Very Smart Girls (tm) » Inspiration

Peace on My Mind

Jo-Ann Downey — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:37:17 +0000

Peace on My Mind
by Jo-Ann Downey

No smothering details
Ignoring who, what, when, where, why, how, how come
Absent of assumptions, expectations, fears, past, future

I invite infinite time and space
Welcoming the divine sweetness that I do not know
as I jump into peace

I welcome you to enjoy these quotes.

“The only true wisdom is in the knowing you know nothing.” Socrates

“Knowledge is knowing that we cannot know.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Very Smart Girls have peace on their mind. My other poems include “Acceptance” and “I’ll Take That Bet“.

As always, comments welcome. The name you type in the comment section (for example, Jo-Ann, Jo-Ann Downey or Jo-Ann from Boston) will appear on the site. Your email address will NOT appear. If you provide a website URL (for example, your business or your blog URL), it will be linked to your name so that others can learn more about you.

photo credit: namuit

Quotes about Compassion

Jo-Ann Downey — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 03:04:28 +0000

Self-compassion is the first step in cultivating compassion. To be conscious of your own divine humanness, to accept yourself, and to be unconditionally kind to yourself evokes the inner peace necessary to extend compassion outward. What a way to live!

Enjoy these quotes about compassion.

“What comes from the heart goes to the heart.” Samuel Taylor Coleridge

“A good heart is better than all the heads in the world.” Edward Bulwer-Lytton

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” Dalai Lama

“The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are part of one another, and all involved in one another.” Thomas Merton

“Compassion is the desire that moves the individual self to widen the scope of its self-concern to embrace the whole of the universal self.” Arnold Toynbee

“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is kind of a prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” Albert Einstein

“We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” Victor Frankl

Very Smart Girls choose compassion, especially self-compassion.

You may also want to read “The Measure of a Man”, “The Volunteer Wellness Effect”, and “Seeing from Your Heart”.

photo credit: wonderlane

Quotes about Actions Speaking Louder Than Words

Jo-Ann Downey — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 01:00:00 +0000

Enjoy!

“Well done is better than well said.” Benjamin Franklin

“Be content to act, and leave the talking to others.” Baltasar Gracian

“The shortest answer is doing the thing.” Ernest Hemingway

“Action is eloquence.” William Shakespeare

“The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps – we must step up the stairs.” Vance Havner

As shared in “Actions and Reactions Speak Louder Than Words”:

“Trust only movement. Life happens at the level of events, not of words. Trust movement.” Alfred Adler

“As I grow older I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.” Andrew Carnegie

“A person’s actions and reactions reflect their inner reality.” Jo-Ann Downey

And as shared in “The Volunteer Wellness Effect”,

“The only ones among you who will be really happy are those that have sought and found how to serve.” Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965, Nobel Peace Prize)

photo credit: vastateparkstaff

Quotes about Money and Life

Jo-Ann Downey — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:06:42 +0000

Enjoy!

“Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of filling a vacuum, it makes one.” Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

“Man…Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.” Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him about humanity

“Money often costs too much.” Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

“Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, bit it will not replace you as the driver.” Ayn Rand (1905-1982)

“Money is not required to buy one necessity of the soul.” Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

“The use of money is all the advantage there is in having it.” Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

“If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability.” Henry Ford (1863-1947)

“A rich man is nothing but a poor man with money.” W.C. Fields (1880-1946)

“Time is like money, the less we have of it to spare the further we make it go.” Josh Billings (1818-1885)

“Money will buy a pretty good dog, but it won’t buy the wag of his tail.” Josh Billings (1818-1885)

And for my 2 cents!
“Money often overpromises and underdelivers.” Jo-Ann Downey

photo credit: papillonner

10 Quotes about Life & Purpose

Acceptance Poem

Jo-Ann Downey — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:13:50 +0000

I am experiencing an abundance of self-acceptance and acceptance of others. I hope you enjoy the poem I wrote. As discussed in, “Acceptance and Patience”, acceptance rides on the calming energy of knowing that everything is exactly as it should be. Your current life situation may not be your preference, and you may want to change things in your life; however, you must start with accepting what is present. Acceptance is not apathy; it allows you the space to gracefully take your next best step.

Acceptance by Jo-Ann Downey

A gateway to peace and joy
Magic and reality
Acceptance

Shunning details
No push, pull, good, bad, right, or wrong

Freeing you from the need to forgive
Steady breath of timeless relationships
Acceptance

photo credit: denise carbonell

As always, comments welcome! The name you type in the comment section (for example, Jo-Ann, Jo-Ann Downey or Jo-Ann from Boston) will appear on the site. Your email address will NOT appear. If you provide a website URL (for example, your business or your blog URL), it will be linked to your name so others can learn more about you.

Quotes about Forgiveness

Jo-Ann Downey — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 02:04:26 +0000

“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” Mark Twain (1835-1910)

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

“Forgiveness is choosing to love. It is the first skill of self-giving love.” Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

“The truest joys they seldom prove, Who free from quarrels live; ‘Tis the most tender part of love, each other to forgive.” John Sheffield (1647-1721)

“One forgives to the degree that one loves.” Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680)

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” Louis B. Smedes (1921-2002)

I welcome your comments! The name you type in the comment section (for example, Jo-Ann, Jo-Ann Downey or Jo-Ann from Boston) will appear on the site next to your comment. Your email address will NOT appear. If you provide a website URL (for example, your business or your blog URL), it will be linked to the name you typed in name so others can learn more about you.

photo credit: jophielsmiles

I’ll Take That Bet

Jo-Ann Downey — Wed, 18 May 2011 18:56:23 +0000

This poem was inspired by my teachers, my soul-friends, my experiences, and this inspirational quote:

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955)

I’ll Take That Bet
by Jo-Ann Downey

I’ll take the bet that every human being is a miracle.
I am a miracle
and so are you.

I’ll take the bet that we are all divine beings having a human experience.
I am a divine being having a human experience
and so are you.

I’ll take the bet that the greatest experience on earth is love.
I am love
and so are you.

I’ll take the bet that my thoughts in this moment create my next moments.

photo credit: hien it

Comments welcome! The name you type in the comment section (for example, Jo-Ann, Jo-Ann Downey or Jo-Ann from Boston) will appear on the site. Your email address will NOT appear. If you provide a website URL (for example, your business or your blog URL), it will be linked to your name so others can learn more about you.

Quotes about Listening

Jo-Ann Downey — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 21:09:52 +0000

Enjoy!

“The first duty of love is to listen.” Paul Tillich

“If A equals success, then the formula is A equals X plus Y and Z, with X being work, Y play, and Z keeping your mouth shut.” Albert Einstein

“I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.” Ernest Hemingway

“It takes two to speak the truth — one to speak and another to hear.” Henry David Thoreau

“You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time.” M. Scott Peck

“Most of the successful people I’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking.” Bernard M. Baruch

“Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. When we really listen to people there is an alternating current, ant this recharges us so that we never get tired of each other. We are constantly being recreated.” Brenda Ueland

“To listen is an effort, and just to hear is no merit. A duck hears also.” Igor Stravinsky

“A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he gets to know something.” Wilson Mizner

You may want to read “5 Tips on How to Listen Effectively” and “Silence is Golden…and Pauses are Too“.

Comments welcome. The name you type in the comment section (for example, Jo-Ann, Jo-Ann Downey or Jo-Ann from Boston) will appear on the site. Your email address will NOT appear. If you provide a website URL (for example, your business or your blog URL), it will be linked to your name so others can learn more about you.

photo credit: sweden-se

Quotes about Peace of Mind

Jo-Ann Downey — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 17:42:55 +0000

Enjoy!

“For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Nothing is more conducive to peace of mind than not having any opinion at all.” Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

“When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.” Francois de aa Rochefoucauld

“If there is to be any peace, it will come through being, not having.” Henry Miller

“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Freedom from desire leads to inner peace.” Lao-Tse

“A peaceful mind generates power.” Norman Vincent Peale

One way to have more peace of mind:

“Watch your manner of speech if you wish to develop a peaceful state of mind. Start each day by affirming peaceful, contented and happy attitudes and your days will tend to be pleasant and successful.” Norman Vincent Peale

And don’t forget to be conscious of your inner, self-talk. For more about intentions, see “Intention Series: What is an Intention? Why are Intentions Important?” and “Intention Series: How to Create Powerful Intentions.”

Very Smart Girls know that peace of mind is an inside job regardless of what is happening outside. Like the flower in the photograph, it is still a beautiful flower regardless of the cold, “uncomfortable” ice.

photo credit: piero molinari

Circle of Love: In Loving Memory of My Father

Jo-Ann Downey — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 02:44:33 +0000

My beloved father, John (“Jay”) Joseph Downey, passed away on November 30, 2010. Without exaggeration, for 78 years my father was a constant source of positive, fun, joyful, helpful, loving, and compassionate energy. To me, one of his most memorable qualities was that he was not an advice-giver, unless asked. And even then it was a gentle process. I learned to trust myself, a great gift indeed, because of the freedom, gentle nature, and trust I experienced with my father.

Here is my experience of how I know that my father continues to be an ever-present and loving light in my life.

My flight from Southern California to Boston to visit my father included a layover in Dallas. I was oddly, and strongly, compelled to buy a particular gift for him. I went with the feeling. Actually, the feeling was too strong to ignore. I had never thought of buying this particular thing for my father and, luckily, airports typically have them.

My father was in the ICU and I suddenly realized that my father would never truly use the gift; the magnitude of the true meaning of the gift was uplifting. It was a symbol of my deep and infinite love for him. For six days I went to the ICU and showered with my father with love; he was easy to love. My father passed away on the seventh day- one week from when I first saw him in the ICU.

Three days after my father passed away I was blessed to be part of a volunteer community where I have served for three years. Every December, and this was the December service weekend, there is a Holiday appreciation luncheon for the volunteers. It is a joyful event and we receive a gift of appreciation. When I looked over at the gift table, I knew what our gift was going to be. When we simultaneously opened the gift, I wept with joy. It was the same gift that I got for my father – a keychain. I felt showered with love from my father since there were about 75 volunteers and 75 keychains! I thought “this is the Circle of Love.”

And the story continues…

As I was driving home from the volunteer weekend I had a sudden memory of a small gift that my father gave to me during his last visit to California. It was a small pocket knife/toolkit with his business name engraved on it (JJ Downey Heating & AC). I wondered if the pocket knife was also a keychain. I could not remember if it had a key ring. As soon as I got home I rushed upstairs to see if it was a keychain. I opened my nightstand drawer and there it was…a keychain.

The Circle of Love. Give Love. Receive Love. Give Love. Receive Love. Loving connection is most powerful, joyful, infinite, and peaceful part of our earthly existence.

“Love is the master key which opens the gates of happiness.” Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894)

“This is the ultimate end of man, to find the One which is in him; which is his truth, which is his soul; the key with which he opens the gate of the spiritual life, the heavenly kingdom.” Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)

“And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Bible

In loving memory of, and in infinite gratitude to, John Joseph Downey. Thank you for helping me to open the keys to my heart and my loving. I feel blessed to be a part of your unconditional and timeless Circle of Love.

photo credit: angelsk