Chapter 21: This Idea Changed My Life

If I could only teach my younger self a single idea — this would be it.

Not a hack.

Not a tactic.

Not a productivity tip.

It’s bigger than that.

It’s a way of being.

It’s called High Agency —

And once you see it, you’ll never look at life the same way again.

The Jail Cell Test

Picture this:

You wake up in a jail cell.

Somewhere in a third-world country.

No wallet. No passport. No clue how you got there.

You get one phone call.

Who do you call?

Seriously — think of the person.

Now ask yourself:

It’s probably not just because they’re smart or successful.

It’s because they have that energy. It’s hard to pinpoint what it is, but it’s special.

The confidence. The calmness. The resourcefulness.

That’s high agency.

What High Agency Looks Like

It’s not about being fearless.

Or knowing the outcome before you start.

It’s about three things:

1. Clear thinking – Understand reality and all potential options.

2. Bias for action – No overthinking. Action and experimentation are the default.

3. Disagreeability – Challenge the rules. Especially the unspoken ones.

High-agency people don’t wait to be saved.

They save themselves.

They don’t think “I hope a boat comes to save me”

They think “How the f*ck do I build a raft to get off this island”

Then they make moves.

They test.

They build.

They persist.

And somehow — the world starts to bend in their direction.

Do You Have It?

Bad news first:

Low agency is the default.

You were handed a brain built for survival,

then trained by a system that rewarded obedience.

So if you feel stuck — you’re not broken.

You’re just untrained.

Now the good news:

You have agency over your agency.

It’s a muscle.

And you can build it.

Every time you act without certainty,

Every time you challenge a limiting belief,

Every time you choose to move instead of wait —

You strengthen it.

A Quick Example From My Own Life

Yesterday, mid-draft of this exact letter, I paused.

I asked myself:

I shut the laptop, knocked out three overdue things I’d been avoiding, and came back mentally on fire.

That’s the shift.

How many “problems” can you solve when you start living like this?

When you move from overthinking to extreme action?

From low agency to high agency?

Try This Today

Let’s keep it simple.

Think of the 1–2 most important things in your life right now.

The ones that actually matter.

The ones you keep putting off.

Now ask:

Write it down.

Then? Go do it.

No overthinking. No hesitation. Just action.

• Send the message

• Make the ask

• Launch the thing

• Book the flight

• Take the step

High agency isn’t about having it all figured out.

It’s about trusting yourself to figure it out along the way.

Wrapping Up

The version of you who moves?

Who builds?

Who solves?

They already exist.

You don’t need more permission.

You just need to start showing up like them.

Because the biggest lie is that you need to wait for the right moment.

The truth?

So go.

Be the force.

Start where you are.

And let the world respond to your momentum.

Rooting for ya,

—Dodds

h/t to the two people whose breakdowns on high agency inspired this weeks’ letter George Mack & Tim Denning. Give them both a read. Some of my favorite thinkers.