From A Maze to Amazing

byAJTrimble1

9.1K followers

5 years ago

"If you put peace above protection, you will have both." -- Alen Cohen

Have you ever seen the LaGuardia airport? Hundreds of thousands of planes. Tons of luggage. Literally millions of people each year traverse its halls.

And yet, not many people actually know where this bastion of flight got its name.

The Little Flower

Fiorello Henry La Guardia was the 99th mayor of New York City, and was in office during the Great Depression. Affectionately know as The Little Flower (Fiorello means little flower in Italian), he was a most flamboyant and charismatic leader; one who rode on the backs of fire trucks and read comics to children -- over the radio, no less.

But that is not his most amazing story...

It is said that one cold January evening during the depression, La Guardia entered a courtroom in Manhattan and gave the judge the night off. After assuming the bench, the first case brought before him was that of an elderly woman who had been caught stealing.

The woman explained to the "judge" that she had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her starving grandchildren. Naturally, the baker was incredulous and demanding justice.

La Guardia immediately pounded his gavel on the desk and proclaimed the woman's sentence. He stated to all present, "I have no choice but to punish you for your crime. Ten dollars or ten days in jail."

Before the woman could even react, The Little Flower pulled out ten dollars from his wallet and threw it into his hat. He then passed the hat around the courtroom and decreed his second sentence: "I also hereby fine everyone present 50 cents each for living in a city where a grandmother has to steal a loaf of bread to feed her grandchildren!"

When the hat was returned, the $10 fine was paid and the woman was allowed to leave... with an additional $47.50 in her pocket.

Kindness Trumps Ego

I tell this story to remind us all of the power of kindness.

Lately I have come across various posts, chats, and discussions inside Wealthy Affiliate that are quite abrasive, where fellow WA members have been less than kind to one another.

We are family. As such, we often rely on each other when our businesses, or even our lives, are in turmoil. And yet, when we need each other the most, sometimes we let ego get in the way. We get defensive in an attempt to protect ourselves. Instead, I encourage kindness over ego.

If you have an issue with a fellow member, attempt to resolve it privately. If is goes unresolved, then pass it on to Kyle or Carson. But what should not be happening, I believe, is our bickering taking place publicly. Here's why...

New members join WA every day. And our job is to encourage them to reach their dreams. Yet, if they come in and immediately see everyone's dirty laundry, how likely will it be that they stay? And if they leave and miss out on the opportunity to better their lives because of it, then WE are guilty and, thus, no better than the baker or the citizens of New York in our story.

Forgiveness is what transforms our lives from an empty existence -- the Maze -- to a life of absolute abundance -- the Amazing.

Look, we're family, and families sometimes fight. It's natural. But it doesn't have to affect the innocent. Please, before you post anything negative, consider the impact your words might have on someone new, someone who doesn't know that we're all brothers and sisters merely having a disagreement.

I leave you with this thought...

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." -- Albert Einstein

The choice is ours.