via: AreYouAWellBeing.com

Well-being is a combination of five interrelated elements that, when balanced, lead to a fuller, healthier existence. This is the fourth of a five-part series on the Five Elements of Well-being, a healthy life initiative from Texas Health Resources.

RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR COMMUNITY

What's the difference between a good life and a great one? It might surprise you to know that the difference in a life truly well-lived has a lot less to do with our own personal beings and a lot more to do with how we impact those around us. In truth, our legacy is found in what we invest in others. While we are living our life, that very element of well-being - relationship to our community - plays a larger role than we might have even guessed.

A SENSE OF BELONGING

A sense of community starts with the basics: having faith that the quality of water that you drink and air you breathe are safe and secure in the place where you live. A more finely tuned sense of belonging and well-being can come from living in a place that is a good fit for your personality, lifestyle, family and interests. Are you a downtown dweller, for example, preferring the beat of the city and walkable access to activity? Or, perhaps you prefer a suburban neighborhood where kids play together away from traffic and noise, or a residence in the country where your focus is more on nature. Whatever style of living suits you, feeling a secure sense of belonging is important.

DEFINING YOUR COMMUNITY

Beyond where you physically live, your "community" can mean many things - friends you grew up with, family members who live nearby, people from your church or scout troop or parent-teacher association. People with deep relationships to their community find ways to be involved in personal and meaningful ways. Does this mean they are the first to sign up for every volunteer project? No. Instead, this means they spend their free time working toward community goals they find personally fulfilling.

DISCOVER MORE AT AREYOUAWELLBEING.COM!