It’s Christmas day here in Melbourne, Australia where I live, a day for spending with your familes and friends, and partaking in too much food and drink if you are lucky. But what if you are not, what gives you hope on days like this? For years I have preferred relating to hope as an acronym – H.O.P.E. = Helping Other People Evolve.

If you relate to hope in this manner it dramatically changes how you see the world on a daily basis: it changes from whats in it for me to what can I contribute to make the world a better place. So what has been written about this subject over time, let’s have a look on this festive day:

1. Thinking about what we still utilise from the years of data we learnt at school supports this statement when we deal with our friends and family on a day to day basis.

2. Don’t put off helping others via the excuse they are not the right person, if they are in your field of view they are definitely the one: You’re the One that I Want.

3. Sometimes when life becomes frantic in our technology driven world, we forget this koan from Mahatma – to look outside ourselves and our petty problems.

4. Audrey Hepburn,  was a British actress, model, dancer and humanitarian. Recognised as a film and fashion icon, Hepburn was active during Hollywood’s Golden Age. She was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend in Golden Age Hollywood and was inducted into the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame appeared in fewer films as her life went on, devoting much of her later life to UNICEF. She had contributed to the organisation since 1954, then worked in some of the poorest communities of Africa, South America and Asia between 1988 and 1992. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in December 1992. A month later, Hepburn died of appendiceal cancer at her home in Switzerland at the age of 63: Moon River.

5. Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness, The Prince of Peace, The 14th Dalai Lama is known by many names but in each if his incarnations he is loved by all for how he is helping humankind evolve into a better place.

6. Imagine standing at the edge of a shimmering lake. You pick up a stone and skim it across the water. As soon as the stone touches the surface of the water, a ripple forms that becomes larger and larger. The ripple effect is so much greater than the original impact formed by the single stone. The water ripples that surround your stone demonstrate the effects or impacts of your effort: Ripple Effect.

7. Helping other people evolve has  nothing to do with changing them as Steve Maraboli point out in this lovely quote.

8. Putting it all in perspective, really: Dear Future Husband.

9. Christ wasn’t a christian , really we made it all up, he was a prince of love. Don’t go to church , do this instead.

10. How do we help others evolve, Gloria has a great suggestion: Wrong Song.

11. And from the world’s most prodigious philosopher, Ms. Unknown something to definitely not do to help someone evolve.

12. I don’t know what would happen if you said this to someone to help them evolve, it would heavily depend on your relationship I think: Spending My Time.

13. It may be as detailed as a one day workshop or as simple as a hug.

14. Emotions and Feelings impress me much more than your bank balance: Humble Me.

15. This is why Nelson Mandela forgave his guards before he left Robin Island prison.

Helping a person will not necessarily change the world , but it will change the world for that person. Remember from little things, big things grow.

Namaste until next time my dear friends, Seasons greetings.