Making an Impact: Gerald Hodges

Gerald Hodges / CBS News

I don’t know Gerald Hodges personally, so I can’t say this for certain, but I’m pretty sure when he signed up for the swim team back in high school, he didn’t do it with the goal of landing on CBS Mornings. Especially considering that he couldn’t even swim.

This story landed on my social media yesterday and I felt compelled to pass it along for a few reasons.

1. The smiles on their faces in the first shot, being in the pool, having this experience that many kids won’t get (the chance to learn how to swim, have access to a pool and/or swim team in high school).
2. The coach meeting them where they were, and continuing to push them, little by little. Each new milestone and experience was amazing. They not only trusted the process, but they enjoyed it.
3. “If I couldn’t handle not being good at something, then how could I consider myself a successful person?” This is Gerald Hodges speaking wisdom to the people.
4. Steve Hartman including his kids in the interview process. This kind of early exposure makes all the difference in how young people see the world, and what they imagine for themselves.
5. And finally, Gerald is now a senior in college, about to get a degree in Math. He is still committed to push forward on a self-admitted harder road, getting better with every step.

This is what I share in Higher Learning: Maximizing Your College Experience, available in print in a few weeks. Learn from failures and keep putting in the work. Doing this with supports (coaches, teammates, classmates, professors, tutors, mentors, family and friends, and more) makes all the difference.

You got this, and you are not alone in the journey. Go higher!