Happy Fri-Yay! Reader,

Welcome to the 4x Friday, four of the coolest things I've found, learned, or experienced this past week.

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What I watched

The Super Bowl, of course. Rebecca is a Patrick Mahomes fan. Me? Andy Reid. I'm mostly a fan of advertising, and this year didn't disappoint. Many in the past have relied on a punchline. This year, the best, in my opinion, was about storytelling. The Dunkings (00:01:00), Volkswagen: An American Love Story (00:02:05), SquareSpace: Hello Down There (00:01:36), And after five days of deliberating, I think my favorite is State Farm's Like a Good Neighbaaa (00:01:44). Then there was AI. Some expertly showed how to use it, including Microsoft Copilot: Watch Me (00:01:00) and Google's Pixel 8: Javier in Frame (00:01:01). Others maybe not so expertly, Etsy: Gift Mode (00:00:29) and CrowdStrike: The Future (00:00:31). Then there were the masters, who made fun of AI, Body Armor: Field of Fake (00:00:31) and Despicable Me 4: Minion Intelligence (00:00:31). In the latter, the narrator says, "The future is in good hands." The story continued with an X post this week (Taking advantage of the open-source status of Steamboat Willie), "Stuart take the wheel, see you next year in NOLA."

What I Learned

The Super Bowl ad getting the most media attention after the event, again, in my opinion, is the "He Gets Us" campaign. The ad portrays people washing others' feet in a series of different settings (a symbol of servitude in Christianity). The critics condemning it for using AI imagery first got my attention. Angry blog posts were written. Yet, fine art photographer Julia Fullerton-Batten snapped the photos and proudly displays them on the landing page of her website. Rumor has it that the campaign is backed by the family that owns Hobby Lobby, and, along with direct attacks, there are suggestions on how the money could have been better spent. I'm amazed at how much time, effort, and emotion people put into criticizing and defending. Then, I was embarrassed to realize how much time I was spending scrolling through the trainwreck. The best way to win an argument is never to start one. My business mentor Darren Hardy suggests responding this way, "Oh, that's what you believe? Fascinating." Then move on.

What I listened to

It was recorded almost a year ago, but somehow, the Corporate Competitor podcast episode (00:33:39) featuring WD-40 President Steve Brass popped up in my searches this week. He started with the company as a salesperson in 1991 and took the lead 18 months ago. He learned an important lesson about leadership as captain of his cricket team at the age of 15. An adult asked him, "Are you going to give someone else a go?" The first thing Brass did, upon becoming president, was to go out into the business and conduct a global listening tour. He asked two basic questions, "If you were CEO, what are the things you’d change in the business?" And second, "Give me an example of one barrier that’s getting in your way of being more effective.” I'm about to launch a coaching program for solopreneurs. I can't wait to have them ask themselves the same two questions.

What I'm pondering

I discovered this on Autin Kleon's Facebook thread on Valentine's Day: "The culture will try to sell you the idea that if your loved ones really love you, they will know exactly what you want and give it to you. Abandon this false idea of romance! You will be much happier if you tell your loved ones exactly what you want. They can then show their love by doing what they can to get it for you."

Have a triumphant week!

PS - It's time to start thinking about this year's International Builder's Show in Las Vegas. If you're interested, I have free expo passes, and I'm throwing a Viva Las Pizza Party (February 27). Check them both out at AIBD.org/pizza-party.

PPS - Be a helper and a hero by allowing others to become #BetterEveryDay. Please pass on this exclusive link and encourage them to sign up for a free daily mentoring video by Darren Hardy.

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Generative AI assisted in writing and editing this email's content. If you find a mistake, don't blame the technology. Sometimes, I ignore its suggestions.