There are 900 million people in 142 countries who are unfulfilled with what they do in life, according to a Gallup poll in 2014. In the U.S. alone, 70 percent of people working are unhappy and don’t care for what they do. The poll says that millennials are the most unfulfilled and care least about what they do at work. This is a lot of people who feel stuck in a boring, passive life with unfulfilled dreams, visions and desires.

Believe it or not, feeling unfulfilled can actually be a good thing. Life is painful. Pure and simple. People fail to meet our expectations. Reality often doesn’t measure up to the visions we’ve created for our relationships, our vocation or life experiences. The end result is disappointment. These disappointments can cause us to question the purpose and meaning of life. Questioning the meaning of our pain and suffering can actually serve us because it helps us realize that something is missing in our lives. This longing for something more in life can serve as a catalyst to experience a spiritual awakening. This is a process in which we die to our old self and give birth to a new self. It can be painful at times, but well worth it when we get to the other side.

Often, there is a triggering event which causes a spiritual crisis. It’s typically a life event or circumstance (positive or negative) that triggers the person to question the foundation upon which they’ve built their lives. It shatters their concept of how the world works and causes inner conflict or discontentment. It can be triggered by a major life transition, i.e. a divorce or separation, change in employment or becoming an empty nester. It may be initiated by a major health challenge, suffering a trauma, facing the death of a loved one or one’s own death, experiencing some sort of loss, or questioning the afterlife.

An extremely pleasurable experience can also activate it. Examples may be a profound spiritual, mystical encounter that results in an immense degree of peace and joy that the person has never experienced before. It may be triggered by meeting a new love partner, gaining a new positive perception of one’s life and existence or reaching a personally significant age. These triggering events can cause a spiritual crisis, also referred to as an “existential crisis”. This is a defining moment in the first phase of a spiritual awakening because it prompts a quest for making meaning of one’s life.

This time of personal introspection provides us with an opportunity to examine the messages we’ve learned from society, the media, religion or family. We can discern whether or not to buy into those thoughts, beliefs and ways of being. We have the opportunity to reconcile these messages from outside “experts” with our own inner spiritual truth and wisdom. We can question whether these beliefs are empowering or disempowering us. We can decide whether they are supporting us in creating a life we feel passionate about or not.

It’s a very unsettling time because the old ways don’t work anymore and we still don’t know who we’re becoming. Through this process, we let go of the things, people, habits, value systems and belief systems that don’t resonate with us anymore. This includes our concepts about God and how the Universe works. This time of transition and uncertainty can cause confusion, fear, anxiety or even depression. This is a defining moment in the second phase of a spiritual awakening because it can feel like our faith is disappearing. It can bring up a lot of anger and resistance because it isn’t easy giving up our old ways of being when we don’t yet have a new foundation upon which to anchor ourselves. This can be very painful because our world view doesn’t shift overnight. A new foundation is laid over time through various experiences. It can be a long “dark night of the soul.”

During this unsettling time, one might experience anxiety, depression, apathy, confusion or increased drug or alcohol use. People may feel stuck or unable to take action or move forward with their lives. They may feel dissatisfied with their life or vocation or they may experience recurring themes that they are unable to resolve using typical means. Through this process, we deconstruct our beliefs and reconstruct them to be in alignment with our own personal truth. As we try on new concepts, ideas, thoughts and beliefs and keep the ones that resonate as our own spiritual truth, we begin to form a new way of being. Our soul is leading us through this spiritual awakening.

Viewing our lives from our soul’s perspective can help to guide us through a spiritual crisis and awakening. It can provide a new foundation to step into that people are seeking. This is a defining moment in the third phase of a spiritual awakening. We can tap into the wisdom of our own souls during this time through the Akashic Records. They can be used to educate and guide us to become the people that we were created to be. It is an energetic database that stores every thought, emotion, word, intention, action, experience, choice, event and consequence that we’ve experienced in this lifetime and in past lifetimes. It can enlighten us to what our innate gifts are that we were created to share with the world. It can guide us on how to make choices that align with our soul’s design because it also stores every potential and possibility for our future.

The Akashic Records are a gateway into accessing our soul’s innate wisdom that can help us to heal our pain, clear confusion and provide the answers and direction we seek. They help us to see ourselves and our lives more clearly and from a new, more empowering perspective. When we make choices that align with our soul’s design, we align ourselves with an experience of more abundance of joy and fulfillment.

“The Akashic Record readings really felt to me like a reintroduction to myself. I found clarity about the direction I wanted my life to take. I experienced a deep sense of happiness that I hadn't felt since I was a small child, as I allowed myself to do what my heart called me to.” ~ Jane Thiegs

If we allow our souls to guide us, we can be transformed into new beings who radiate greater and greater degrees of light and love that can then serve to heal our world. Just think about the positive impact more people could have in this world if they tapped into their soul’s wisdom to create a life filled with passion and purpose. Just think of the untapped potential that could be released to make this world a better place.

Barbara Brodsho is a soul purpose coach and holistic healer who empowers highly conscious spiritual seekers, creators and leaders to express their soul’s innate gifts and understand their life experiences from their soul’s perspective. As a result, they experience greater joy, abundance and fulfillment while creating and living passionate, purpose-filled lives. She has a master’s degree in theology and certifications in spiritual direction, energy medicine and soul-level healing. For more information, call 612-444-9751 or visit BarbaraBrodsho.com.