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- #164 – Imperfect Days & Gambling
#164 – Imperfect Days & Gambling
Quote, Podcast, Mental Model, Observation, X.
Dimitri Gremos
July 15, 2026
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
#164 – The Rundown:
Quote: The rarest and purest form of generosity.
Podcast: Mark Bouris x Alan Kohler.
Mental Model: The art of enjoying imperfect days.
Observation: Americans are more likely to place a bet than read a book.
X: How family offices engage the next generation.
Quote:
“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.”
{h/t James Clear}
Podcast:
Straight Talk with Mark Bouris: Alan Kohler
Alan Kohler has spent more than 50 years at the centre of Australian financial journalism, and few people have had a front row seat to this country's booms, busts, and policy shifts like he has.
In this conversation, Mark and Alan trace the arc of Australian capitalism from the Poseidon nickel boom of 1969 through to the rise of Elon Musk and the AI era.
I found the parallels drawn between the enigmatic and notorious deal-makers of the 1980s such as Alan Bond and Christopher Skase with Elon Musk quite unique.
It was also interesting to learn more about:
The Poseidon nickel boom and how that impacted the Australian regulatory landscape
Why major financial booms often see the rise of a charismatic figure selling an irresistible story
Elon Musk, SpaceX, and the $2 trillion company valuation
How Basel banking rules quietly turned Australian banks away from business lending and into mortgage lending
The 1999 capital gains tax change that supercharged the housing market
Paul Keating, superannuation, and the policy Alan considers Australia's greatest achievement
Lang Hancock, iron ore, and the role of entrepreneurialism in Australia
Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.
[Duration: 53 minutes]
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:
The Art of Enjoying Imperfect Days
A beautifully articulated way of looking at the world, courtesy of James Clear:
"Learn to love the interruptions. Find the fun in the delay, the humor in the challenge, the pleasure in the daily commute.
A great deal of life is spent dealing with interruptions and waiting for the conditions to turn. We think, "If I can just get past this, then things will open up." But the interruption is not standing between you and your life. It is your life.
Yes, I prefer hassle-free days too. But you'll rarely find a situation that is all bad. There are little pockets of joy folded inside the annoyances we face. There is always fun to be had, if you go looking for it.
This is one of the arts of living. It's the art of enjoying the imperfect days. It's the art of making all the moments count."
{h/t James Clear}
Observation:
Americans Are More Likely To Place A Bet Than Read A Book
Fewer than half of all adults reported having read a book of any kind in 2022.
Only 38% read a novel or short story.
A study analysing 236,000 responses to the American Time Use Survey found that the proportion of Americans who read for pleasure on any given day fell from 28% in 2004 to 16% in 2023.
Gambling has become a more common leisure activity than reading a book: Last year, 57% of Americans placed a bet.
And it wouldn’t be far off in Australia…
{h/t Chris Williamson}
X:
How Family Offices Engage The Next Generation
This is really interesting.
Essentially, it boils down to exposure > instruction.
{h/t Mr Family Office}
Thanks for reading! Grateful for your support.
In case you missed it, last week’s newsletter covered why it’s not just important that you win, but how you win & 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