LaTreace Craig, PhD Program in Educational Leadership, PVAMU/Member of the Texas A&M University System - Faculty Mentor: Dr. William Allan Kritsonis

1. Running Head: WELLBEING: THE FIVE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS 1
Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements
EDUL 7003 Strategic Thinking
Dr. William Kritsonis
LaTreace M. Craig
Prairie View A&M University
William Allan Kritsonis, PhD
Professor and Faculty Mentor
PhD Program in Educational Leadership
PVAMU/Member of the Texas A&M University System

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Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements
In order to help define wellbeing, I will begin with informing you of what wellbeing is
not. Wellbeing is not just being happy. Wellbeing is not just being wealthy. Wellbeing is not
just being healthy. Wellbeing is a combination of five elements in our life working together to
make us whole. These five elements are: career, relationships, finance, health and community.
“These elements are the currency of a life that matters” (Rath & Harter, 2010, p. 6). Career
Wellbeing is how you occupy most of your time or liking what you do everyday. Social
Wellbeing is the relationships you have in your life and love. Financial Wellbeing is managing
your economic life. Physical Wellbeing is your health and the energy you need to sustain your
daily needs. Community Wellbeing is the involvement or engagement you have within the area
you reside. Based on the Gallup research, only 7% of individuals are doing well in all five areas
of their life (Rath & Harter, 2010). An individual can receive some benefits from strengthening
the wellbeing in any one of the five areas but to get the maximum out of life, you need to live
effectively in all five areas of your life. We are the greatest threat to our wellbeing.
Career Wellbeing
Career Wellbeing is simply enjoying what you do everyday. This is the most important of
all five elements. People with a high Career Wellbeing are more than twice as likely to be doing
exceptional well in their lives (Rath & Harter, 2010). If we don’t have an opportunity to do
something we really enjoy doing on a regular basis then it can have an affect on other areas of
our life. Our careers often define who we are. It shapes our identity. This area has such a
tremendous impact on our wellbeing. Think about what would happen if you lose your job.
Would you maintain the same type of lifestyle, the same circle of friends, and the same
entertainment? The answer for most of us to these questions is “no.” There are other life

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changing events such as divorce, birth or death which have an impact on our lives but with time
we recovery from these events and resume to a normal level of wellbeing. Due to our present
economy, individuals are not recovering from unemployment. This is not to say that one will
never recover from losing their job or being laid off. It does however show the significance and
long term effect this one element has on your life.
Some time ago I chose a career in education. I have served as an educator for 17 years.
During this time I have held three positions, teacher, principal and central administration and
worked in four districts. I believe that what I am doing is making a difference in the lives of our
students.
Social Wellbeing
Don’t underestimate the importance of relationships and social interactions. God said “It
is not good for man to be alone” and he made Eve. The people in which we surround ourselves
can influence our wellbeing. If we are around happy people in a positive environment then we
will experience that same emotion. The connection described is a direct connection. Research
reported in a Harvard study (as cited in Rath & Harter, 2010) indicated that indirect connections
can also influence our wellbeing. An example of this is your friend’s friend. Not only do the
friends of our friends have an effect on our emotions, they also have an effect on our habits,
behaviors and health. We have a tendency to take on the habits and behaviors of those we are
connected to. You are 61% more likely to smoke if you have direct contact with a smoker.
Weight is another factor in our life that is affected by our social wellbeing. If you have a friend
who becomes obese, it increases your chance of by 57%, a sibling 40%, spouse 37% (Rath &
Harter, 2010). This is true because our habits mirror those of the individuals we are around. If
you are around a friend who likes to eat then you are more likely to pick up the habit of eating

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often. If you have a friend with a healthy diet, you are five times as likely to also have a healthy
diet. The people we surround ourselves with can have more of an influence on our health than
our family history.
I have experienced this in my personal life. I am a mother of three. I have two sons who
are very athletic. A couple of years ago they noticed that I was beginning to pick up a few extra
pounds. Both of my sons started encouraging me to run and do sit ups with them. As a result, I
joined a fitness center. The results were amazing! I looked and felt great. A year later my
husband joined a gym as result of my behavior. My husband and I both exercise on regular
basis.
Financial Wellbeing
Money is a necessity because you need it to buy food, clothes, and shelter. The amount
of money one has does not determine his/her happiness or level of financial wellbeing. Some of
the richest people in the world are also some of the saddest and might not thrive in this element.
Research has shown that an individual who won the lottery was not much happier several years
later. We need enough money to take care of our basic necessities. While money does not
guarantee happiness, money does increase your odds of having a comfortable life. Spending on
yourself does not prove to increase your wellbeing but spending on others increased financial
wellbeing.
I often feel guilty when I spend money on myself but I find great pleasure in spending on
my family or others I care about. We like to spend money on other people because we want to
see them happy. Their happiness brings you happiness. Spending money on experiences such as
a vacation rather than material objects increases your wellbeing as well as the wellbeing of the
other person sharing in the experience.

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One commitment my husband and I made twenty years ago was an annual family
vacation. Over the years, we found that some years were more difficult than others due to
finances or hectic schedules but we managed to take a family vacation each year. As a result we
created some wonderful memories like the time we went on vacation and left all the luggage at
home or the time my husband forced the kids, who were ages 7 and 9, to play the quiet game on
a 12 hour car trip just two hours into the trip. Those memories are priceless. As a family we
tend to spend money on going out to the movies once a month, annual vacation or dinner at a
nice restaurant instead of on tangible items that will wear and fade away.
Physical Wellbeing
Physical wellbeing is my favorite element of the five because you, as an individual, have
complete control over this element. You are not depending on another being. You are what you
eat. We have all heard that phrase or perhaps you can recall the television commercial where the
woman is eating a donut and her backside is the shape of a donut. Proper diet and exercise can
lead to a longer healthier life. We make conscious decisions on a daily basis about what we will
allow to enter our bodies. Physical wellbeing means looking better, feeling better and living
longer (Rath & Harter, 2010). I am always on a diet. Not a diet in the sense of trying to lose
pounds, but a diet to monitor what I eat and how much I eat. I also participate in some type of
physical activity three to five days per week. Instead of going out to lunch, I spend my lunch
hour at a nearby fitness center.
Community Wellbeing
Community wellbeing is not typically one of the essential elements that is first on the list,
but this element can help make a good life a great one. Community wellbeing starts with one of
our most basic needs, safety. Everyone wants to live and work in an area where they feel safe.

6. WELLBEING: THE FIVE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS 6
The assurance or piece of mind that you can go for a walk or jogging in your neighborhood
without being hurt is a basic need. In addition to living in an area where you feel safe,
community well being is also living where you feel comfortable and fit in- personality, family,
interest and lifestyle. Once you have selected the right place to live the next step is to become
involved in your community. Each community will offer a number of activities that you can
participate in. Involvement in your community will lead to a healthy community wellbeing. It is
okay to become involved in an activity in which you have a special interest. “In fact those with a
vested interest have more to offer because of the knowledge base and personal mission (Rath, &
Harter, 2010).
I have a couple of annual community events I participate in. One is relay for life. Each
year I join a team and walk for a cure. I have participated in this event since my community
started hosting it. Initially I was a part of my school’s team, but over the years I have served on
various teams. I have a personal interest in this event because I have lost three loved ones to
cancer. Other community events I participate in on a regular basis are church and high school
sports. I am very involved with my local church. My youngest son is a senior in high school and
plays most sports offered at his school. As a parent, I support the team.
Conclusion
The currency of life is career, social, financial, physical, and community wellbeing.
Wellbeing is a combination of five elements in our life working together to make us whole. You
can improve your wellbeing by improving in one of these five areas, but in order to have a
healthy wellbeing all five areas must be functioning properly.
As I examine these five elements and the meaning of each, I think about balance in one’s
life. In order to feel good mentally, physically, and emotionally, you must sustain balance and

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order in your life. Your life includes the five elements for healthy wellbeing. In my life, social
and community wellbeing are intertwined. The individuals I interact with socially on a regular
basis are also members of my social well being circle. I am very pleased with my career and
physical wellbeing. Financial wellbeing is an area of my life that needs improvement. I spend
on experiences rather than material things, and I spend on others, primarily my children. I feel
good when spending on others, but I do need to spend less on others and save more in order to
have a secure financial future.

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Reference
Rath, T., & Harter, J. (2010). Wellbeing: The five essential elements. New York, NY:
Gallup Press.