Here are some things you can do: 1)Prayer- have a daily personal prayer time, reading the Scriptures, pray the Rosary or another private devotion. Be sure to ask the Lord, “What plan do you have for my life?”
2)Frequent the Sacraments-reconciliation (at least monthly) and Mass (daily if possible) are a great aid in receiving the graces you need to stay close to the Lord.
3)Find a spiritual director- either a priest/confessor, or a trained lay person or religious Sister or Brother. Meeting to discuss your aspirations and hearts deepest desires is so helpful as a means to grow.
4)Find the healing you need-If you know there are areas that you need to deal with in order to find healing-spiritually or emotionally- this is the time. There are several solid ministries which have developed retreats and seminars where you can find the healing you need in order to enter into religious life with freedom and stability. Here’s two to start:
1) JPII healing center (Tallahassee, FL)
http://jpiihealingcenter.org/ (see also Healing the Whole Person retreat:http://jpiihealingcenter.org/index.php/events)
- Heart of the Father Ministries (Neal and Janet Lozano)
(Authors of Unbound book)http://www.heartofthefather.com/heart-of-the-father-ministries/