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Agency

What does it mean to have agency? How do you develop it?

Agency isn't an individual trait - it exists within biological, social, and cultural contexts. Agency begins with having deep understanding of your values system. The goal isn't perfect control over everything but recognizing and expanding your capacity for intentional action.

Knowledge​

Knowledge comes in two main categories:

Science: Knowledge about the nature of the world, what exists and how it works

Technology: Knowledge of how to transform the physical and social aspects of our environment.

  • Embodied Knowledge - Knowledge embedded in tools and platforms where you don't need to know how to make the tool to use it
  • Codified Knowledge - Knowledge that exists in symbolic space as codes, recipes, formulas, algorithms, and manuals
  • Know-How - Knowledge that exists in people's heads that can't be easily explained or transferred through conversation, requiring extensive practice of growth experiments to evolve through experience.

Wisdom is knowing when and how to apply the power of knowledge, based on having a strong values system.

Identity​

What are you here to do? Why?

The quality of our lives are a reflection of the stories we repeat and the company we keep.

Team sports are life's greatest teachers of how success flows from selfless coordination of pure intent.

Practice​

Building agency: the ability to act autonomously to control your life involves several key practices:

  • Shift your mindset: Move from focusing on problems to seeking solutions. Rather than saying "I can't because...", ask "How can I make this work?". Developing a growth mindset helps you see yourself as capable of learning and changing.
  • Take small, intentional actions: Start by owning what's within your control, even in minor ways. Setting achievable intentions builds momentum and the habit of purposeful action.
  • Practice deliberate discomfort: Try exercises that push your boundaries, such as asking for discounts, traveling alone, or visiting unfamiliar places. These experiences prove you can handle new situations.
  • Control your environment: Be selective about what information you consume and who you spend time with. Your surroundings significantly impact your sense of agency.
  • Build competence: Learning new skills increases confidence in your ability to affect change. The more capable you feel, the greater your sense of agency.
  • Navigate constraints creatively: Instead of just complaining about limitations, find ways to work within or around them. Constraints can actually spark innovation.
  • Manage emotions and beliefs: Identify and challenge limiting beliefs that might be holding you back. Unconscious beliefs often prevent us from even trying.
  • Seek supportive environments: Organizations and relationships that encourage initiative and provide clear opportunities foster agency. Environments where speaking up is valued help agency flourish.

Capabilities​

What range of capabilities will be in greatest demand in the age of AI? What valuable point of difference can you offer?

Intrinsic​

CapabilityNeed/DesireProgress
Understand What Drives You?/5?/5
Managing Your Mindset?/5?/5
Systems Thinking?/5?/5
Questioning?/5?/5
Decision Making?/5?/5
Problem Solving?/5?/5
Optimism?/5?/5
Storytelling?/5?/5
Selling?/5?/5
Independent Learning?/5?/5
Investing?/5?/5
Creativity?/5?/5
Adaptability?/5?/5
Collaboration?/5?/5
Coaching?/5?/5
Communication?/5?/5
Leadership?/5?/5
Listening?/5?/5
Languages?/5?/5
Networking?/5?/5
Prioritizing?/5?/5

Leveraging Technology​

What technology does everyone need to understand how to use effectively to gain greater agency?

Crypto was invented to provide every citizen with greater agency of the flow of capital.

AI can provide greater agency if you know what and how to ask.

Together they provide Extreme Agency of Knowledge and The Means to store and release Potential Energy.

Metacognition​

Confidence is not knowing you will succeed, but believing you have the resilience to adapt.

  • Character Traits: elevates intellectual standards
  • Intellectual Standards: improves ability to reason
  • Improved Reasoning: evolves character traits

Character Traits​

Character Traits: Epistemic Curiosity, Respect, Courage, Empathy, Honesty, Humility, Integrity, Perseverance, Purpose

Intellectual Standards​

Intellectual Standards: Accuracy, Precision, Clarity, Depth, Relevance, Significance, Logic, Fairness, Sufficiency, Breadth

Improved Reasoning​

Reasoning: Purposes, Inferences, Questioning, Concepts, Points of view, Implications, Information, Assumptions

Development​

Invest your time in team players that are driven, ethical, capable, good humoured, and coachable

If your view of the world is that people use reason for their important decisions, you are setting yourself up for a life of frustration and confusion. You'll find yourself continually debating people and never winning except in your own mind. Few things are as destructive and limiting as a worldview that assumes people are mostly rational. - Scott Adams

Recognize warning signs that identify enemies early and build systems to manage their behaviours.

Range​

Adaptable and Flexible: Balance the time you need to invest alone in deep thought to connect the dots versus time you need to invest in building trusted connections.

Become so good they cannot ignore you.

Reflection​

  • What are your strongest capabilities?
  • Where are those capabilities most needed?
  • What are your blind spots? How do you know?
  • What are your weaknesses?
  • How can you bridge gaps?
  • Who can you team up with?
  • What can you outsource?

The Journey​

How will people be rewarded for meaningful endeavour in the [age of AI]](/docs/agency/ai-beings)?

The Heroes Journey

Earning​

Crypto Opportunities​

Traditional employment​

  • Full-time or part-time jobs
  • Seasonal/temporary work
  • Internships

Self-employment/freelancing​

  • Freelance writing, design, programming, etc.
  • Consulting
  • Tutoring/teaching
  • Virtual assistance

Entrepreneurship​

Startup Checklist:

  • Starting a small business
  • Developing and selling products
  • Offering services

Online/Digital​

  • Blogging and affiliate marketing
  • YouTube channel monetization
  • Online courses/coaching
  • Selling digital products
  • Print-on-demand merchandise
  • Dropshipping
  • Web design/development
  • Social media management
  • Online surveys/focus groups
  • Microtasks on sites like Amazon Mechanical Turk

Sharing Economy​

  • Ride-sharing (Uber)
  • Home-sharing (Airbnb)
  • Task services (Fiverr)
  • Delivery services

Investing​

  • Stocks and bonds
  • Real estate
  • Peer-to-peer lending
  • Cryptocurrency

Buying and Selling​

  • Selling unused items online
  • Flipping items for profit
  • Craft/handmade good
  • Yard sales

The Gig Economy​

  • Food delivery
  • Pet sitting/dog walking
  • Babysitting
  • House cleaning
  • Landscaping

Rental Income​

  • Renting out Real Estate
  • Renting equipment or vehicles

Passive Income​

  • Dividend stocks
  • Rental properties
  • Royalties from books/music/patents
  • Affiliate marketing

Miscellaneous​

  • Participating in clinical trials
  • Donating plasma
  • Mystery shopping
  • Focus groups
  • Cash back apps and credit cards
Mantra

Everyone needs to feel their efforts to add value are appreciated

Context​