@ O.M
2025-03-11 07:17:28
## **Introduction: What Is High-Agency Thinking?**
Most people wait.
They wait for the **right opportunity**, the **right moment**, or for **someone else to solve their problems**.
High-agency individuals **don’t wait**—they **act**.
**High-Agency Thinking** is a mindset embraced by **Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Sam Altman**—it’s about **taking control of your life, solving problems proactively, and creating opportunities instead of waiting for them to appear**.
If you adopt this mindset, you will:
✔ **Stop making excuses and start finding solutions**
✔ **Push past obstacles where others give up**
✔ **Take ownership of your success, rather than relying on external factors**
This is the **ultimate advantage** in business, investing, and life.
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## **What Does It Mean to Have High Agency?**
A **high-agency person** believes:
- **"If something isn’t working, I’ll fix it."**
- **"If I don’t know how to do something, I’ll figure it out."**
- **"I don’t need permission—I’ll take action."**
A **low-agency person** says:
- **"I can't do this because of X."**
- **"I need approval before I move forward."**
- **"I’ll wait until things are perfect before taking action."**
The world rewards **high-agency people** because they **solve problems instead of making excuses**.
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## **Examples of High-Agency Thinking in Action**
### **1. Elon Musk and SpaceX: Ignoring Limits, Creating Solutions**
Before SpaceX, **only governments built rockets**. Private companies weren’t even considered capable of doing it.
Instead of waiting for NASA to make space travel more efficient, **Elon Musk took control**:
✅ He **built** SpaceX from scratch, despite zero experience in aerospace.
✅ He **rethought** how rockets should be made, cutting costs by **10x**.
✅ He **ignored doubters**, pushed through failures, and revolutionized the space industry.
📌 **Lesson:** If Musk had waited for approval or the “right conditions,” SpaceX would never exist. **High-agency thinking creates the future—it doesn’t wait for it.**
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### **2. Jeff Bezos and Amazon: Prioritizing Long-Term Vision Over Short-Term Pressures**
Amazon wasn’t always a giant. In its early years, Wall Street **pressured Jeff Bezos to focus on short-term profits**.
But Bezos had **high agency**—he wasn’t going to let short-term thinkers dictate Amazon’s future:
✅ He **ignored** Wall Street’s demands and **focused on long-term growth**.
✅ He **reinvested** profits into **AWS, logistics, and Prime**, creating new business models.
✅ He **pushed forward** even when Amazon stock collapsed in the early 2000s.
📌 **Lesson:** A **low-agency CEO** would have followed the crowd. Bezos **took control**, prioritized long-term success, and built **one of the most valuable companies in history**.
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### **3. Sam Altman and OpenAI: Betting on the Future of AI**
AI wasn’t always the dominant trend it is today. In its early days, most people dismissed it as a **long-shot technology**.
Sam Altman didn’t care. He had **high agency** and saw the future before others did:
✅ He **pushed OpenAI forward** despite skepticism.
✅ He **raised billions** from investors before AI was mainstream.
✅ He **ignored critics** and kept iterating until OpenAI built ChatGPT—one of the fastest-growing products in history.
📌 **Lesson:** High-agency people **don’t wait for trends to be obvious**—they **create the trend** before the world catches up.
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## **How to Develop High-Agency Thinking**
You don’t need to be Musk, Bezos, or Altman to have high agency. **You can apply this mindset to your own life right now.**
### **1. Stop Asking for Permission—Take Initiative**
- If you want to start a business, **start building today**—don’t wait for the “perfect” moment.
- If you want a skill, **start learning it**—don’t wait for a class or degree to validate you.
- If you have a problem, **figure out a solution** instead of waiting for someone else to fix it.
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### **2. Assume Full Ownership Over Your Situation**
Low-agency people blame **external factors** for their situation.
High-agency people ask:
✔ **"What can I do right now to improve this situation?"**
✔ **"How can I take control instead of waiting for conditions to change?"**
📌 **Example:** If you hate your job, **instead of complaining**, start acquiring the skills to move into a new role.
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### **3. See Constraints as Challenges, Not Barriers**
Low-agency people say, **"I can’t because of X."**
High-agency people say, **"How can I solve X and move forward?"**
📌 **Example:** Musk didn’t have experience in rockets. Did that stop him? No—he **taught himself aerospace engineering**.
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### **4. Take Action Before You Feel Ready**
Waiting for the **perfect conditions** is a low-agency trap.
The best time to start is **before you feel ready**—because **you’ll never feel ready.**
📌 **Example:** Most people wait until they feel “prepared” to launch a project. High-agency people **launch first, learn along the way, and adjust as needed**.
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## **Final Thoughts: Be the Person Who Makes Things Happen**
The world is **divided into two types of people**:
🚫 **Low-agency thinkers:** Wait for permission, blame circumstances, and avoid taking risks.
✅ **High-agency thinkers:** Create opportunities, solve problems, and take control of their future.
If you want to **win in business, investing, or life**, stop waiting. **Act now.**
💡 **Action Step:** Identify **one problem** in your life that you’ve been passively accepting. **What action can you take today to start solving it?**
The best opportunities don’t come to you. **You create them.** 🚀
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## **Resources to Learn More**
- 📖 [**High-Agency Thinking** – Farnam Street](https://fs.blog/knowledge-project-podcast-transcripts/shreyas-doshi-175/)
- 📰 [**How to Develop High Agency** – Medium](https://medium.com/@agriffith1319/3-must-know-tips-for-a-high-agency-life-950d54e00ff7)
- 🎥 [**Elon Musk on Taking Initiative** – YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKWoceLJ_88)
🚀 **The world belongs to those who take action. Start today.**