Count Your Blessings

Today, we want to look back to express our gratitude and say thank you to everyone who has supported us for the past 25 years. We are counting our blessings that Forgiving For Living, Inc., has made it through various struggles and sacrifices to provide service touching the lives of over 3,500 young ladies. Our passion and persistence to provide quality programming has trickled down to also touch the families of the girls we serve. Over these past two decades plus years, we have persevered through the pandemic, through technology changes, going from in-person to virtual, to hybrid, to wondering what might be next. We have learned that although we may not know what is before us, we have the power to make it through. We will not only survive, but we will also thrive.

Forgiving For Living, Inc., was founded in 1999 as an outpouring of the challenges I experienced as a young girl, and how I was able to go from victim to victorious despite what was thrown at me. Our mission is to help young ladies who struggle with issues of low self-esteem and who may battle with certain mental health issues that can be overcome through positive reinforcement by providing them with mentorship and the right tools. With the right toolbox, our mindset can shift. Forgiving For Living carries out and accomplishes our goals through our Ambassador Program, workshops, and conferences. Over the years we have also been blessed to partner with several other nonprofit organizations across the Southland to increase our impact.

Forgiving For Living is in the business of helping young women develop positive self-esteem and restore their confidence. Instilling these tools at a young age can help mitigate the imposter syndrome later in life. These developments help young women feel empowered to pursue their goals and their dreams that they may have originally felt they did not deserve. Having positive self-esteem is also linked to better mental and emotional well-being. When we do not feel good about ourselves, we are more prone to depression and anxiety. Our physical and mental well-being are tied closely together. Our self-esteem also affects our relationships personally and professionally. When we as women do not feel good about ourselves, we open ourselves to vulnerable and possibly negative relationships that are not good for us. Much of Forgiving For Living’s work is also shown through the power of positive role models who sow into the lives of the girls we serve.

Having positive role models, we can look up to can also help break stereotypes and open the thought process for various careers. It can make you believe in pursuing higher education and encourage you to pursue non-traditional careers in male-dominated fields such as science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). I want to also include finance and investing. More women are also pursuing public office because they see other women who have come before them. I would like to encourage young women to consider starting their own businesses and entrepreneurship. The world can be their oyster. We must give them the opportunity to open up and blossom.

If we are going to continue to make society a more equitable place, we must be willing to address the elephant in the room where gender bias and discrimination still exist. We must create safe spaces for young women to grow into healthy adults believing they can accomplish anything they put their hearts to do. As we continue to count our blessings we hope to continue to make a difference in the lives of young women for the next 25 years. #forgivingforliving25

Healing Without Hate: It’s a choice. It’s a lifestyle. Pass it on.

Visit www.WendyGladney.com and www.forgivingforliving.org to learn more. Wendy is a life strategist, coach, consultant, author, and speaker.