Ask yourself: who would you call to break you out of a third-world jail? That person embodies high agency—the ability to solve seemingly impossible problems through sheer resourcefulness.
PREV NEXTOptimism says the glass is half full. Pessimism says it's half empty. High agency says you're the tap—you have the power to fill it yourself.
PREV NEXTHigh agency requires three skills working together: clear thinking, bias to action, and disagreeability. Remove any one wheel and the tricycle stops working.
PREV NEXTWhen facing a problem, ask: does this defy the laws of physics? If not, it's not unsolvable—it just hasn't been solved yet. Claude Shannon beat roulette by asking this question.
PREV NEXTNadal, Djokovic, and Federer all warmed up completely differently. There's no single correct method—only what works for you.
PREV NEXTStop waiting for a superior class of adults to save you. Even the greats were deeply flawed humans. Steve Jobs delayed cancer treatment for juice cleanses. Newton spent 30 years on alchemy.
PREV NEXTWe hide our weirdness to fit in, but normal behavior disappears into the memory abyss. At funerals, people only share the weird, unconventional stories. Only weird survives.
PREV NEXTThe past is just memory appearing now. The future is just a dream appearing now. You have finite 'nows'—chase your dreams because you might die screaming anyway.
PREV NEXTMost thoughts are emotional GIFs bouncing around like a random Tumblr page. Transform thoughts out of your head—write, draw, speak them aloud—to filter out the vague mud.
PREV NEXTThe less intelligent person often has more agency than the midwit because they can't overcomplicate things. Use inversion: how would you guarantee failure? Then do the opposite.
PREV NEXTAsk: 'What would I do if I had 10x the agency?' This question throws a first-principles grenade into your assumptions and unlocks creative solutions you'd never consider.
PREV NEXTStress comes from not taking action on things you can control. Reframe decisions as experiments—you're a scientist testing hypotheses, not a perfectionist frozen on stage.
PREV NEXTVideo games break overwhelm by chunking everything into levels. Ask: what's the smallest first step? Level 1 is always easy enough not to feel overwhelmed.
PREV NEXTLook for weird teenage hobbies, unpredictable opinions, immigrant mentality, quitting prestigious positions, and people who verify rather than trust blindly.
PREV NEXTSocial incentives push us to be nice to faces and gossip behind backs. High agency people do the opposite—they give honest feedback directly and defend you when you're not there.
PREV NEXTDiscipline is a candle flame. Incentives and consequences are a nuclear reactor. Design stakes that make inaction painful—public deadlines, bets, burnt boats.
PREV NEXTA wealthy man borrowed $5,000 against his Rolls Royce—not because he needed money, but because he found the cheapest parking in New York: $15.41 for two weeks.
PREV NEXTWrite down what you value, list 10 specific actions that display that value, pick one (ideally the scariest), break it into micro-steps, and do them now. Repeat daily.
PREV NEXT