Kindness 101: Courage and overcoming fear of failure

In the first installment of the "CBS Mornings" series "Kindness 101," Steve Hartman teaches his kids an important lesson: the value of courage and of not letting fear of failure get in your way.

Hartman looked back at the example he found in 2018 from Texas high school student Gerald Hodges, who joined the swim team at Seguin High School in Arlington despite not knowing how to swim.

"I felt like if I couldn't handle not being good at something, then how could I consider myself, you know, a successful person?" Hodges asked.

Then, the kid who couldn't swim ended up sending his team to the state championships. 

Hodges' story was such an inspiration to Hartman's daughter Meryl that it motivated her to overcome her fear of riding her bike.

Hartman and his kids, 8-year-old Meryl and 11-year-old Emmett, checked back in with Hodges, now a senior in college majoring in math.

Emmett asked him: "Were you at all afraid to fail?"

"Yes, I was definitely afraid," Hodges said. "Being afraid just means you have common sense. As long as I didn't act on that fear, I didn't let that stop me from doing what I wanted to."

Watch the video above for a lesson on being more courageous.

"Kindness 101" is in session every Monday on "CBS Mornings" through the end of the school year. Hartman and his kids will share lessons on empathy, compassion, determination and more.