vision

A world free from suicide, poverty and war; where adults can smile as often as kids.

mission

To share stories and insights that can inspire humanity to find and pursue what makes them smile.

why we’re doing this

Something is wrong. We are wealthier and more “connected” than ever, yet more of us are depressed and lonely, with most adults smiling less than 20 times a day, while children manage 400.

It is our belief that if every person were to concentrate more on what truly makes them happy – like love, purpose, appreciation and family – rather than what we’re told will make us happy – such as money, fame, possessions and power – then many of the current problems we face would disappear. From suicide, poverty and war, to greed, climate change and family breakdown, these things are merely an indication that our current focus and reality needs re-directing. So that’s what we’re doing.

how we’re doing this

As we see it there are two things we need to achieve to inspire a happier world.

The first (which we’ve been working on for a few years now) is building an audience big enough to inspire a global conversation about the importance of pursuing true happiness above all else. So far we’ve shared more than 10,000 photos, videos and stories, which have been viewed by more than 25 million people, from every country on Earth – but our dreams have always been much bigger than this.

So with our foundations now firmly set, our primary short term goals to help us inspire this global conversation include creating a hollywood feature film and series of best-selling books, which we hope to release during 2017 and 2018.

Our second, much larger and more long-term vision is about establishing a mass social movement that will support us in working with:

Schools – teaching children where and how true happiness exists.
Businesses – establishing a system for accrediting organisations that invest in the happiness of employees.
Governments – to inspire and write policies for a happier world.
Individuals – via a set of online courses, because true change begins within each of us.

Put simply, I hope to make the pursuit of true happiness the norm – the ‘it’ thing – within my lifetime.

our founder

From suicidal teenager, to the man of a million smiles…

Hello!!!! My name is Mike Worsman, and I am the founder of A Million Smiles.

To be honest, I wasn’t always a happy person, but then again if my experience has taught me one thing, it’s that we should not fear those dark times in our life, for without them we can rarely understand and appreciate the good times – plus, they’re often what shape and grow us the most.

Take my teenage years for instance… aged 14 I remember looking down and seeing a pool of blood by my feet as I held a knife firmly to my wrist. I’d been a victim of sexual abuse, was watching my parents struggle through a mid-life crisis and spent my days grappling with a world that seemed to want me to be something I wasn’t… and it was nearly too much.

What got me through this time was a firm belief that if my experience could help others avoid feeling as I had, then all of my pain would be worth it.

At the time of course I never imagined spending my days travelling the world capturing and sharing stories that could inspire humanity to smile more, but I guess there is a purpose out there for all of us, and thankfully I think I’ve found mine.

In fact, over the last few years I’ve risked my life (in war zones), quit my job, sold my house and invested every ounce of time and money I have to inspire human beings to find and pursue what truly makes them smile. “Why?” You might ask. Well, as I see it, if we human beings were to spend more time chasing our dreams and what makes us smile, and a less time chasing money and power, then maybe, just maybe we might have some chance of creating a world free from suicide, poverty and war; where adults can smile as often as kids.

Of course, most people tell me that what I’m doing is impossible, but the great thing about people is, they’re often wrong about a lot of things. In fact, not that long ago people thought the world was flat, women shouldn’t vote and slavery was OK, but with enough belief and determination those ‘dreamers’ who sought to change these things eventually did – but they didn’t do it alone.

So please, if you’ve read all this and want to help shape a happier reality then upload a photo, tell your friends about what we’re doing or contact us and ask us what more you can do to help. Thank you!!!