Good morning, friends!

I recently chatted with Ryan Hawk on his podcast The Learning Leader, and we covered a lot of ground. But there was an idea he shared that I’ve thought about long after our conversation.

He said, “As you read more, become more knowledgeable, and interview more people, you become more reasonable. You live more in the mess — more in the gray and less in the black-and-white, you know?”

I did know.

If there’s one thing you can do right now to improve both your personal and professional life, it’s this: Eliminate absolute statements from your vocabulary. Absolute statements are those that assume an idea or a statement is absolutely, undeniably, 100% true. Words like “everyone,” “no one,” “never,” “always,” “love,” and “hate.”

Like I told Ryan, this type of all-or-nothing thinking tells me two things: 1) You perceive life events in an emotional way, and 2) Your worldview is likely distorted because you don’t see nuance.

I know because I was this person. It’s through interviewing and studying so many different types of people that my mind has opened to the idea that the world is not black and white. It’s not either/or. It’s not this or that. Most situations allow you to wedge in a tiny bit of nuance.

Two years ago, I wrote about how labels can limit our ability to reason. I wrote, “In 2020, it feels as though we live in a society that doesn't believe people can be two things at the same time. It's not a matter of ideological difference; it's a matter of sloppy, dichotomous thinking. We want simplicity while we resist ambivalence.”

It’s our responsibility to become more reasonable people. How? By understanding that the world is multi-layered, nuanced, and endlessly complex — and that’s a good thing.

I’ll leave you with the words of author Will Storr, who used to believe in binary love — the kind we often see in movies or read about in books. He used to believe that either you are in love or you are not. “They were absolute modes of being, like Christian or non-Christian, right or wrong, sane or insane,” he writes. “Today, my marriage is happy because I understand that true love is a mess.”

You can watch the full conversation here.

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THE PROFILE DOSSIER: On Wednesday, premium members received The Profile Dossier, a comprehensive deep-dive on a prominent individual. It featured Ron Finley, the gangster gardener. Become a premium member, and read it below.

The Profile

The Profile Dossier: Ron Finley, the Gangster Gardener

The way I first found out about Ron Finley was when my mom texted me with excitement about the new MasterClass she was taking. It was with Ron Finley, a man whose nickname is “the gangster gardener.” In a text message, she wrote: “I am in love with this gardening gangster! OMG! Highly recommended, but not suitable for children...He says, ‘In the forest w…

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4 days ago · 2 likes · Polina Pompliano

PROFILES.

— The woman who builds the world’s most unique Airbnbs [**HIGHLY RECOMMEND**]
— The actor who doesn’t want the attention
— Hasbro’s gamer-in-chief
— America’s No. 1 late-night host
— The new financial supermarkets

PEOPLE TO KNOW.

The woman who builds the world’s most unique Airbnbs: Over the past decade, Kristie Wolfe has built some of the most popular and unique vacation rentals on Airbnb, including a jungle treehouse in Hawaii, a real-life hobbit-hole in Washington, and a converted fire lookout in the middle of a forest. Less than a decade ago, Wolfe was making $13/hour working odd jobs. Today, her properties gross hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. Here’s how a potato factory worker from Idaho become one of the most influential Airbnb proprietors in the world.

“People always think certain things are impossible. But when you’re pushed into a corner, you just figure it out.”

The actor who doesn’t want the attention: For two decades, in more than thirty movies, Jake Gyllenhaal has played all manner of complicated men: sleazeballs, bruisers, obsessives, ex-cons, bad cops, good cops, the schizoaffective, and five widowers. His reputation has been forged from such portrayals; he’s received nominations for both an Oscar and a Tony. Here’s a man who has earned fame, and also a measure of power, while avoiding—until very recently—the worst trappings of celebrity. (Esquire)

“My question is: Is this our future? Is anger and divisiveness our future?

Hasbro’s gamer-in-chief: Chris Cocks, who took over as CEO of Hasbro following the death of longtime leader Brian Goldner, is trying to broaden the company’s focus beyond younger children who play with Play-Doh, Nerf blasters and My Little Pony dolls. Cocks, who calls himself a “professional adult kid,” said he sees growth opportunities in older consumers who are fans of games like Dungeons & Dragons and collect retro toys like G.I. Joe. Take a look inside his playbook. (Wall Street Journal)

“I don’t think about Hasbro as a toy company for kids. I think of it as an entertainment company for people of all ages.”

America’s No. 1 late-night host: Stephen Colbert is trying to keep things upbeat and soulful in a time of chaos and uncertainty. But even so, he’s seeing a certain level of cautiousness and unease in his studio audience. “I’m just tired,” he said. “I think America is essentially an optimistic country. That’s the nature. ‘A more perfect Union’ is an optimistic thing to say. We’re all just tired.” (Wall Street Journal)

“[The Late Show] feels like an act of service to people. I think Stephen would have made a great priest.”

COMPANIES TO WATCH.

The new financial supermarkets: Blackstone is in the vanguard of an industry leaving its roots far behind. Since the 2008 financial crisis, it and its private equity rivals like Apollo Global Management, KKR, and Carlyle have refashioned themselves into the supermarkets of the financial industry. They span areas of traditional finance long dominated by banks and investment categories typically dominated by hedge funds and venture capital. Private-equity firms were once niche players serving big clients. Now they’re trying to be everything to everyone. (The New York Times)

“Private equity firms are the financial conglomerates now.”

✨ This installment of The Profile is free for everyone. If you would like to get full access to all of the recommendations, including today’s audio and video sections, sign up below.

AUDIO TO HEAR.

Graham Duncan on being a time billionaire: In our society, we worship dollar billionaires. But have you ever thought about the fact that you could be a time billionaire? In this episode, investor Graham Duncan explains the idea that one million seconds is 11 days. One billion seconds is about 31 years. Think about Warren Buffett, who's 90 years old. What would he pay if he could take the next five years of someone’s 20-year-old healthy body and mind? And if you're the 20-year-old, how would you price the next 5 years of your life? This episode may really change your perspective. (Link available to premium members.)

Lewis Hamilton on developing confidence: Formula 1 sensation Lewis Hamilton says his confidence in his ability is what propelled him forward. He attributes it to a love for learning new things and mastering them until he feels a sense of competence. “I’m not going to be good at everything, but I can be damn sure I’ll give it my best go,” he says. (Link available to premium members.)

VIDEOS TO SEE.

Sonia Syngal on picking up the pieces: In late March of 2020, Gap temporarily closed all its North American stores in response to the Covid-19 lockdowns and lost 70% of its revenue overnight. Four days later, Sonia Syngal took over as CEO. In this interview, we get an idea of how she thinks about management, leadership, and culture. (Link available to premium members.)

Stephen Schwarzman on building a $500-billion company: Steve Schwarzman, once called “the king of Wall Street,” is the co-founder of Blackstone, one of the world’s leading investment firms with more than $530 billion dollars of assets under management. “To make something work takes superhuman effort,” he says. “People don’t become successful as part-time workers. It doesn’t work that way.” (Link available to premium members.)