agency

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Is success just luck?
2 months ago
- Success is not simply the result of 'good luck'; luck is random and uncontrollable, and chasing it is unproductive.
- Attributing success to luck undermines personal agency and skill, while cushioning failure by blaming bad luck prevents fixing real issues.
- Focusing on the 'lucky' 1% is misleading; instead, look at the 'unlucky' 99% who still achieve success through consistent effort and changed inputs.
- Success comes from acting within life, not letting life happen to you—stop making excuses and change your inputs.
Nationaal Agentschap Baanbrekende Innovatie, in EU of niet? - Bert Hubert's writings
2 months ago
- The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs proposed a National Agency for Disruptive Innovation (NADI), now called National Agency for Breakthrough Innovation (NABI), inspired by Germany's SPRIN-D and US ARPA.
- Traditional innovation funding is unsuitable for disruptive innovation; a new agency with autonomy, a long-term budget, and strong program managers is needed.
- The author questions whether this should be done at EU level, but argues that EU programs like Horizon Europe are too bureaucratic and inflexible for disruptive innovation.
- Germany's national agency SPRIN-D demonstrates that national agencies can work and collaborate internationally, even supporting Dutch initiatives.
- The author recommends starting nationally in the Netherlands with a mandate for international collaboration, and only later considering EU integration after the agency is established and resilient.
- The key is to avoid 'business as usual' bureaucracy; a national agency can be more agile than EU frameworks.
What is agency – and how can you get more of it?
2 months ago
- Agency is defined as the capacity to see and act on degrees of freedom that others overlook, combining observational ability with courage.
- Agency is a learnable skill, not an innate trait, and can be developed through practices like explicit communication and embracing failure.
- Addiction is described as the opposite of agency, stripping away degrees of freedom and leading to compulsive behavior.
- Explicit communication, even about uncomfortable dynamics, can improve relationships and avoid resentment accumulation.
- AI and technology may enhance agency for some but risk reducing it for others by eliminating beneficial friction and promoting addictive patterns.
- Practical tips for increasing agency include using anonymous feedback boxes, acting your way into new thinking, and avoiding over-identification with fixed identities.
Can You Just Do Things?
2 months ago
- Agency is defined as the capacity to notice and act on the degrees of freedom life offers, requiring both awareness and action.
- Agency can be cultivated through three main pathways: psychedelic experiences, desperation (e.g., addiction recovery), and exposure to high-agency people.
- There is a key distinction between agency (personal freedom) and ambition (external achievement); toxic agency often correlates with dark triad traits and transactional worldviews.
- The book 'You Can Just Do Things' aims to provide a deliberate, accessible method for cultivating agency, as an alternative to luck or extreme circumstances.
- Romantic partnerships can enhance agency by enabling mutual support, allowing each partner to take risks and explore freedom.
- The phrase 'you can just do things' has mixed connotations—it can be empowering but also used to justify antisocial behavior, and the Bay Area's high-agency culture is prone to groupthink.

agency

Is success just luck?

Nationaal Agentschap Baanbrekende Innovatie, in EU of niet? - Bert Hubert's writings

What is agency – and how can you get more of it?

Can You Just Do Things?