By Robyn Young

"Musick has Charms to soothe a savage Breast, to soften Rocks, or bend a knotted Oak."
~ William Congreve, The Mourning Bride

Music moves.
It lilts, flows, rises in crescendo, then fades in gentle decrescendo. It races, slows, pauses—and returns to tempo. And beneath all that movement is something steady: the beat. The rhythm.

But have you ever watched someone try to move to music… without finding the beat?

I still feel Mr. Holland’s frustration from Mr. Holland’s Opus, watching his students struggle to find the rhythm. I get it.

Because just like music, life has a rhythm too.
Day turns to night. The tide rises and falls. Seasons shift predictably, one after the other. Hearts beat. Pendulums swing. Light and sound travel in waves. The moon moves through its phases. Planets orbit in divine choreography. Rhythm is everywhere.

And it plays out in our lives as well.
We live in patterns—daily, weekly, monthly. We wake, complete routines, tend to responsibilities, and establish rhythms. They become the structure we live by.

But as we all know, rhythm isn’t always steady.

Sometimes it changes.
Suddenly, the melody shifts. The tempo quickens—or drops unexpectedly. A new instrument enters. Or one leaves. Change, after all, is life’s most reliable constant.

Years ago, when I had just two young children (ages 5 and 2), I established a rhythm that brought me joy: early morning scripture study. I woke at six, savoring a full hour of silence—praying, pondering, reading. My faith and understanding deepened. The quiet solitude was sacred.

Then baby number three arrived. The rhythm changed.
She woke up at 5 a.m. to nurse, so I began reading while she fed. Afterward, I’d get ready to meet friends at the gym. It was exhausting—I went to bed at 8 p.m.—but for a time, it worked.

Now, I’m in the middle of yet another rhythm.
I have five kids. The oldest is 16, the youngest is 3. Their needs are so different, it often feels like I’m trying to sing the melody, harmony, and counterpoint of a song—all at once.

It’s tempting to long for the sweet rhythm of quiet mornings past. But wishing it were different only makes this rhythm harder to embrace. And worse—it blinds me to the beauty in the present moment.

Life’s rhythm includes both the highs and the lows.
Things go well, then not so well. But the pattern never ends there—things lift again. Even in a hard day, there’s always something good. The key is to look for it, cling to it, and let it carry us to the next bright moment.

Think of a roller coaster.
What makes the ride exciting is the up and down! Imagine reaching the first peak only to stop and get off. No thrill, no payoff. You need the descent to experience the joy. Isn’t it funny how most roller coaster lovers prefer the drop over the climb?

When we figure out how we fit into the rhythm around us, life feels more manageable. It may not be easier, but it becomes more meaningful. We begin to see our place in the pattern. And that brings peace.

Even more comforting is this truth: life’s rhythm is intentional. The “downs” aren’t mistakes. They’re part of the design. As the saying goes, “The darkest hour is just before dawn.”

Mortality is part of a greater, eternal journey.
Our challenges aren’t just random—they are preparation. Often, the deepest valleys precede the most incredible growth.

Scripture Story:

One of my scripture heroes is Nephi, a prophet historian who left Jerusalem as a youth, and traveled with his family across the ocean to a promised land. After his father's death, he became the leader of his people. But his life was not without strife. He had two older brothers who felt that the right of government should have fallen to them, and they wanted him dead. Eventually Nephi took any who would follow and separated from his brothers, and the two groups became enemies. But before this separation, and after his father's death, he experiences a bit of depression, common to most of us:

"Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities.
 

I am encompassed about, because of the temptaions and the sins which do so easily beset me.

And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins..."
(2 Nephi 4:17-19)

Even the most faithful feel despair.

But this is what I love about Nephi. He doesn't stay there. Yes, he is weak. Yes, he gets angry. Yes, he is imperfect, and feels the burden of his sins. But even when that discouragement encompasses him, he remembers these truths:

"My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep. He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh. He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me. Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the night-time. And by day have I waxed bold in might prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me... And mine eyes have beheld great things, yea, even too great for man..."
(2 Nephi 4:20-24)

That’s the turning point.

Rhythm teaches us that nothing lasts forever—not even the pain.
And when you feel like the trouble might never end, remember: the next “up” is coming. You can look for it. You can trust it.

"O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath visited me in so much mercy, why should my hear week and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?...
Awake my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul."
(2 Nephi 4:26, 28)

So let your heart feel the rhythm—even if it’s unfamiliar right now.
Don’t wish for a different time or tempo.
Let this be your song.
There’s beauty in the melody you’re living—right now.

_________________

•  To discover how to start choosing more effectively now, read The Jackrabbit Factor (FREE!) 
•  If you want more step-by-step guidance on creating the life you really want, join me in the Mindset Mastery program.
•  If you want my help overcoming that giant obstacle right in front of you, learn more and sign up for Genius Bootcamp.