No #167 | May 4th, 2025

by Matthew Boyd

Good morning, welcome to the weekly Lead It Cool newsletter.

My son is working on a project for school where he has to raise money for a cause he cares about.

To do this, he decided to organize a neighbourhood bottle drive. He created a flyer and delivered it to everyone’s mailbox, letting them know he’d be by on Saturday morning to collect any empties.

Yesterday morning, nearly all of our neighbours had bottles ready for him (and some even gave cash donations). Lately the world can often feel like a dark and lonely place, but moments like this are a good reminder that people truly do care (and also my neighbours drink a lot🤪)

In this week's Lead It Cool newsletter:

• ⭐May the 4th...
• 😊How to Be Happy at 85
• 😆Darth on Leadership
• 😎Cool Links

⭐May the 4th...

Very exciting day.

I get to send out a newsletter on May the 4th, important for two reasons:

1. It’s my parents’ wedding anniversary (Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!)
2. It’s also the official unofficial day of Star Wars. (May the 4th be with you… get it? The forth is replacing the force. Yeah, I know. Deep sigh.)

I spent all week trying to think of a clever article that would integrate the Star Wars universe into my quirky weekly newsletter. Something inspiring and unexpected.

But to be honest, I’ve sort of lost the plot when it comes to Star Wars content.

I did a quick scan of recent releases, and in the last five years alone, we've had close to 100 pieces of new Star Wars content whether it be movies or tv shows😲.

That’s... a lot.

Where do I even begin?

Do people genuinely have the time to consume all this content?

Is there someone reading this right now who is 100% caught up on everything? If so, I salute you. And also, how?

So today’s theme is: less is more.

At a Jerry Seinfeld stand-up show last week, he joked that in today’s world, “Everyone’s brain is completely full. There’s no room for anything else.” I felt seen.

We’re drowning in information and content, and while I know some Star Wars fans may disagree, somewhere along the way, quantity started to eclipse quality (it sounds like Marvel is dealing with the same problem).

As the legendary designer Dieter Rams put it: “Less, but better.”

So maybe this May the 4th, we don’t need to binge six episodes of The Bad Batch or argue about midichlorians. Maybe we just remember what made Star Wars magical in the first place: a good story, told simply. Heroes. Villains. Lightsabers. Heart.

Or maybe we just call our parents and wish them a happy anniversary🥂.

Either way, may the Force (or the Fourth) be with you.

😊How to be Happy at 85

The author Roger Rosenblatt wrote an article with 10 rules for aging and staying happy. Some sage advice

Here they are (editorialized):

1. Nobody's thinking about you
2. Make younger friends
3. Take care of your body
4. Get a pet
5. Don't hear the cheers
6. Everyone's in pain (so be kind)
7. Listen to Bob Marley
8. Join a gang (be part of friendship group_
9. Learn to live with regrets
10. Start and end everyday with music

😆Darth on Leadership

😎Cool Links

😲Post-Apocalyptic Education. Last summer, I wrote about the Homework Apocalypse, the coming reality where AI could complete most traditional homework assignments, rendering them ineffective as learning tools and assessment measures. My prophecy has come true, and AI can now ace most tests. Yet remarkably little has changed as a result, even as AI use became nearly universal among students.

⏩The biggest thing you bring to the project is forward. Initiative, desire and being willing to take responsibility are powerful because most of us don’t care enough to bring them to the table. Going forward requires skills, attitudes and belief. A rare combination.

🏀Gregg Popovich Has Always Been More Than A Coach. “Do what you do, do it well, and do it with passion. But do not worry about plaudits or condemnation, because both are going to come your way,” Popovich has said. “Whether you’re the manager of the local McDonald’s, the coach at Pomona or Phil Jackson with the Chicago Bulls, you are going to get plaudits and you are going to get condemnation and they’re both false notions. You need to care about how you do your work and how you treat your family and friends. Nothing else matters.”

🌞Find cafes that are in the sun. Or for my preference, find cafes that are in the shade. 😎

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Let’s connect! 💬 You can find me on LinkedIn and Twitter