Join us wherever you are in the world on Tuesday 17th May 2022 to celebrate the Smilinggg Mile’s 7th birthday with World Smilinggg Day 2022; collect smiles, and spread joy one step and one smile at a time.
How do I take part?
You can take part on your own, or invite friends, family and/or work colleagues to join you. Simply commit to walking, jogging or running one-mile on Tuesday 17th May 2022 at any time that suits you and your fellow Smilinggg participants.
During the mile, take a moment to reflect on what you have in your life that you are thankful for. Or perhaps, look outwards at your surroundings and the sights and things you see, listen to the sounds, smell the scents. Whatever connects you to the here and now with a sense of joy in your heart.
Whenever you pass a fellow human, extend a warm smile and perhaps a gentle “hello.” If you have purchased the Smilinggg wristbands, offer them this as a token of your appreciation and gratitude.
Take a moment to witness how you feel throughout the Smilinggg Mile and particularly at the end. Reflect and give yourself a gentle pat on the back for taking time out of your day to connect with yourself, your surroundings and for sending positive energy out into the world.
The smiles you shared with those passers by during your Smilinggg Mile could well change a life.
Do I have to buy wristbands to take part?
Absolutely not. But our intention with the day in addition to sharing smiles with passers by and putting positive energy out into the world is to increase awareness of The Smilinggg Mile. By gifting a wristband, we believe it’s a terrific way to do just that.
What’s equally important to Smilinggg is supporting the mental health charity Samaritans. 100% of the money raised from Smilinggg Wristbands on World Smilinggg Day will go to Samaritans Charity to help support them on their incredibly important vision and mission.
Samaritans Vision is that fewer people die by suicide. They work to achieve this vision by making it their mission to alleviate emotional distress and reduce the incidence of suicide feelings and suicidal behaviour.
Why should I take part in World Smilinggg Day?
Life is such a wonderful gift. To be alive in this very moment, it’s the greatest of achievements. It is said that the odds of being born are one in 400 trillion. Just to be alive, breathing and experiencing life is something to celebrate.
There is a lot of suffering going on in the world right now, and it’s very easy to feel overwhelmed, stressed and worried.
The intention with World Smilinggg Day is to focus our attention, even just temporarily on what’s good in the world. The beauty that exists all around us. To intentionally take a moment to recognise what’s good in our own lives, and to remind ourselves however difficult things can be from time to time, that there are still things to be grateful for, to smile at and to hopefully share that smile with those around us who perhaps are going through equally challenging times.
I’ve found that sharing a smile with a stranger is one of the simplest yet sweetest experiences. It connects us at the deepest level as humans.
I could harp on about the benefits that walking, jogging and running a mile a day can do for your physical and mental health, how expressing gratitude is proven to enhance our wellbeing - all of this can be found here. But honestly, I simply want you to experience the wonderful feeling that arises in the very moment that you smile at a stranger and they smile back at you.
Connection. To feel as though you’re not alone. A smile shared is a connection of the two souls even if just for a moment. The more frequently we can have meaningful moments, the greater our experience of life.
My ultimate intention with World Smilinggg Day is that it sparks your soul into craving this simple practice on a daily basis and the Smilinggg mile becomes as necessary to you each day as cleaning your teeth. The more people we can get Smilinggg, the happier and healthier our communities will become.
”Use your smile to change the world; don’t let the world change your smile.” ~ Chinese Proverb
Ok… I’m in. What do I do now?
Woohoo! That’s great to hear. Pop us a message below. Let us know where you are in the world and what your plans are for the day. If you are on social media, be sure to tag any photos with #Smilinggg. This is another great way to increase awareness of Smilinggg, The Smilinggg Mile and mental health awareness.
If you’d like to purchase Smilinggg Wristbands for you, your friends, work colleagues and your local community, you can do so by visiting the Smilinggg shop. We have limited amounts remaining for this year, and once they are gone they are gone.
If you would like a PDF copy of The World Smilinggg Day 2022 poster to display at your club or work place, please fill out the contact form below.
Other than that, don’t feel as though you have to wait until Tuesday 17th May 2022 to start on your Smilinggg journey. To find out more information on the Smilinggg Mile you can click here.
