Happiness is just a deep contentment. You are happy with life and you take conscious steps every day to keep you in this state. Communication is your most valuable skill that CAN and MUST be developed. 30. Don’t talk with an upward pitch

A great friend of mine said that happiness is smiling to yourself when you are alone in the elevator.If you want to see me ahead of Happy HIgh Status, here are some events I have coming up: Hosting Killing Eve author Luke Jennings in Wanstead on Thursday 27 April. French Author Night at Beyond Words Festival, Institut Français, London, Tuesday 16 May. And I’ve just found out that I’m hosting Margaret Atwood at the Hay Festival on Thursday 1 June and Jojo Moyes on Friday 2 June . Come and say hi. I haven’t found an official post‑Covid global confidence audit anywhere, but the World Health Organization has been releasing disturbing figures about the pandemic’s effect on mental health. In March 2022, it announced a “ 25% increase of anxiety and depression worldwide”. It’s hard to know how much of this is the mental effects of the pandemic and how much is a result of physical illness and long Covid, global inequality (itself intertwined with Covid responses) and the increasing acceptability of reporting these kinds of anxieties. It’s a generous spirit that surrounds everything you do. Living like this is an expression of having abundance in your life. 17. Boundaries Everyone wants to be able to face challenging situations without feeling daunted, intimidated or stressed. But no-one wants to be labelled over-confident, arrogant or smarmy, or to get caught up in their own hype. So how can you feel authentically confident - without the cringe, and without pretending to be something you're not? Read “Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It” by Kamal Ravikant for more. 3. Raise testosterone and lower cortisol

In any situation, take a moment to consider ‘what would someone with Happy High Status do right now?’ In most cases, they will be calm, collected and therefore always in control. Be kind, be humble and be respectful. Stay engaged with those around you, they will remember this. PS. The power from a master seducer comes from his ability to BE seduced. Seduced by great food, art, beauty and romance. Be sensitive to pleasure (this puts you in a positive mood no matter what is happening). 38. You don’t need anyones approval. I don’t think nor care about social hierarchies. I believe that social status is not good or bad, it’s just a tool you can use to help achieve your goals. Just like any other tool, you maximize the benefits and minimize the negatives.

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Introduction 00:01:22: Happy High Status explained 00:05:04: Becoming a stand-up comedian 00:11:08: Describing yourself using adjectives other than "confident" 00:16:03: Dealing with obstacles to Happy High Status 00:27:40: Dip a toe in the "what if" water 00:33:53: Well-known examples of Happy High Status 00:41:20: Viv's career advice 00:43:21: Final thoughts Interview Transcription

This is more than looks. The type of person that spends hours at a discipline. The type of person that doesn’t give into impulses. The type of person that can make a commitment AND keep it.The pandemic felt to me like being in prison, only you were not allowed to talk to or stand near any prisoners you were not related to.’ Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian. Hair and makeup by Claire Portman using Origins and Aveda Charisma is a great starting point. Quoting Viv Groskop (Author of ‘How to Own the Room’), people with charisma have three qualities: The added benefit of going to the gym is raising your testosterone, becoming happier, sleeping better and increased creativity. 2. Love Yourself I think most people understand and agree with this. Dr Ian Williams is a GP and the author of the graphic novel series The Bad Doctor. He argues that, yes, of course, we ought to find a way to stop Covid fallout from biting us on the arse, to process it and maintain our sense of ourselves, but there is one problem: “There is an absence of consensus about what the experience was and what it meant. That, in itself, is almost a reason to argue to just forget about it. There’s certainly a lot of anger and suspicion, and that has really divided people.