I Finally Made it to College

 

If you’ve heard me speak you know my story about having a full-ride scholarship for basketball to a major university (BYU) when I was in high school and feeling good about my future in the NBA.

Suddenly, I was discovered by Mrs. Hall, the choir teacher, who pointed me in the right direction for life, as I left my basketball career on the bench, and became a singing entertainer who speaks and writes books.

Going to Las Vegas instead of college was a real big swing of a dream, and thankfully worked out.

But I always wondered what it would have been like to get into college.

I have spoken at many colleges, to thousands of students, leaders, university presidents, faculty, staff, award-winning teachers, and higher education establishments nationwide, but was never actually in college.

Until a few months ago!

Here’s what happened.

 

A few years back I began a venture of making a YouTube channel with a very successful Youtuber & Influencer.

We did everything right, by the book, cranked out videos that were specific to certain topics, and recorded them monthly for a good long chunk of time.

It was costly, challenging, rewarding, and pushed me to create tons of content I had never considered prior. The direction and production were amazing, editing spot on, everything in place.

And then we sat there wondering why the phone wasn’t ringing, as it had for all of the others who preceded me in the same effort.

We eventually realized the problem: My offer and CTA was not leading people to a place where they could BUY NOW. It was more of a suggestion, a soft pitch, and no one swung.

As a failed venture, seeing that few had subscribed, and an even worse viewer count, we agreed to part ways and end the effort, as it was not profitable and going nowhere fast. It was a huge disappointment for all of us.

I’ll never forget, on my birthday 2 years ago, we called it quits. A bummer of a celebration for me that day as my family drove through the Redwood Forest in our RV and I had a hard conversation with my friend over the phone.

 

 

We agreed to keep the YouTube Channel up due to so much valuable content, excellent videos of powerful educational material, and as a Promise Legacy Project (by definition: something you create that possibly won’t make you a penny, but is valuable to your family when you pass on).

And I pretty much forgot about the YouTube Channel that never was meant to be…

It was called Jason Hewlett on Performance

 

Fast forward to a few months ago.

I was sitting at my desk when the message came in:

“It was fun watching you today.”

I didn’t know what they were talking about, so I asked what that meant.

“I’m in a college class for speaking, and the instructor told us to view your page, watch all the videos, and we will pass the class after we take a test about it.”

I asked what videos.

The response: “Your Jason Hewlett on Performance channel on YouTube.”

I was stunned.

I logged back in, only to find hundreds of comments sitting awaiting approval, from grateful middle, high school, and college students who had viewed my forgotten video vault.

Thousands of views on many videos that, when we initially logged off, had less than 10 views each.

The page had reached 1,500 subscribers. When I logged off a few years ago it was less than 100. I hadn’t even promoted or mentioned the channel to anyone for almost 2 years.

 

 

Mind you – this is not a big cash windfall story, I am not going to drive to Vegas to bet my house on this channel – this is a different kind of success.

This is one of the most fulfilling kinds of success that you weren’t expecting! The kind where you made the Promise, kept it, and it failed, so you honored it and left it there for someone else to hopefully find.

And it was found!

By the people it was intended for: students, parents, educators, people in need of a specific topic.

What a blessing.

According to the comments of many strangers turned fans, multiple universities and colleges around the world utilize my YouTube channel for teaching, confirming arguments and hot topics, introducing new subject matter, clarifying myths, and debating.

Equally, a few videos have become more popular than I would have ever imagined, such as:

“How to Write a Father of the Bride Speech” – which I’ve yet to experience, but made up some cool content.

“How to Write a Student Council Speech” – many youth of all ages have reached out to let me know they won because of my video (which I know is not true, but kind of them to say).

“How to Write an Award Acceptance Speech” – it is rewarding to hear from so many who turned to this video for their biggest life’s achievement moment.

It makes me think of all of the failed attempts at so many ventures, whether its:

• sales calls that lead to nothing but you getting better at persistence and not giving up;
• or shooting enough baskets in a dark driveway into the night and never making the team, yet perfected the ability to practice something that gives you confidence;
• or posting on social media and getting very few likes, comments or shares, but it ends up in the hands of someone who’s life it changed.

This is what happens when we keep The Promise. 

We do what we say we’re going to do, and regardless of the outcome, we did all we could.

Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose, but there is always something good that comes from the Promise to do your best.

I am not going to go back and make more videos like the ones on the channel, now that I know its a semi-popular teaching tool. That ship has sailed. It was a great effort and moment when we created it.

I’m grateful I gave it my all when we were in the trenches, as I had total confidence that the product we made, that no one wanted, was a great one, if only the right people found it.

And somehow, no doubt by God’s grace, they did. And they confirmed that it was perfect for them. That was the hope all along.

Promise kept.