I will be a World Class Sprinter.

I would like to be a world class brand consultant. I would love to challenge the status quo for the better and make relevant unique brands for companies that earn them money and lots of love from consumers.

Without a gun on my head:

1) I will make a solid 2013 goal sheet with plan of action 2) Prepare for some safety net financially to carry me for atleast six months 3) Surround myself with breakthrough work from the world of marketing and brands, read articles from established brand gurus

With a gun on my head: 1) Quit my current job that is not aligned to my interests 2) Approach clients for work 3) Be persistent enough

I would want to deconstruct ice dancing the way that Tim deconstructed tango.

I started figure skating at the age of 30, and took it fairly seriously for the first two years, training far more than most other adult skaters, and even did a few adult competitions.

But I'd like to truly deconstruct ice dance, and use that deconstruction to acquire the "top 5 percenter" skill set within 6 months of skating full time, at the level of an Olympic athlete. That would be awesome sauce!

Not sure if it is too late to answer this? I am nationally ranked long range shooter. I am on the US Rifle Team. I felt I was very fortunate if not lucky to make the rapid progree that I did in only acouple of years. 2011 brought me a natinal civilain record and a couple of championships. But I have come to a stand still. I still want to win the US Nationals at Camp Perry. I have done well but not a win. I need to break through this wall. I know I can win but need a shift in my mental game. Anette - aka 30CalGal

I teach Third Grade...

I want to be world class at having my students' eyes opened up to the wonderful world of learning. piquing a students' curiosity is one of the greatest feelings and helps inspire me.

I want a clan full of wide eyed learners ready to tackle the world.

I want to be world class at opening their eyes!

Thanks Tim, love your stuff!

I would learn to play and become a world class basset horn player... which would bring most listeners to tears.

If I had a gun to my head I would first, pee. Then I would try to gently hum the melody to "Whoever You Are" by the Brian Jonestown Massacre because that song always cheers me up and maybe it would cheer up my homicidal friend as well.

After I wrote what’s below, I read in 4-hour Chef this crossed your noggin for similar reasons. So this will sound like a “me-too” but I’ll let it stand as it is.

Woodworking. It is where several impulses intersect.

• WW can be situational monuments to life. You are layering aesthetics with utility, of course, but there are more psychological lines, personality and cultural insight. True of architecture but WW has more control from idea to finished work. You contribute to a defined living space by ideating life abstractions implemented concretely. To submit to a quality apprenticeship like all the old trades would be life altering. To learn and observe until that evasive 'magic' in the craft absorbs into one's identity.

• If accomplished, WW is easily transferable to every domain - business/trade, family/personal, a service to friends or the broader community. There will always be need for quality carpentry.

• Health. A sustainable method of mind-body coordination. Specifically the brain together with the hands never at a standstill, and I think of this in the long form of life story. I spoke recently with an octogenarian friend, the most active and sharp “senior citizen” I know. He spends his time helping others, problem solving, building, fixing, and reading up on the latest. Carpentry is one of his ongoing activities, mostly to the benefit of others. His best advice for those getting older is “Never stop working”. Which isn’t the same thing as not retiring, it just means always keep the mind and body involved or they will deteriorate rapidly like many of his age group. This inspired me beyond words.

I took woodshop as a kid, but now this fits things together that have already been there in my life: art/drawing, math/science, being physically engaged, producing materials that could benefit myself and others.

Life-enjoyer.

.

Tim,

I am a PhD student in clincial psych doing research and clinical work in attention, memory and cognitive rehabilitation. I have a few good ideas ruminating that I've begun to act on... but I struggle with promoting what I am doing, or that my work is any different from others.

If I were to pick one thing to become world class at in 2013, it would be a world class SELF-PROMOTER. I think the ability to stand out and say "hey, what I'm doing here is important" is fundamental to getting this kind of work funded and USED. There are many other things to want to be world class at, but without the ability to promote your work, especially when in is in service to the community, all is lost.

If I had a gun to my head to figure out how to do that? It'd be to surround myself with the people who believe anything is possible, and aren't hung up on "realistic" goals. So... that means I'd find a way to insinuate myself in to social circles that epitomize the ideal: Yourself, Michael Neill (Supercoach), and Tony Robbin's are the ones that pop up for me. I believe that kind of energy creates more energy.

You are 3/3 on writing life changing books. Thanks Tim!

Regards,

Ryan

Hi Tim,

Not very original but I like the life style they live, so I would become a world class golfer.

With a gun to my head: Firstly, I would transfer some of what I have learned myself in relation to achieving a high level of success (I came first in my class in Oxford University) to the task. I would therefore, fully believe that the goal is achievable and never waste time doubting this belief or listening to others telling me that it could not be achieved. I know that ANYTHING can be learned. I would spend a lot of time learning the fundamentals of the swing. This would be done by finding an appropriate expert in golf swing mechanics and do anything that I had to, to convince him to teach me. I would follow, without question, the advice/technique that was required. I would never think that I understood the fundamentals or was able to implement the fundamentals before the expert informed me that he was happy that I had the fundamentals nailed.

With a gun to my head I would then do nothing else but eat, sleep and PRACTICE...checking back every now and again to make sure that I was not making any mistake with my fundamentals. I would work HARDER then anybody had ever worked before...

One thing to remember though Tim, if I had a gun to my head, I would be working/practising so hard, unless you happen to be hiding the fact that you are an expert in golf swing mechanics under some bushel of yours, I would have no time to take your call...

What do I really want; what's more important to me than anything else? CLARITY of INTENTION.

This means to align myself with the essential nature of the evolutionary impulse itself; that same impulse that burst forth as the big bang, that compels the body to procreate and the mind to innovate. This evolutionary impulse has no other motive than my own individual(and our collective) higher development; the wholehearted, passionate intention to exist, to develop, to become, to evolve. And, its only purpose is to create the future.

In that impulse, fear, doubt, hesitation, and obstacles don't exist. How could they? All it ever wants to do is move forward. Its both the path and the goal. When I engage wholeheartedly, the evolutionary impulse creates within me a liberating confidence in my ability to succeed.

Clarity of Intention - fueled by single-pointed will - is empowering. When I face everything and avoid nothing, no matter where I may be at any point in my development, Clarity of Intention places the ultimate outcome in my own hands. And, that outcome always rests on the simple question: What do I really want - what is more important to me that anything else?

(INTENTION: desire, deep awareness & strength of purpose).

1. I would be a World Class Best-Selling Author on Weight-Loss. I believe everyone can be naturally thin and look/feel athletic. I want to share with the world the BEST techniques to making it happen fast and effortlessly... it IS possible, and, most importantly, it can be fun!

2. I would finish writing my World Class weight-loss book, get it published and sell over 20,000 copies a week. I am very eager to help people transform into their ideal selves!! Being skinny is for everyone. It's healthy, it's possible, and it's how the human body loves to be!

P.S. Tim - you are an inspiration! I have all your books and every year I buy copies as a X-mas present for friends, family and colleagues, including the 4-hour chef... love your "virus ideas"!

Please never stop inspiring us!

www.healthdivas.co.uk

For 2013- World class in being the best (and most organized) Paleo Dad and husband that I can be.

Meaning that I would become much better in how I manage my time and energy such that I have lots of energy, stamina and free time to play with my little girl, plus be really there (!!!) for my wife. A big part of this is organizing myself around my little girls/family's time together. So going to gym/yoga,etc when she is in bed or at lunchtime during work. Also, as a family our major plan is to save for a house next year. So it will be important to balance saving and cutting down on expenses whilst eating/living a Paleo lifestyle. (eating well, going to gym,etc.)

Gun against my head:

1. Come up with financial plan for saving fixed amount every month.
2. Come up with simple meal plans and buy only based on these.
3. Only try new or more complicated dishes once a week at weekends.
4. Double everything and use leftovers for lunch.
5. Make breakfast and lunch the night before so as to free up time before work.
6. With Kombucha, make double the amount and only at weekends.
7. Continue smart exercise- weight train 1/2 per week and sprint the same. Lunchtime if possible.
8. Manage stress and meditate/yoga for say 15 mins most days.
9. Prioritize sleep over entertainment and staying up late.
10. Lastly, but most importantly, have fun everyday with my daughter and my wife!

Overall, Simplify Simplify Simplify. (even this list!!!!)

In 2013 I'd love to become a World Class Healer. There are too many follks that I see every day, and millions I'll never know, who desparately need healing in this land.

Some years ago, my Da survived 2 bouts with cancer (1st prostate, then colon 3 years later), came through surgery and radiation with flying colors both times. After a clean bill of health for more than a decade, he checked into the hospital with a prolonged case of hiccups (yes, dumbass hiccups!). He died from iatrogenic causes in less than 24 hours. Nobody should die from medical treatment for hiccups in an American hospital, EVER.

A few weeks ago, Sharon Osbourne (yes, that one), a smart, tough broad who managed to make sure that Ozzie thrived in the music business for more than 4 decades, announced that she'd secretly had a PROPHYLACTIC DOUBLE MASTECTOMY last summer!! Because she'd fought (and beaten) colon cancer a decade ago and because a doctor did a test that said she has the "breast cancer gene", she let some butcher slice off both of her HEALTHY breasts to avoid getting cancer. And she's NOT the first one to fall for the okey-doke!

ABC news offered this blurb on the whole debacle on 11/5/12:

“As soon as I found out I had the breast cancer gene, I thought, ‘The odds are not in my favor’,” Sharon told the magazine. “I’ve had cancer before and I didn’t want to live under that cloud. I decided to just take everything off, and had a double mastectomy.” Women who have the “breast cancer gene” have mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, according to the National Cancer Institute. Normally, the genes are tumor suppressors, but a blood test can reveal that they don’t function properly. A 2008 study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology revealed that more women were choosing to have double mastectomies, removing both the breast with cancer and the other healthy breast. The study found that the rate of the procedure, called a contralateral prophylactic mastectomy, more than doubled between 1998 and 2003. Although the study author said the preventative surgery did not decrease cancer risk, women said they did not regret their decision to remove their healthy breasts. Several other celebrities have opted for double mastectomies in the past, including Christina Applegate and Kathy Bates."

Anyone who made it through high school biology knows that genotype doesn't determine phenotype. We carry many genetic markers that may never be expressed physically in our bodies, so having a 'faulty BRCA gene' (& I'm not even sure I believe there is a 'breast cancer gene') doesn't mean you're going to get breast cancer. But if rich White women like Sharon Osborne, who can afford the best medical care available here or in Europe, are being convinced to lop of their breasts as a preventive measure, then what chance do all us Regular Janes have of making it to old age in one piece? How are we supposed to Fight The Powers That Be when the most privileged women are throwing money at anything with a pink ribbon on it and and lining up to have themselves sliced up like prosciutto?

WTF IS GOING ON IN THE MEDICAL PROFESSION IN AMERICA?! Why aren't millions of women screaming at the top of their lungs about this everywhere they go, every damn day? What about the physicians' Hippocratic Oath: ...I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous. I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel.** How is it that those who have taken such a pledge to treat and Help, Not Harm their patients have become executioners on the installment plan, slicing our lives away one organ at a time?

And because medicine (surgery in particular) is still dominated by men, you'll note that we have yet to hear about any MAN being convinced to 'prophylactically' remove his prostate or testicles or any other body part because some blood test said he had a cancer gene.

Now, I get to watch Robin Roberts, a newscaster I have admired for years, killing herself slowly with chemo & radiation, The Very Same Treatment Protocol That Obviously Failed To Cure Her (Breast) Cancer in 2007! If she'd taken her car to a mechanic to be fixed and it broke down again after the repairs were done, Robin would have better sense than to bring her car back to that mechanic again! Yet this beautiful, intelligent, accomplished Sister, who now has MSD (myelodysplastic syndromes), a collection of hematological diseases that cause abnormalities in the blood-forming tissue in the bone marrow (basically a form of lukemia), has let some doctor convince her that the same immune-destroying poisons they used to 'treat' her breast cancer before will somehow cure the lukemia those poisons have now caused.

How is that anything but a big, steaming pile of CRAZY?

God gives every animal on this planet an immune system to fight against infections, pathogens, toxins, poisons and yes, cancers. How did we get to be so stupid, so intellectually lazy, so distrustful of our own common sense, that we allow total strangers who don't live in our homes, eat at our table, talk to us on a daily basis, share in our lives enough to know anything meaningful about our habits, how do we let these strangers Who Charge Us Exhorbitant Fees For Their Services convince us that poisoning our natural immunity is the way to cure anything?

I stopped getting mammograms in 2008 after a harrowing experience with a false positive. Now, I'm not scared of getting any sort of cancer as long as I eat well and avoid deliberate radiation exposure as much as possible. I'm gluten-free for the most part (no celiac problems, I just know that I do better avoiding grains). Ninety percent of time time (unless I'm eating at a restaurant or someone's home) I prepare my own meals. I eat grassfed beef & cheeses, organic fruits & veggies, milk, eggs & meat meat from pasture-raised animals. The thing is, I'm currently unemployed so I really can't afford to buy that stuff. But unemployment = no health insurance and poor people can't afford to get sick in a country with a profit-based healthcare system. If the choice is between paying the electric bill or buying healthful groceries, I'll chose groceries. But try convincing the people around you that paying 3 times the price for grassfed ground beef makes sense when you're unemployed! Job or not, at 52 I'm the only person I know who isn't on any routine medications, because thank gthe good Lord, I'm healthy.

And to hell with Obamacare! Nobody dies from a lack of medical insurance -- HEALTHCARE is what sick people need. And Hippocrates was exactly right: “Let your food be your medicine and let your medicine be your food.” That is the first step to good health.

If I could become a World Class Healer and let folks just pay me what they felt my services were worth based on the results I helped they achieve (assuming the AMA wouldn't have me arrested), I could bless a whole lot of people in the same way that I've been blessed. This much I know is true: **There is a natural food, plant, herbal extract or essential oil out there that will cure WHATEVER ails you. But if you start with eating clean, natural, healthful foods every day and get some exercise routinely, you can get and stay healthy without going anywhere near a doctor's office.

The real trick is figuring out which foods are healthy and which are toxic in a country where the government won't require GM & CAFO foods to be labeled as such, so you know what the hell you're buying.

I would be world-class at destroying this civilisation so people can go back to living as hunter gatherers. (For more info read Deep Green Resistance by Derrick Jensen)

I'd be a world class peacemaker. With an 11 year old boy and 9 year old twin boys, there is always a war of something. If I had the answers to make each of them happy all the time, which includes trying to come up with meals 7 days a week that everyone loves, including my husband and myself, then we would be able to have more memories of fun rather than fighting. If I had a gun to my head, I'd at least know that I gave my family the best education on how to eat and live a healthy life so they could survive without me. However, if I had a gun to my head, I'd try to stay calm and once again, try to solve the problem so no one gets hurt.

Thinking.

More and more I am realizing that this is they key to everythine else.

Happiness, health, financial success, learning new skills, freeing time.

These things all require the ability (and time) to think clearly in a sustained manner and find (or create) a way to get what you want or accomplish your goal at any given time.

Those of us on this site are already on the way there by eliminating toxic foods that cloud our minds, but clearly there is more that any of us can do to optimize our thought processes. Doing this would make optimizing anything else a trivial task.

I tend to take my gifts for granted and then am shocked when I create these amazing things. I did that? No really? My mind is so powerful yet I only use a small portion of it due to disbelief in my potential. For years I have tried to be a world class version of other people which just makes you miserable and frustrated. 2013 sounds like a good time to really hone in my abilities. A world class creator of possibility for myself and others is what I WILL become

I would be a world class cyclist. I started racing at 51, and moved up to an elite category in two years. I want to compete either in cyclocross, or road racing and be world class. That means for my age-group or overall. I'm going to assume that age group is easier, but you get some retired pros in that category. I think I can do it. I'm a heck of a good athlete, it just requires the proper focus, training and performance enhancing nutrition and supplements. Will you step up to the challenge?

I'd become a master conversationalist, so I could interview interesting people I found on my travels. If I had a gun to my head, I would hire Tim Ferris to help me, 'cause he'd break it down for me (and he could help me learn japanese!)... :)

World Class competitive TRAIL RUNNER! I'd love to be able to travel the world as an elite SPONSORED athlete but it is the ultra distances that get all the glamour and cash money prizes. I AM ON MY WAY to working up to Ultras one competitive distance at a time. My goal is to place top 100 in The North Face Endurance Challenge Championship in SF Half Marathon on DEC 2 2012 then I will train for the same but the Marathon next year and if I reach an as yet unset goal then I'll do the 50k, then the 50mile and ultimately the Western States 100miler! I have it all mapped out and going Paleo this spring has shaved a minute or more off of my splits. Ran a 10:06 last year and testing out the mountains on a 9 miler i ran a flat 9! So it is obvious that my nutritional strategy is working because I trained just as hard last year only this year I am seeing phenomenal results. I am realistically looking at a top 50 result based on my splits and last year's overall results. World Class is one thing, right now I am doing the work and kicking ass in my LOCAL CLASS! This is my race: http://www.thenorthface.com/en_US/endurance-challenge/san-francisco-championship/?stop_mobi=yes

I would go back to being single. Yes, be my own person, follow my beliefs, buy and cook what I like without asking "what would YOU like for dinner?" Feel free to be, without compromises! The greatest achievement is to be yourself.

If you could become world-class in anything in 2013, what would it be?

World-class parent.

If you had a gun against your head, how would you approach it?

1. Spend more quality time with my kids: Not just out the back pushing them on the swing whilst checking Facebook or how the stock market is looking.
2. Make an effort to create new, exciting experiences with them at least weekly: Do something unusual or different from the norm, as a family. Give them something that may be a lasting memory, not just sitting on the couch watching the Simpsons again.
3. Talk to my kids and be interested: Try something outside the usual "how was school today"..."Oh you didn't do anything. That's good." Caution - if your kids aren't used to it then don't expect too much in the beginning.
4. Be a good role model: The old "do as I say, not as I do" doesn't really cut it.
5. Stop being too busy to do ....: If they are still young which my kids are, do this stuff now because once they get more independence as teenagers hanging out with Dad won't seem like a great idea. Unless, of course, you have built a rock solid relationship in the formative years.

My backup is: If you could become world-class in anything in 2013, what would it be?

World-class financial trader.

If you had a gun against your head, how would you approach it?

1. Have a plan;
2. Use the Wyckoff Method;
3. Trade my plan.

ive had a gun to my head before, you immediately focus on the barrel. its not fun, fight or flight does not take place. what happens is gratitude. gratitude that it didnt go off. world class anything? that is easy a parent, a world class parent

World Class and gun to my head? Hmmm I guess that means get damn good, damn fast.

The only thing in the world I can think of worth that much effort, focus, time, energy and money is being radiantly healthy, happy, spiritually satisfied and consumed with gratitude while helping others to achieve the same state. Therefore I would strive to be a World Class Example of the Above as fast as my little bare feet and tiny mind could make it happen.

kindest regards ReneeDaphne

I would become world class in Spanish. I live in Southern California. I travel south of the border (South & Central America and Mexico) quite often. So I have no excuse not to be fluent already.

Anyways, I am going to focus on 1) most common spoken words/phrases in English, 2) most common words/phrases in Spanish to help get a majority of the conversational Spanish in tact. Then, I need to submerge myself with Spanish speakers (going to Mexico next month for a bit) to hard core practice both listening and speaking.

I guess could just buy the 4HC (already ordered), which reads I will "speak fluent Spanish in 8 weeks." :)

I will be an inspiring and co-creative leader.

I will use a new form of leadership which I have learned from Feminine Power Leadership.

I will not be in competition with my fellow leaders but grateful for their input and willingness to step up and lead also.

I will come into my full power but not to dominate as has been the case with the use of power up to now.

I will be able to say no and not be worried about others reactions and yes when I need to without the fear of being overwhelmed or making a mistake.

I will not feel rejected when some people don't want what I have to offer I will merely see it as it is not appropriate for them right now.

If people react negatively about what I say or do I will remember it's not about me and I won't take it personally.

If I do get triggered I will remember that the feeling of being disempowered comes from an old experience and I will contain my small child self, thereby allowing me to act from my adult self.

I will allow myself to be seen and heard so I can be reminded by others of my true ability to shine and manifest love.

I will feel included in all of life.

Tim Ferriss,

I want to become world class at finding my true self be means of evolving my lifestyle completely into Paleo, changing my body through Crossfit, obtaining a better job for my career path, and learning a second language. This year I already completed my Graduate Degree, found Crossfit, and was introduced to Paleo.

Sincerely,

A Young Woman Ready to Change Her Life

I want to be a world-class flutist. I do not seek to be the most skilled in technique or spend hours on scales and tone ( anymore ). I want to begin achieving skills in various musical genres without mastering any of them. To master one skill takes focus off another so my desire is to have a well rounded ability to thrill audiences and other fellow musicians of jazz, country,classical,celtic and folk. Music is the most enjoyable, hard working occupation anyone can persue.My desire goes beyond performance as I seek to teach and compose. This will and has always been my goal since I was about 12 years old.

Thnak You, Mary