A tropical beach

Your life can totally change in one year

You can make a few changes and have a totally different life one year from now.

When people think of living an ideal life, a picture of a tropical beach is what first comes to mind for many. Maybe it would be your dream life, but a tropical beach would be too hot for me.

It's 102 degrees at the beach near me in Costa Rica this afternoon, but it's in the mid-70s up here on the mountain where I am. If I were spending one or two weeks on vacation, I would like the beach, but tropical beaches are too hot for me to live there year-round.

Five steps that will change your life

Take these simple steps, and you could be living a different life a year from now.

• The first step is deciding if you want to change your life. A lot of people dream about it but don't really want to do it.

• Decide where you would want to live and the lifestyle that would make you happy. Do you want to live on a tropical island, in a mountain cabin, in an RV, or somewhere else?

• Get rid of almost everything. You'll probably want to keep your dog and maybe your spouse, but get rid of everything else—house, car, lawnmower, etc.).

• Find a way to make a little money as a digital nomad. It won't take much and even less if you are old enough to receive Social Security.

• One final thought is that you could live a different lifestyle part of the time.

Bottom line: Don't let your life just happen. It's easy to go with the flow and keep doing what you're doing, but what life would you really like to live? Take the steps to make it happen. Your life can change completely in one year, and probably a lot quicker if you work at it. The hard part is making the decision.