Dr. Bell’s 7 Domains of Happiness

The Self Domain is about becoming a highly effective human being. We ultimately lead according to who we are, and the healthiness of our personality will be the single biggest determinant of our ability to be happy, successfully, and contributory.

• What personality strengths do I want to develop this year?
• What weaknesses would it serve me most to reduce?
• What do I want to learn this year? 
• How can I continue to become more self-aware?

The Family Domain encompasses the breadth of our human relationships and includes biological and extended family members, friends, and other relationships important to us.

• What relationship do I most want to build this year?
• What would help me most to build this relationship?
• What obstacles might I encounter and how can I work to not let them stop me from achieving my relationship goal?

The Health Domain is about building and maintaining our physical and mental health to be as high functioning as possible, for as long as possible. It includes managing our stress and safety risks.

• Of the key elements of the health domain -- exercise, nutrition, sleep, stress reduction, and safety – what would it serve me most to focus on this year?
• What goal can I set?
• What will be the impact if I do not achieve this goal?

The Work Domain is really about producing results and developing the problem-solving skills to continuously produce better results and capture opportunities. The definition of work goes beyond paid employment and includes any sphere in which we are directing our efforts to produce results.

• What do I most want to accomplish in my work this year?
• How can I improve my focus and productivity? 
• What skills do I most need to develop to reach my work goals?

The Mission Domain is our “why.” It defines our purpose for everything we do and is where we find meaning and motivation.  It encompasses our Vision for our future and the Core Values we are committed to living by.

• What is your mission; your “why” behind everything that you do?
• What will be the impact, the results created by achieving your mission?
• Are the steps you are taking today in alignment with that mission?

The Money Domain includes earning money, spending money wisely, investing money, and how to live effectively with money - using it as a tool to positively impact our lives and the lives of those around us.

• What principles about money did I learn from my early experiences?
• Are those principles serving me now? 
• Am I using money as a positive tool in the lives of those around me? 
• How do I want to use money to make a positive impact on my family, my community, on the causes important to me?

The Fun Domain is about bringing a sense of joy and delight into our daily lives. Just as play is fundamental to children, having fun is fundamental to our ability to be happy and actually increases our success and ability to contribute.

• What are the activities that are fun to me, that bring a sense of playful enjoyment into my life?
• What do I want to do to have fun this year?
• How can I bring fun into my life more frequently?