When I first heard about vision boards, I became a little obsessed. I created a word document chalk full of motivational quotes and pictures and every hope and dream I could imagine. Scrolling through this page was a dreamer's heaven for me. But then something happened. Suddenly it wasn't as much fun scrolling through these pages of motivation. Suddenly it made me anxious. I saw all these things I wanted for my life but had no idea how I was ever going to achieve them. So, me being the procrastinator that I am, I just never looked at my vision board again and, momentarily, let myself live life in the "now."

Fast forward to today and I'm reading a book called "Life as Sport" by Dr. Jonathan Fader. In this book, he uses sports psychology concepts and explores how they can be applied to "performance" in everyday life. One section focuses on outcome goals and process goals. Outcome goals are just what they sound like: goals that focus on an outcome or the result. Process goals, on the other hand, are goals that focus on the steps needed to get to the desired outcome.

This was my lightbulb moment. That's why my vision board made me so anxious! I was focusing on an outcome, something I had (and still have) absolutely no control over. Who wouldn't get stressed about that?

And this is how I arrived at the concept of the action board (click here to see how you can transform your vision board to an action board). The way I see it, a vision board is like a treasure map without the little dotted lines and directions that tell you how to get there. It's nice to imagine having that treasure and, in the beginning, you'll search for that treasure like a maniac and you'll feel so motivated but, without a clear path, it's really hard to believe that you'll ever reach that treasure. And that's where the action board comes in. It gives you a path, a focus. Instead of thinking, "I have to find that treasure," you think, "I need to go three miles east and keep my steps in line with the North Star."

You have no control over how your life unfolds. Maybe the outcomes you want for yourself right now won't be the same in a few years or maybe your outcomes aren't possible and you need to adjust. Life is funny like that. But you do have control over how you approach life. As the old saying goes, focus on enjoying the journey. You'll be surprised where you end up.