High Agency: The Trait That Separates Doers From Waiters

December 4, 2025 / onetusk / Leave a comment

What Is High Agency?

High Agency is the difference between people who wait and people who make things happen.

It’s not about talent, resources, or luck. It’s about how you respond when someone says: “That can’t be done.”

High Agency people ask: “How can I make this happen?”
Low Agency people say: “I tried, but they said no.”

The Wright brothers exemplified this perfectly. When The New York Times declared humans wouldn’t fly for a million years, two bicycle makers taught themselves aerodynamics, built their own wind tunnel, and were flying four years later.

No degrees. No funding. No permission. Just relentless problem-solving.

The Science Behind Agency

High Agency isn’t just motivational speak—it’s grounded in decades of psychological research.

Self-Efficacy Research: Albert Bandura’s landmark work shows that believing you can affect outcomes is foundational to motivation and performance.[^1] Nine large-scale meta-analyses confirm that self-efficacy beliefs significantly predict workplace motivation and performance.[^2] People with high self-efficacy view challenges as problems to master, not threats to avoid.[^3]

Growth Mindset: Carol Dweck’s research demonstrates that people who believe abilities can be developed (growth mindset) outperform those who view abilities as fixed.[^4] Students taught they could “grow their brains” showed marked academic improvement,[^5] and in workplace studies, growth mindset cultures show higher innovation and employee engagement.[^6]

Related Concepts: High Agency overlaps with what psychologists call “proactivity” (acting in advance rather than reacting), “grit” (perseverance toward long-term goals), and “perceived control” (believing you can achieve desired outcomes).[^7]

The research is clear: Agency is both measurable and developable.

_{Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash}

Why This Matters Now

Traditional skills are table stakes. Agency is the differentiator.

Two people with identical technical skills deliver radically different results. The one with High Agency:

Creates opportunities others don’t see
Navigates obstacles that stop peers
Delivers despite imperfect conditions
Generates 10x impact with the same resources

In a world of rapid change and ambiguous problems, the ability to figure things out without explicit instructions is the most valuable skill you can have.

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Why is Journaling Impactful?

July 8, 2025 / onetusk / Leave a comment

Journaling is impactful because it creates a unique space where multiple powerful psychological processes converge:

It externalises internal chaos. The simple act of moving thoughts from your mind to paper transforms abstract worries into manageable, concrete problems. This shift from internal rumination to external observation gives you psychological distance and clarity you can’t achieve through thinking alone.

It activates neuroplasticity (brain’s ability to change and adapt due to experience). Writing engages both analytical and creative brain regions simultaneously, literally rewiring neural pathways. The physical act of writing (especially by hand) strengthens memory formation and emotional processing in ways that typing or just thinking cannot match.

It breaks the illusion of permanence. When you write down fears, anger, or confusion, you often discover they’re more temporary and changeable than they felt in your head. Seeing “I’m terrible at everything” on paper reveals its absurdity in a way that thinking it doesn’t.

It creates a witness to your life. Journaling makes you both the observer and the observed, developing a kind of compassionate self-awareness. You begin treating yourself with the same curiosity and kindness you’d show a friend telling you their story.

It builds emotional resilience. Regular journaling literally practices the skill of processing difficult emotions. Each time you write through pain, confusion, or challenge, you strengthen your capacity to handle future difficulties.

It reveals your authentic voice. Without audience or judgment, your true thoughts, values, and desires emerge. Many people discover who they really are through journaling, separate from who they think they should be.

It creates forward momentum. Writing clarifies not just what is, but what could be, naturally leading to insights about next steps and positive change.

“The most important thing you learn from writing is about yourself.” — Ray Bradbury

_{Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash}
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What makes a person resilient to Alzheimer’s?

June 9, 2025 / onetusk / Leave a comment

So, returning to a critical question, what makes a person resilient to Alzheimer’s? One factor is referred to as “cognitive reserve,” … The greater the amount of knowledge one has amassed and learned, for example through higher education, the greater the number of synapses in one’s brain. Since the degree of dementia in Alzheimer’s patients correlates most closely with loss of synapses, the more synapses you have, the more you can lose before problems set in. Thus, continuing to learn new things is very important as we age. When planning for your retirement, think just as much about your cognitive reserve as about your financial reserve.

The following recommendations have been shown to have the most useful effects on risk reduction—you’ll recognize them from our general advice for a healing lifestyle, although they are more specific here:

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25 Things About Life I Wish I Had Known 10 Years Ago

March 6, 2024 / onetusk / 1 Comment

We might learn things quickly, but we often forget things at the same rate—and sometimes we need to remind ourselves of the things we’ve learned.

Here are 25 of those reminders that others taught me.

1. Struggle Is Good

Never say “I can’t take it anymore.” Say “Bring it on!”

2. Don’t Complain

Complaining is the biggest waste of time there is. Either do something about it, and if you can’t, shut up about it.

3. Spend Time With People You Love

That’s your family and best friends. If you don’t have a family, create one. Most people in life are only visitors. Family is for life.

4. Don’t Start A Relationship If You’re Not In Love

I’ve done this more than once. You kind of like someone and think: “We might as well give it a shot.” Not a good idea. You’re either in love, or you are not. Don’t fool yourself. It’s not fair to you and the other person.

5. Exercise Daily

I didn’t get this until recently. A healthy body is where you have to start everything in life. If you can’t build a healthy and strong body, what CAN you build in life?

6. Keep A Journal

No, keeping a journal is not for children. It helps you to become a better thinker and writer. “I don’t want to be a writer” you might think. Well, how many emails and texts do you send a day? Everybody is a writer.

7. Be Grateful

Say ‘thank you’ to everyone and everything. “Thank you for this beautiful day.” “Thankyou for your email.” “Thank you for being there for me.”

8. Don’t Care About What People Think

We all die in the end, do you really think it matters what people think of you?

9. Take More Risks

Don’t be such a wimp.

10. Pick An Industry, Not A Job

If you want to become good at something, you need to spend years and years doing that. You can’t do that if you hop from industry to industry. Pick an industry you love and start at the bottom. You will find the perfect role for you eventually.

11. Lead The Way

When you find yourself in a situation where everyone looks at each other, it’s time for you to lead. You‘re a leader when you decide to become one. There’s no initiation or a title. Just a decision.

12. Money Is Not The Most Important Thing

You have to train yourself not to care about money and focus on providing value instead. Also, don’t become too dependent on the stuff you own — otherwise, the stuff will own you.

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The Seven Habits that Lead to Happiness in Old Age

February 23, 2022 / onetusk / 1 Comment

Using data from the Harvard study, two researchers showed in 2001 that we can control seven big investment decisions pretty directly: smoking, drinking, body weight, exercise, emotional resilience, education, and relationships. Here’s what you can do about each of them today to make sure your accounts are as full as possible when you reach your later years: