What do you want to do with your life? Where do you see yourself in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years from now? When was the last time you asked this from yourself?

Time to figure out some answers--research shows that people who set goals are considerably more successful than the ones who don't. Your red alarm light should go on if you already knew that, but still don't know what you want from this year.

No excuses--if you don't know what you want, how can you ever achieve? The best part really is that you don't need more than some paper and a pencil--heck, you can just open a new Word document right now--to make sure your 2009 will take your breath away in the most positive sense. We're gonna share a kick-ass exercise with you that is so simple, yet so powerful that you can have instant results the next day.

If you can dream it, you can do it

If you have read this far I assume you are determined to make the 2009 the best so far. Yes, that's right--there's no need to set goals that don't make you stretch. You want to be proud of yourself at the end of the year--and how can you really be that if you just did what you already knew you could do?

I would call it being afraid of your own potential, because as the saying goes--if you can dream it, you can do it. And people normally don't dream about reading one book in half a year or losing 5 pounds. That's not bad--it brings some improvement, true, but it's not nearly what you're capable of.

So to set goals you need to know what you want--and deep down we all do. Think about it--you don't have to ask twice from a child what he wants. Dreaming is one of the most natural parts of human nature, but we somehow tend to lose it in the process of growing up.

So before proceeding to the exercise keep in mind that you actually already have your goal. You already know what you need. You also know what you're capable of. You might not believe it and you might get confused in the process, doubting if it's the RIGHT way to do it, it's all normal, but really, just remember--you actually KNOW everything you need to know to succeed big time.

Question that can change your life

Ready to get started?

Nice, that's the only way to succeed. So here's an exercise that has changed lives (yes, literally changed lives) of many people, including the world-famous internet marketing expert Frank Kern who shares his experiences about it in his exclusive course. It's as simple as it gets and probably doesn't take you more than a few hours to figure out.

Here comes the most powerful question to start your year with--it sure was my own AHA-moment when I made the exercise. I have a 28-year old friend who answered this question a couple of years ago while working for an NGO--he wrote down things he really wants to do, achieve and how he wants to spend his days. He is now running 8 different businesses, travels the world and is close to declare himself being financially free.

So you might take it as another good advice you received from FinerMinds--and make no changes after reading it. But if you really take time and figure out the answer for yourself you're guaranteed to get some results that might surprise everybody, including yourself.

So here's the question to build the basis of a absolutely awesome 2009:

What would your ideal day look like if you had no limitations?

That's it.

Write it down, no limitations--financial, geographical, coming from relationships. What do you want?

Just imagine yourself living this ideal day from morning to evening--what would you be thinking after waking up? What would you have for the breakfast? How would your house look like? What would your business be? Who would your clients be? What would you talk with your kids about? How would you feel with your spouse? What would you do in the evening? With whom would you spend it? What would you discuss? What would you be thinking before falling asleep?

Now don't get stuck with looking for a perfect answer--it's your life, just let your thoughts flow.

If you know the perfect vision of your perfect day you are much closer to knowing what you really want from your life. To make it your reality you need to move to the next level and find out HOW you're going to do it this year. Good help for this can be found from one of the leading goal-setting expert Gary Ryan Blair.

Have fun with it and make it the best year of your life (seriously, why not?).

"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark."

- Michelangelo

On the FinerMinds blog we often discuss the highly positive benefits of meditation to your mind and body. Our readers have overwhelmingly commented how regular meditation helps them achieve a physical and mental peak--not achievable to them before. We often speak about the highly positive benefits that meditation has on us, but what about our children, or our grandchildren? Now, pause for a minute and imagine if you had learnt and practiced meditation techniques when you were younger; in your childhood and teenage years. How much more advanced and focused would you be right now?

Remember last week when we spoke about Burt Goldman, The American Monk? Burt has created a program, My Inner Magic, which nourishes creativity in children, helping them tap into their full potential.

My Inner Magic, nourishes the development of creativity in children, and ensures that they can realise their full potential. According to a shocking Harvard study: 98% of children between Age 4 and Age 20 will lose the capabilities for genius that they were naturally born with. A further Harvard study revealed that nearly every child is born with genius capabilities, but after age 20, only a mere 2% retain their talents. This rapid decline in genius capabilities is not genetic, but comes down to nurture. Burt says that the mass education system is partly to blame for not nourishing the minds of our children in such a way that harnesses their full potential.

But could the trend be changing? We dug up an article this week, about an Elementary school in the US who is using meditation techniques to help boost concentration, productivity, and creativity in children. The program utilizes mindfulness techniques, wedged between reading and spelling tests, to slow down childrens breathing and helps boost concentration levels. In the exercise, the sound of a Tibetan bowl is used, to help induce a state of relaxation and focus. Teachers and students alike reported boosts in concentration and their happiness level rose dramatically.

Unfortunately, while such techniques may be trialled in a few classrooms now, it's unlikely that the mainstream education system will catch on any time soon. My Inner Magic works off similar principles, to accelerate your child's learning, improve concentration, and nourish creativity. We recommend My Inner Magic because it is a proven program that can fill the void that the mainstream education system has left in your child's education. No child of yours or your loved ones should lose their genius capabilities. We certainly wouldn't want our children to miss out.

Check out My Inner Magic.

Check out the blog post on The New York Times.