There are times in our lives when it may feel that we are stuck. We have little energy, listless passion or even lack a sense of true direction or purpose. Without these things surging through our bodies, minds and spirits, we have little chance of moving forward in the pursuit of feeling successful and happy. Believing one is stuck often stems from a sense of feeling bored with our usual routine of being and doing. Once we lose our, “This is something I enjoy,” energy about our work, relationships and so on, we tend to not give our best. When we do not give our best to the world around us, we may begin to feel that something is wrong with everyone and everything we encounter. We discover that we have become detached and distant with our own center of being, which can in turn create inner feelings of separation and even resentment.

His Holiness the Dali Lama says, “I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience, I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being.

Cultivating a close, warmhearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the principal source of success in life. Since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone. The key is to develop inner peace.”

When we can seek and find a deeper relationship with our inner selves, we find the contentment His Holiness speaks of beginning to bubble forth like the crystal waters of a mountain spring. We must desire to tap into that place within us that calls us to become centered and still more often throughout our day. Being peaceful, being relaxed and focused on what brings us joy is what empowers us to do what is ours to do in all areas of our lives. Empowered people have a way of empowering others. Kind people have a vibration of kindness that rarely goes unnoticed. Happy people draw to them other happy individuals that shift the energy wherever they may be. These people are passionate about who they are and about the adventure of being fully alive and living a purposeful life.

What are we passionate about—health and wellness, spirituality, world issues? We all have something about life that speaks to us, so why not pursue the things that call out to our inner joy? When we set an intention to discover more about the things we are drawn to, it is suddenly as if we have turned on our inner GPS, and it is leading us in a new, passionate direction. Some are fearful of the unknown or even the thought of something new and different, but when we make a choice to do something out of the box and a stretch from the ordinary, we open the doors and windows to new opportunities that stimulate our sense of being in the flow of living once more.

If we desire to move forward and become unstuck, we must make a conscious choice to do just that—move forward. We are far more powerful than we often give ourselves credit for; life awaits us to embrace our passion and our purpose. Once we do, the entire universe applauds and rallies around to support us fully in our endeavors. Take time to get quiet, get still on your inner and outer sides, turn on your spiritual GPS and let the journey begin.

Jamie Sanders is an ordained Unity minister, radio and television personality and the host and producer of Spirituality Today on the Unity Online Radio Network. He is a noted speaker at conferences, churches and spiritual centers around the country and serves as the senior minister at Unity of Pensacola. Sanders can be reached through UnityPNS.org.