How To DRUM To Beat Failure

I am not ashamed to admit I’ve been sucked into the Paris 2024 Olympics hype. It started at 1:30am on Thursday, August 1st to watch the Men’s and Women’s 20km Racewalk events. Yup, that one viewer watching racewalking live via browser for a few hours was me, CBC. 

I am amazed by the physical and mental strength of athletes who trained for years to reach this event and then were placed under a microscope to perform and WIN. In some countries, anything less than first place is considered a failure. There is also an unwritten expectation of returning athletes to perform better and “defend their medal(s)” (if they’ve won in the past).

Watching these Olympics is a hard reminder that not everyone can win gold. Somebody has to land in second, third, and last place. What kinds of limiting beliefs do these elite athletes have to endure throughout the Games? How often does a placement of time and skill outside the top spot, despite giving it their all, make an athlete consider themselves less than elite? What happens to these athletes when they hold onto these failed feelings? How do their limited beliefs impact their sports journey going forward? 

I paid as much attention this year to the spoken word of athletes as I did their events. The Men’s 100 Metres Final on August 4th had a photo-finish race with Jamaican sprinter Kishane Thompson and American Noah Lyles. Lyles beat Thompson for the gold medal by 0.005 seconds. I watched some post-race interviews with Thompson where he critiqued his performance negatively. It was painful to hear Thompson deliver his answers to the media in a way that made it sound like he was questioning his elite status. Did he really think he failed? Will he choose to quit over 0.005 seconds? 

Canadian long-distance runner Mohammed Ahmed placed 4th in the Men’s 10,000 Metres Final. It was a beautiful race from beginning to end. During his post-race interview, Ahmed dropped an honest “f-bomb” regarding his performance, stating he was not disappointed with the results. Yet at the end of the interview, after sharing how he continuously placed 6th in previous events over the years, Ahmed let it slip that he was in fact disappointed in this race.

Similar comments were expressed by the best of the best in various sports. After winning the Olympic silver medal for Men’s Tennis Singles, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz said in a post-interview, “I felt that I let the Spanish people down by not winning the gold.” And all I could think is DUDE, you won a SILVER medal at the Olympics. You’ve won four Grand Slams before the Olympics. And… SILVER!!! 

I am not an elite athlete. I cannot imagine the pressure these Olympic athletes must endure. Watching these events humbles my understanding of athletes - even the best of the best can get caught in a whirlwind of limiting beliefs. They are also human beings working hard to create beautiful things on a physical level and share these talents with the world. As humans, their minds can easily be convinced of being a failure.

“Failing” during one's life is a part of living (and not ADULTING). When experiencing feelings of letting myself and others down, I found methods to get out of my head and move away from a lower vibrational mindset. I don't remember the different methods I used because I didn’t always express my feelings or results in written form.  

My current writing journey helps me work through more recent perceived failures with positive results. Part of my writing routine relies on daily journaling. There are many benefits to journaling I can get into, however, I will save my pitch for a future newsletter.

When I feel low or down about my performance, I take time to write down the thoughts ruminating in my mind. When I spend time reflecting on earlier writings, I determine whether or not those feelings were true and if I still want to carry around the burden of those thoughts. If not, I try to figure out what can be done to feel better.

This is hard when I’m in a creative slump or have a heightened perception of failure. Journaling routinely can reveal how often this limiting belief appears, what may be triggering it, and whether the thought is worth holding on to anymore.

I am proud and ashamed to share an acronym I came up with as I was co-hosting a Twitter/X Space on July 25th with my friend and Journaling Guru Kelly (better known as Kelspiration). I am not a fan of acronyms, but I had a “moment” as we discussed the topic: “How journaling through failure can change your life” (recording is available for a limited time). I wrote down and shared the steps I have taken to work through recent perceived failures. The acronym popped out of the page.

For those looking for a path leading away from failure as a limiting belief, try to DRUM. 

This acronym is growing on me. The idea can be used for various limiting beliefs one encounters along the path. I was drumming for years, yet not always as formally as this acronym lays it out. Now I use this acronym for specific limiting beliefs I no longer want. 

For those watching Track and Field at the Olympics, you may have noticed gold medal winners of their final events ring a bell at the Stade de France. If you're curious about the significance, you can find more information here and here. I wonder how the DRUM method could help Olympic athletes. It could be a method to assist after events so athletes don’t dwell on the disappointment of missing the opportunity to ring the bell. There are many wins before and after this race worth celebrating. Why end with a few clangs when everyone can go out with a bang? 

My writing manifesto blooms with one more addition: 

• Don’t wait to start your dream (thanks, Jim Henson).

• Don’t allow others to pull you down.

• Don't get stuck in the past or the future (thanks, Master Ooguay and others).

• Don't stop dreaming, don’t stop believing.

• Don’t die without trying. (Thanks, Wayne Dyer).

• Don’t let one setback hold you back. (Thanks, ME. And Wonder Woman…)

• Don’t just ring the bell; BANG THE DRUM (thanks, 2024 Paris Olympics).

I know, I know, I still have many “don’ts.”

Meh! It’s still a work in progress. At least it’s not an acronym… yet. 

There may be a point in life when you feel weighted down from carrying multiple medals of failure. Don’t erase all the good you’ve accomplished with a bad feeling or event. Journaling and writing can help you determine whether or not the belief is true and whether to hold onto it. We should all celebrate our successes and DRUM through our failures, regardless of where we place on the podium. 

I look forward to flushing out more DRUM beats and cheering on more athletes, including breakdancing (or “Breaking”) on August 9 and 10.  Yup, the one person streaming the event multiple times for the next few months to learn new dance moves will be me.

Take care and drum to your own race, fellow creatives.

Nadine