Starting something new is always awkward at first. Many of you know this from the New Year Resolutions you set earlier this year. Your initial steps are tentative, hesitant and unsure. You intended to develop a new eating or exercise program yet when you got right down to it, nothing felt easy or natural.

Just like a toddler first attempting to stand, you have no balance, rhythm or flow when entering a new regime. This toddler has what it takes -- focus and tenacity. He has no concept of failure at this point in his life. He will stand no matter how many attempts it takes. Once he masters the art of standing, his balance, rhythm and flow come naturally. Watch out; he's off and running.

How are we so different when learning a new behavior? Adults should remember the joys of their babyhood when we had not yet even conceived of such a thing as self sabotage; and we ought to eliminate setting expectations that are unrealistic; lose the impatience and criticism we foist upon ourselves. We use excuse and procrastinating to block our strong focus.

In comes the fast food type of mind. We want results now. If they are not fast enough, we give up. This new effort needs the rhythm to occur naturally, so get out of the way and permit it. Instead, we move onto something more easily accessible, albeit self-defeating, like a cheeseburger.

All living things need rhythm. What would it be like to sit by an ocean without the soothing rhythm of the waves? What would the words of a song mean without the flow of music? How would our interpretation of these very same lyrics shift with a variety of rhythms?

We humans need sadness to appreciate joy, illness to value health, loss to appreciate abundance. We need day and night to balance one another out, seasons of the year along with seasons of our lives.

Rhythm is the gift. Balance and flow are the 'go-with' gifts rhythm brings. When we are in the natural flow of things, balance follows naturally, time seems to just evaporate and our productivity escalates along with a sense of great joyfulness and fulfilment. When we are not in rhythm, it's an uphill battle.

This week, take time to discover which areas of your life are balanced. Areas that are not have likely lost their rhythm and flow. For example, awakening early one day each week to write or exercise creates no rhythm. Getting up early five days in a row for eight straight weeks creates rhythm, resulting in the balance and flow you're after.

Take the "I'm going to have fun with this" approach; add in a bit of patience and then enjoy what you discover.