Intro to my #BeTheChange Almanac of Health & Wellness Awareness Days

by Maria Koropecky, Wellness Coach

I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be honorable, to be compassionate. It is, after all, to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all, ~ Leo C. Rosten (1908-1977)

Funny how things show up in your lap just as you need them! In this case, I’m referring to the above quote by Leo Rosten.

I didn’t know about this quote at all until my friend Margaret sent it to me as part of her email signature. She wasn’t aware that I was about to write my introduction to my #BeTheChange, Almanac for 2017 and this quote about life purpose fits just perfectly with my intention.

It’s About Life Purpose

I have been thinking about my life purpose for most of my life. When I was 11, I went to a Catholic school and I can remember Sister Catherine talking about her calling to be a nun and describing the difference between having a vocation and avocation. Since then, I’ve been obsessed with figuring out my own calling so I can do what I’m meant to be doing and do what I came here to do.

Over the years, I kept on listening and listening and listening for my calling and as it turns out, my calling is being a Wellness Coach.

I love helping people be proactive about their health. Connecting with people and listening to their life experiences brings me tremendous joy. With coaching, I get to have deep conversations with amazing people about topics that truly matter and often that includes figuring out their life’s purpose.

Even though the topic of life purpose is important to me, I didn’t set out to create a tool to help people discover their life’s purpose. I just started collecting dates that had some connection to my idea of wellness.

But each time I added a Health Awareness Day or special event to my list, I found myself saying, “There’s a day for that???” more than once. Some days are whimsical while others are more serious. Some days are literally a walk in the park while others highlight family life, pets and animals, food products, sporting events, religious holidays, debilitating diseases, occupations, or the environment. There’s a day for everybody!

Then the #BeTheChange Almanac was born!

Soon, it occurred to me that there’s more to this list than meets the eye. Each and everyone of these special days, weeks, and months that I’ll be sharing with you in the coming months in this blog, have HEART. They each speak to a broader need that needs to be filled on our planet. Opportunities to be of service are everywhere!

I thought perhaps this monthly list of Health & Wellness Awareness Days may spark some ideas for my clients and may be helpful for people who are searching for their life’s purpose. In this #BeTheChange Almanac of special days in 2017 blog post series, you’ll find literally hundreds of ways to pitch in, and make a difference, and to follow Mahatma Gandhi’s words,

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Being of service and making a positive difference in the world starts with becoming aware of a need and then taking steps to address it. It’s about being creative and resourceful and using your talents for the greater good. Life purpose is about sharing yourself with the world, giving back, and being of service. In my opinion, that’s what gives life meaning.

So, if you’re looking to discover your life’s purpose, hopefully you’ll find some cause or event or organization or activity in the #BeTheChange Almanac blog posts that strongly resonates with you. If something does jump out at you, see if your particular talents are a match, and consider applying for a job there, volunteering, donating money, or participating in their events.

And if social media is your game, you’re in luck. Each month on this blog, you’ll receive prompters to create your own content for your blogs and status updates. It’s basically an editorial calendar in a box filled with tons of ideas of what you can write about over the course of the year, month by month.

Plus — there’s a BONUS that you won’t find anywhere else — related hashtags for each day are included! You’re welcome!

Please Share on Social Media

I’d really love it if you’d share these special days and the #BeTheChange Almanac monthly blog posts via social media with your friends, family, co-workers, and clients. We can all reach out to the people around us and help each other through the rough patches and celebrate the good times as well.

On another note, if none of these upcoming Awareness Days speak to you, that’s OK, too. In fact, that may be a good sign because it means you might have to start a movement yourself from scratch for somebody out there who hasn’t been heard yet but desperately needs help. So don’t fret.

Talk to a Wellness Coach

I’m also here as a wellness coach if you’d like my help to explore your options. All of these dates started with creative and caring people who identified a need and worked hard to help people and to raise awareness to make these dates official on local, national, and international calendars. They saw a need and did something about it. They became the change and you can do the same.

Please let me know of any special health- and wellness-related days, weeks, or months that you know of by sending me an email so I can add them to the list. I sincerely hope these blog posts land in your lap just like the opening quote landed in mine – just when I needed it.

I also hope these future blog posts help you tap into your potential, discover your life’s purpose, enjoy the year 2017 and beyond with gusto, and #BeTheChange!

Happy New Year!

Maria Koropecky, Coach * Healer * Author