No #161 | March 23, 2025

by Matthew Boyd

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

The Boyd family is taking a spring break vacation this week.

So instead of some fresh writing, the week's newsletter includes three of my favorite things that I've written over the years.

Back to regular programming next week with some stories to share😎.

In this week's Lead It Cool newsletter:

• ⏰It's Later Than You Think
• 🐶Dog Wisdom - Be Positive and Go First
• 🏀Adam Sandler - Giving Confidence

⏰It's Later Than You Think

"It's later than you think" is a quote from a Netflix movie The Adam Project, starring Ryan Reynolds.

The Adam Project is a movie about time travel and our evolving relationship with regret.

Over the years I've mentored some University students, and a common question they ask is "Do you have any regrets?"

My instinctual response to this question is that I have no regrets. That I have always been fearless and forward-looking, and I couldn't imagine my life to be any other way. Any admission of regret would be an admission of mistakes.

But as I age, and I gain the maturity that comes from experience, I'm learning that regrets aren't a sign of weakness, they are instead an opportunity to be more mindful of the future.

The author David Whyte says it best:

The Adam Project will not win any Academy Awards, but it will make you more conscious of how you spend your time. Make sure you spend it doing something you know you won't regret, cause it’s later than you think.

🐶Dog Wisdom - Be Positive and Go First

I stumbled across an article on Farnam Street by Peter Kaufman that has completely changed my perception of dogs.

It turns out that dogs may have a better understanding of human interactions than most humans do.

Kaufman believes that there are two "Big Ideas" to achieve success in life:

1. Mirrored Reciprocation: you get what you give
2. Compounding Interest: consistent actions over the long term generates positive results

So what does this have to do with dogs?

Well dogs have mastered these two "Big Ideas".

For example, every time a dog owner returns to their home after a long day at work, the dog will greet the owner at the door with an unconditional show of love and attention. And what does the dog get in return? Unconditional love and attention from the owner.

Dogs understand how Mirrored Reciprocation works. They give the owner love, and then they get it return. Dogs also understand the power of compounding interest. They repeat the same expression of love over an extended period which generates results increased adoration from their owner.

But what truly separates dogs from most humans is that they always go first. They don't wait for the owner to take action, they make the first move.

Here's a great summary on this from Kaufman:

So if you're stuck in a rut, or you're frustrated because someone isn't giving you the attention you're seeking, channel your inner dog, and go first.

Next week, I'll be writing about cats and the lessons they can teach us in ignoring and ungratefulness😹.

🏀Adam Sandler - Giving Confidence

I have a confession to make. I really enjoy Adam Sandler movies.

So when I saw that he had a new movie on Netflix about basketball (my favourite sport), I got pretty excited.

The movie is called Hustle, and it tells the story of an NBA scout (Adam Sandler who plays Stanley Sugerman) who discovers a raw but talented basketball player in Spain (Juancho Hernangomez who plays Bo Cruz) and tries to prepare him for the NBA draft.

Bo Cruz, has all the basketball talent in the world, but struggles with confidence issues, which are born out of years of family struggles and self-doubt.

In a pivotal moment in the film, Cruz has just been outplayed and outclassed by his opponents. Feeling embarrassed and defeated, he's ready to give up and go home.

His confidence was gone.

Here is Cruz and Sugerman's exchange:

A couple years ago I was at a conference and the keynote speaker was Alden Habacon, who spoke about confidence. We are led to believe that we have to create our own confidence, and this is gained through our own internal/external experiences.

Alden challenged this notion.

From his perspective, confidence is not earned, it is given. It is given from the leaders, role models and advocates around us who encourage others to speak up, listen to what they have to say or be a cheerleader from the sidelines.

And if confidence can be given by these people, it can also be stolen by them, through silencing, ignoring or criticism.

Stanley Sugerman (Adam Sandler) believed in Bo Cruz, and gave him the most powerful gift of all: confidence.

He believed and supported him when nobody else in his life would. Which is the greatest gift of all.

See you next week,

Thank you!

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