do more work than both his hands”
You know those moments in both film or real life where someone transcends their normal level of ability to attain a higher goal or overcome an insurmountable challenge? Those moments of unstoppable brilliance, focus and pure awesomeness we witness in others.
I call this state of transcendence Burning.
It’s the version of you that is unfettered by your normal limitations. The version of you that becomes - if even for a brief moment – unstoppable. Go ahead, call yourself ‘Burning <insert name>’. Sounds cool, doesn’t it?
You can achieve this state too. You can unlock the best version of yourself.
Nothing to see here. Godzilla’s just charging up to - oh I don’t know - drill a hole to the centre of the Earth!
In films, how often have you seen heroes and villains represent their next level of power through glowing eyes pulsing with absolute energy? Those moments and that energy is not so unbelievable and fantastical as we might think. It happens in the real world – in our lives all the time.
The eyes are often referred to as the windows to the soul which makes it interesting that in films, we often see glowing eyes that signify power surges and moments of characters attaining supremacy. This is important because we know life is stranger than fiction and these films are often depicting acts of heroism, moments of achievement and defining events that also occur in the real world around us.
Take a moment to consider your most recent interaction with someone, an interaction that made you feel even slightly more heightened than your normal state. You might have noticed that when interacting with this other person, you subconsciously gazed into their eyes to track their mood, body language, gauge their intentions and to monitor what their eyes were focused on. This helped your brain build a picture about the other person, whether they were friend or foe, interested in you, reliable, likeable and other crucial pieces of information. You are quite literally peering into the other persons soul to determine their spirit.
When we encounter a person who has an indomitable spirit that is unnaturally single-minded or skilled at their craft, we often remark that we have seen a spark or glimmer in their eyes. When these people set out to work/perform/are tested to their limits they enter a supreme level of focus & ability that others can only describe with as having ‘an ethereal presence’ or ‘burning passion in their eyes’.
Bring me Thanos!
Any cinema goer worth their salt would know the infamous scene above where Thor arrives to face down his rival Thanos. He charges into the fray with eyes glowing of pure energy and single-handedly strikes down everything in his path something the other characters in the battle are unable to achieve collectively or individually. He does so because Thor has spent a lifetime crafting his prowess in battle, has many battle scars to prove it and recently sacrificed much to attain a higher power level so when he arrives in battle he exhibits a power that is unattainable by others.
This moment is a state of transcendence for Thor and audiences can tell – for a brief moment his soul is visible through his glowing eyes. The raw power and single-minded purpose he exhibits is evident for all to see in a moment of sheer desperation.
In movies, this next level of mastery and transcendence is reflected in the eyes of the characters as a glowing energy/fire in moments of need and reflects the characters internal purity whether good or evil. For a brief moment, that character drops their normal persona and becomes unstoppable.
The effect is both terrifying and inspiring. We peer into their soul and see their passion in all its glory and terror.
These moments of Burning represent a state of mastery that the character is able to tap into through years of perfecting their craft, failures and single-minded focus on a purpose. Their normal eyes are replaced with glowing eyes and they push beyond the limits of what is normal or even exceptional.
In the Godzilla films, Godzilla battles with his arch nemesis Ghidorah and only in the final battle when all hope seems lost does Godzilla charge himself up into Burning Godzilla his entire body aflame, his spine ablaze and eyes piercing with pure energy. In his Burning state, Ghidorah who could normally run circles around Godzilla is unable to even scratch him. Godzilla ultimately uses his Burning powers to annihilate Ghidorah.
It's difficult to represent this in real life, but don’t think that Burning moments don’t happen in real life. Unfortunately, our eyes don’t glow when we enter a state of unstoppable power but think about your favourite sports player or to one of history’s great orators. Captivated audiences would only describe their best performances or speeches as burning with fiery passion or transcending the realm of possibility. A revolutionary in Napoleonic France might describe the emperor as having a magnetic and fiery persona, a fan of Michael Jordan might describe his best performances in much the same way. These individuals are able to tap into a state of supreme performance when needed, a state where they attain laser-like focus and eyes that ooze with energy and will.
The point being, that through years of perfecting one’s craft, commitment to a single-minded cause and the need to perform in a single moment allows individuals to transcend past their limits and produce a performance on screen or off, that is beyond the realm of possible human ability or personal ability.
This doesn’t just relate to feats of physical achievement or tangible actions. It could be attained through overcoming mental, emotional, spiritual or other barriers. It just needs to be a moment where you transcend beyond what is normal for you (or others around you). It could be a moment of deep focus, emotional maturity, social success or spiritual epiphany.
This state of Burning is unlocked and is put on display for others to witness.
The Lich King controlling the souls of the dead from his Frozen Throne.
Why does this matter to you?
Well, if you’re someone who has a vision for your life (which must be true if you’re reading this) with goals and a purpose, then perfecting your craft and building your self confidence is critical in attaining your Burning state. Achieving Burning is important to ensuring you bring out the best version of yourself and rise up to the challenges of life.
The key here is to build yourself and your level of skill up to a point where the Burning version of yourself is able to unleash itself when the moment calls for it.
Benefits of Burning
It lets you test your absolute limits
It allows you to become the best version of yourself
It transcends you beyond your normal level of skill and understanding of the world
It’s often followed with great financial, social or personal success
Steps to achieving Burning
Perfect your craft. Spend time (often copious amounts of it) working on your skill/s and attaining a level of mastery over your ability to perform whether that’s a physical sport, emotional intelligence or public speaking. Often this can only be attained through significant time spent alone.
Get comfortable in your skin. Revel in your strengths. Anchor your self-worth to something that is truly incorruptible or unassailable.
Believe in something. Having a purpose and why will allow you to push far beyond what is possible for an average person.
Kill the doubt. Accept your limitations humbly. Accept that there is a constant voice of dissent that rings inside your head and push ahead despite it.
Challenge yourself. Actively place yourself in uncomfortable situations where you know constructive growth can be achieved
Show off. Step up when the moment of need arises. Complete that impossible project. Stand up for yourself in that relationship. Voice your opinions with courage. Make that 3-pointer with a second left on the clock.
Now get out there, set your Eyes on Fire and the world ablaze…not literally. You know what I mean.
Talion’s normally a good guy, he’s just possessed by the spirit of an Elf that lets him possess his enemies. He’s also fun at parties.