A reader asked me what the difference is between developing taste and learning. Developing taste is a meta-level above learning. It’s figuring out what tools/skills/resources work best for you. Suppose you have three options to solve a problem. First, you would have to learn the basics for each of the three. Then you’d have to pick the one that best works for you. Or you would have to determine which option matches up with what specific situation the best. And then you’d have to work out how to best implement that option.
A lot of people are low agency because high agency feels riskier.
You need to act. You need to do stuff. You need to move. You need to put yourself out there. You need, in short, to take some risks and battle (a certain degree of) uncertainty.
We know that people dislike it.
Normally, I find that action is what helps there. It's a bit of tautology but, yes, action develops agency.
You can't think your way to high agency. You have to practice it.
From the transcript (available at the above link):
Jim O'Shaughnessy:
Yeah, exactly. And let me ask you that question. Do you think there is a way that people can become high agency?
Devon Eriksen:
Oh, yes, yes. Courage can be a function of knowledge. And what that means is that there's really... And this is something I got from an article I read somewhere, I forget where, is there's three kinds of tasks. There's the things that are easy. Nobody needs courage to pour a glass of water. And there's the things that are impossible. Well, there's a lot of things you can't do, you can't create a perpetual motion machine. It doesn't matter how motivated you are, it doesn't work. But then there's this third category of things that are hard, where if you try something, you're not going to succeed at it right away, but you can eventually succeed at it with effort. And people who are low agency are people who don't believe in that hard category. What they lack is not what we would call courage or willpower. Those are just colloquialisms for hope. And the thing is that, if you asked me how someone can build courage or
willpower, I would say, "Well, I don't know. That's supposed to be a character trait. Maybe you're born with it, I don't know."
Devon Eriksen:
But if you say, "How can someone build hope?" The answer is learn knowledge. Learn how you can succeed, practice, see other people who are like you succeeding. I mean, I would like to think I'm a pretty talented writer. It's not for me to say, but I don't think I'm unique in that respect. I have met many people, guys I correspond with online, and one's a welder and one's a bus driver and all this sort of stuff, and they're talented writers, and they haven't blossomed yet. And I think in order to try this and in order to become high-agency in this sort of context, what they need to realize is they need to see that it can work. And what I really hope from people watching what's happening for me is not, "Oh, Devon Eriksen is awesome." What I really hope they take away from that is if you're good enough and you work hard enough, if you build it, they really will come.
Oh what I took from the podcast was that gaining agency is about figuring out how to lower barriers to action. Increasing knowledge, seeing that it's been done before are all ways of doing that.
A system might be a chicken or egg type situation, so how to jump start it.
I didn't know you like Michelle Khare too hahaha
I think Charlie or Michelle recommended her?
But yes, really like her vids
Thanks Chris. Great bits, as usual.
I agree agency is trainable.
A lot of people are low agency because high agency feels riskier.
You need to act. You need to do stuff. You need to move. You need to put yourself out there. You need, in short, to take some risks and battle (a certain degree of) uncertainty.
We know that people dislike it.
Normally, I find that action is what helps there. It's a bit of tautology but, yes, action develops agency.
You can't think your way to high agency. You have to practice it.
I just listened to a podcast talking about building agency, and I'll probably write about it.
https://www.infiniteloopspodcast.com/devon-eriksen-theft-of-fire-ep-206/
From the transcript (available at the above link):
Jim O'Shaughnessy:
Yeah, exactly. And let me ask you that question. Do you think there is a way that people can become high agency?
Devon Eriksen:
Oh, yes, yes. Courage can be a function of knowledge. And what that means is that there's really... And this is something I got from an article I read somewhere, I forget where, is there's three kinds of tasks. There's the things that are easy. Nobody needs courage to pour a glass of water. And there's the things that are impossible. Well, there's a lot of things you can't do, you can't create a perpetual motion machine. It doesn't matter how motivated you are, it doesn't work. But then there's this third category of things that are hard, where if you try something, you're not going to succeed at it right away, but you can eventually succeed at it with effort. And people who are low agency are people who don't believe in that hard category. What they lack is not what we would call courage or willpower. Those are just colloquialisms for hope. And the thing is that, if you asked me how someone can build courage or
willpower, I would say, "Well, I don't know. That's supposed to be a character trait. Maybe you're born with it, I don't know."
Devon Eriksen:
But if you say, "How can someone build hope?" The answer is learn knowledge. Learn how you can succeed, practice, see other people who are like you succeeding. I mean, I would like to think I'm a pretty talented writer. It's not for me to say, but I don't think I'm unique in that respect. I have met many people, guys I correspond with online, and one's a welder and one's a bus driver and all this sort of stuff, and they're talented writers, and they haven't blossomed yet. And I think in order to try this and in order to become high-agency in this sort of context, what they need to realize is they need to see that it can work. And what I really hope from people watching what's happening for me is not, "Oh, Devon Eriksen is awesome." What I really hope they take away from that is if you're good enough and you work hard enough, if you build it, they really will come.
Interesting. However, I think knowledge isn't enough.
People know a lot of things but still revert back to usual behaviors too easily. A system is required.
Action. Small wins. Momentum.
Oh what I took from the podcast was that gaining agency is about figuring out how to lower barriers to action. Increasing knowledge, seeing that it's been done before are all ways of doing that.
A system might be a chicken or egg type situation, so how to jump start it.
Thank you Chris. These low/high agency references are excellent. Going to dive in.