Tracy Driscoll knows coaching is more than advice – it is the systematic unlocking of a person’s potential, which empowers them to take the lead in their own lives. With 15 years of professional experience in marketing, PR and recruitment, Driscoll is qualified to provide advice on a number of career-related topics, and her 14 years of experience living in China have given her insight into the particularities of expat life. Agenda caught up with Tracy to learn more about what it takes to turn dreams into reality.

1. Know who you are and what you must have in order to be happy. That is, know your values. Then ask yourself – do your goals reflect your values? If they do they will make you happy, if they don’t they probably won’t. It’s that simple, or is it? It takes some soul searching to really get to your true values. You need to be honest with yourself – don’t just list values that you think you “should” have. Ask yourself what is really important to you right now and why is it so important. If you can answer this without hesitation then you have hit the spot. Your values are also your roadmap and will guide you towards the right decisions along the way to achieving your goals.

2. Be passionate about your goals, or rather, make sure you have goals which you are passionate about. It’s the passion that will provide you with the motivation to fulfill your goals. So before you settle on your goals do some soul searching to see what it is that gets you really, really, really excited in life. There should be elements of these things in your life goals – the more the better. You can start by looking at the times in your life when you have been most excited – what was going on? Why were you so happy?

3. Make sure they are your real goals. What does that mean? Make sure you are not just aiming to fulfill the goals that your friends, family or society expect you to.  They should be things that you, yourself want to achieve. If they aren’t, you are likely to either lose interest along the way and not achieve them, or achieve them and then discover you’re still not happy. And make sure the idea of fulfilling them makes your heart sing – if it doesn’t then maybe you haven’t dug deep enough.

4. Have a good plan. Once you can see the end goal then start plotting backwards from the point where you have achieved it to where you are now. Make sure your plan is SMART (specific, measureable, achieveable, realistic and timebound). This is where you step down out of the clouds and get practical and logical. If you find that hard then enlist the help of friends or partners who can help you do this part. This doesn’t mean you can’t aim for the sky, you may just need to break down your end goal into a series of smaller goals to make it more achievable.

5. Gather your resources. Work out what resources or assets you have and what ones you need to get. Identify people who can provide you with emotional support towards achieving your goal – your own personal cheer leaders – make sure these people are positive about your goal. They will keep you accountable as you work towards your goal. Only share your goals with those who will support you in achieving them. Negative attitudes from those who do not share your enthusiasm towards your goal can quickly drag you down.

6. Move to action. Follow your plan. Do something everyday towards achieving your lifelong goals – even if that is something as simple as keeping the vision in your mind, meditating on how you will feel when you get there, attracting the positive energy you need to help manifest your dreams. Work out how you will keep yourself on track, who will you report to? How will you reward yourself as you reach milestones?

7. Keep the faith. If you have ticked all the boxes 1 – 6 then likely you have a brilliant goal and a very sure plan to achieving it. But you will also need a lot of faith in yourself and the universe along the way. There will be obstacles to overcome and at times you may feel like abandoning the goal. That’s normal, it’s part of the journey. Just be prepared for it and practice positive thinking and living in the present. Develop the ability to see a new perspective when things get tough.

8. Be flexible. Life is change, the world changes constantly so there are most definitely going to be changes in your plan along the way. Be flexible. Stay cool. Be ready to adapt. Learn from new experiences. Enjoy the journey.

9. Use your intuition. Learn to trust your gut. Why? Because amazing things happen when you do. I see it at work in my clients all the time. Using your intuition, along with all the knowledge you have at your disposal, is the surest way to finding the right solution in any situation. Living a healthy and balanced life and being able to find peace will help you to read your intuition more clearly.

10. Celebrate. Celebrate life every day. It will help you to remain positive. It will help you to enjoy the journey – which is just as important as achieving the goal. And it will help you to create the positive energy you need to achieve your goal.

Transformation Workshop has been designed to take participants on a journey of self discovery, revealing life purpose, connecting with inner self and allowing a clear view of one’s full potential. Led by Transformational Life Coach Tracy Driscoll (www.aspirecoachingbj.com) the workshop will follow group coaching principles, Tracy will provide inspiring materials and guide the process by asking questions to help unlock your inner wisdom. Tracy’s next workshop starts on August 15 and runs through September 19, with classes taking place from 10 am to 12 pm every Monday.