Self- Expansion: What It Takes To Achieve Your Dreams
On Jan 25, 2024, WFWP USA hosted a GWPN Forum on the topic of “Self- Expansion: What It Takes To Achieve Your Dreams.” This webinar explored Mother Moon’s peace philosophy, particularly focusing on the skill of self-expansion as a tool for realizing our original dreams. Additionally, leaders from our Global Women’s Peace Network shared their experiences and insights on inner resilience, spirituality, and the unwavering pursuit of self-expansion.
Ms. Adia Lancaster, New Hope Foundation International, Director and GWPN Field Coordinator, opened the event with a summary of Mother Moon’s perspective on the topic:
Embracing adversity for spiritual growth
If I had experienced only joyful things, I never would have been able to look into people’s deepest, innermost hearts. I never would have known the joys of the kingdom of heaven. I have passed through the bottom of hell and experienced every kind of bitterness in life. God wanted me to train myself. What I needed was untiring faith, strong will and perseverance. That is how I reached this point today.
The power of prayer, devotion and generosity
Knowing my mission well, I overcame those hardships through prayer. My silent perseverance and constant prayer actually deepened the members’ devotional life. I always strove to maintain a generous heart, and my unwavering faith as a young person encouraged those around me. The greater my absolute obedience to and reverence for God, the more hope everyone felt. Sometimes my elders would hold my hand and whisper into my ear, “Thank you so much for the grace you have shown us through your sacrificial love.”
Intentional goals, and youthful purpose-driven living
Especially in our younger years, we face countless temptations, endless concerns and unbounded desires. The only way to manage these is to have a strong will, and this means having clearly defined objectives. The years of our youth are the best time to dedicate ourselves to exciting goals that make our hearts beat faster. Since our youth is brief, it is important to do this without delay. We don’t want to be left in regret. We need to set good goals and know who to partner with to achieve them. If we do not live vigorously and create our own path, we will end up sinking into despair and envy..
First to share was Ms. Elizabeth Lou, Founder and CEO of Nile Sisters Development Initiative a California 501(c)3 non-profit organization which focuses on providing education, counseling, referral to services, and support to help refugee women and their families to overcome barriers to integration and economic self-reliance. Ms. Elizabeth shared with the audience her story as a refugee leaving Sudan and immigrating to the US with her family. Upon her arrival, she learnt the hard way how to navigate her new city and she recalled of her first time using public transportation in her new country and how unknowingly she waited for a bus conductor to collect her bus fare like they do in Sudan, Uganda and Kenya only for there to be none and because no one had previously explained this to her, the bus did not depart, this was until a disabled passenger gave her his token because he realized that she was most likely unaware of how to proceed and only then did she realize her ‘mistake’. She credits this experience as the genesis of the Nile Sisters Development Initiative. “ There are people in this world who are coming to this country like me and I do not want to sit in my house and agonize over my pain. Instead, I asked God to use me as he used Joseph in a foreign land. This is the time for me to give back to the community, to help those who are coming. I realized I cannot do this door to door and would need to work with the government.”
The second speaker was Ms. Annalisa Eustace, DEI Therapist, Arizona Women’s Recovery Center. She recalls that as a teenager, she enrolled in a class called ‘Peer support to build self-esteem’ and through this class, she asked God that she wanted to build self-esteem in women. Later on, when her own self-esteem took a hard hit, she recalled a Bible passage that says God never lies and he is the same yesterday, today and forever. “ I asked God, you tell me who I am because when you tell me who I am then it doesn’t matter what anyone says. If it doesn’t align with what God says then it isn’t relevant.” She shared that in her journey she came to understand as being wanted and loved by God and cherishes her grandmother for having a dream for her to be a doctor and left her with the faith of holding onto God.
“ What has sustained me is in undergrad, I saw that God had given me the gift of understanding psychology to me and I didn’t need to read the book as I seemed to have an affinity for it and said to God that because you have given me this gift, I want to take it to the highest level in the land which is a phD and today I received my passing grade… What kept me was one, I made a promise to God and I know I needed to honor that. So I could not quick. Faith has been my anchor, faith has been my sustenance and what causes me to wake up every morning.” She happily confirmed that she currently does the work that she prayed to do as a child. In her work in recovery, she works with women to build their self-esteem. Her goal is to foundationally teach them who they are truly. She shared that her byline in life is that she refuses to be removed from peace.
The third and final speaker was Ms. Judi Moreo, Founder, Women Entrepreneurs Association. She recalled that 14 years ago, she was diagnosed with cancer and at the time the doctor gave her 3 months to live and even though she was understood the diagnosis, she truly felt that God had given her more time so she did her research and met 28 doctors and it was the 28th doctor who was able to get her on a path of recovery and wellness.
“ It takes courage to achieve your dreams. The path to your dreams is seldom straight. It is filled with twists,turns and unexpected obstacles and it takes courage to stand up and face uncertainties. For me to say, I am not having radiation, I am not doing traditional medicine..it was scary…7 and a half months later, my oncologist said my cancer was gone. It was scary because it was about embracing discomfort and going against what everyone believes and seeing challenges not as roadblocks but as opportunities for growth. Another thing it takes is persistence. Achieving your dream is not an overnight thing. It is a marathon not a sprint. You are going to have setbacks and failures and moments when you question whether it is all even worth it. It is during these times that you need to pick yourself up, dust off the setbacks and keep moving forward.You also need discipline.” She concluded by saying that it also has a supportive community of good friends. “ How do you get a friend, you go out and be a friend.You go out and help the people that you can help and believe it or not, they are going to love you enough to help you back. Surround yourself with supportive people.”
During the roundtable discussion, Ms. Adia posed a question to the speakers about advice for young people on the brink of giving up. The speakers highlighted the importance of knowing one's purpose, understanding the best version of oneself, and identifying sources of joy.
The webinar concluded with these valuable insights on the essential elements for pursuing and achieving one's dreams.