Nigel Linacre positively fizzes with enthusiasm.

The Chippenham-based business coach is one of the most upbeat people I've ever encountered.

He is so upbeat that he produced a book, Recipes For Happiness, which he was inspired to write after spending time in Africa where he found people were very happy in contrast to the West, where he believes we've lost "the art of happiness". He says: "We need a 'we-we-we' society, not a 'me-me-me' society, because the quickest, most powerful, guaranteed way to be happy is to make other people happy."

Feeling you're moving towards a worthwhile goal is also crucial, says Nigel, as is "making a connection with life, having a sense that the world is a wonderful place and a feeling of thankfulness".

We stop ourselves being happy by "closing down, seeking comfort zones and being fearful so we don't feel able to reach out". He learned this the hard way.

As a teenager, he was so anxious he ended up in hospital. It took years of study and meditation to get him to where he is today. Now he makes the most of every day and describes himself as "seeing the glass as absolutely full and brimming over".

Recipes For Happiness by Nigel Linacre, £4.99, published by Linacre Communications