- Five to Thrive
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- #154 – Ferrari & Wisdom
Good morning everyone,
Hope you’re having a great week!
Here are 5 things I found interesting over the past few days.
Let’s jump in.
read online on my website
read time 3 minutes
#154 – The Rundown:
Quote: Walk the walk.
Podcast: The Ferrari story.
Mental Model: Intelligence vs Wisdom.
Observation: If the UK were a US state…
X: What even is a family office?
Quote:
“Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.”
{h/t James Clear}
Podcast:
Ferrari by Acquired
Btw, this might be the coolest episode art for a podcast I’ve ever seen
Ferrari is the pinnacle of luxury scarcity.
Across its entire 79-year history, the company has sold just 330,000 cars at an average price today of US$500,000.
For context, that is a fewer amount of cars than Porsche sells each year, and Rolex moves that many watches every 3 months.
And yet this ultimate luxury product also lives under the same roof as a widely beloved professional sports team… one with 400 million rabid fans from all walks of life who live and die by the Scuderia’s performance every F1 race weekend.
How is it possible that these two seemingly contradictory customer bases can coexist within the same company? And far from destroying each other’s value, only reinforce it?
The answer, it turns out, is a beautiful, bloody, tragic and romantic opera that spans two families and three generations.
I thought the story behind Ferrari would be interesting…
But I had no idea just how enthralling and inspiring it would be.
And now I love the brand so much more because of it.
Highly recommend listening to this episode in one go if you can – it’s long, but save it for the next time you’ve got a lengthy drive or gardening session planned.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.
[Duration: 3 hours 59 minutes]
{h/t Mr Family Office}
P.S. I made a Spotify playlist with every podcast I’ve ever recommended. Hope they bring you as much value as they’ve brought me.
Mental Model:
Intelligence vs Wisdom
Came across this brilliant explanation of the difference between intelligence and wisdom from Hamza Zaid that I wanted to share:
There’s a huge difference between intelligence and wisdom that people don’t like talking about.
Because intelligence is impressive; wisdom is inconvenient.
I think intelligence is knowing things, quoting facts, understanding systems, seeing patterns.
Wisdom, on the other hand, is knowing when not to speak, when to walk away, when to stop trying to win.
You can be highly intelligent and still ruin every relationship you touch, and still repeat the same mistakes, and still lack restraint.
Because there are some incredibly intelligent people who can explain absolutely everything except why their life keeps falling apart.
Because intelligence lives in the mind; wisdom lives in behaviour.
And I think intelligence asks, “Can I?”; while wisdom says, “Should I?”
Intelligence knows how to argue; wisdom knows when arguing costs more than it gives.
Intelligence spots loopholes; wisdom respects consequences.
And here’s the uncomfortable part: I think intelligence without wisdom becomes arrogance and it turns into talking down to people, correcting people, and ‘winning’ conversations while losing respect.
Because intelligence wants to be right; wisdom wants things to last.
You can be intelligent and still say the wrong thing at the wrong time.
And you can be intelligent and still push when you should pause.
And you can be intelligent and still mistake clarity for cruelty.
Wisdom doesn’t mean you’re slower, it means you’re selective. Selective with your words, selective with your reactions, selective with where you place your energy.
Wise people don’t need to prove how much they know; they let outcomes speak [for themselves].
And they understand something that most intelligent people learn late, and it’s that not every truth needs delivery, and not every insight needs expression, and not every battle needs engagement.
Intelligence notices patterns; wisdom knows which ones are worth acting on.
Intelligence can tell you why something failed; wisdom can tell you when to stop trying.
And I think this is why wisdom often looks quieter, less flashy, less impressive on the surface.
Because wisdom isn’t about showing capacity; it’s about managing impact.
You don’t gain wisdom by accumulating information; you gain it by paying attention to what keeps costing you your time, your peace, your relationships, your character.
Intelligence makes you sharp; wisdom keeps you intact.
And if you had to choose one, choose the one that helps you live better, not just sound smarter.
Because intelligence can open doors; but wisdom tells you which ones are worth walking through.
Observation:
If The UK Were A US State
This is interesting for a host of reasons.
What makes it even more interesting is that the population of the UK is ~68 million, making it 75% larger than the most populous US state (California with ~39 million).
{h/t Chris Williamson}
X:
What Even Is A Family Office?
Great breakdown.
Thanks for reading! Grateful for your support.
Stay hungry, stay humble, stay curious. ⚡
In case you missed it, last week’s newsletter covered how to speak more clearly and confidently, inside Nico Rosberg's family office, why Stanford grads are struggling & more.
If you enjoyed this edition, it would mean the world if you could forward it to a friend or send them my website.
This goes a long way to helping me reach more people :)
See you in the next one,
Dimi