The High Agency Operator's Playbook

The Unwritten Rules of the Game

There are two ways to move through your career, your life, really. The first is like being a passenger on a train. You have a ticket, you know the destination, and you trust that the conductor, the engine, and the tracks will get you there. You might look out the window, you might read a book, you might complain about a delay, but your role is fundamentally passive. You are subject to the system as it is. Most of the world operates this way, accepting the tracks laid down for them. The second way is to be the driver of an all-terrain vehicle. There is no track. There is only a destination, a distant mountain peak on the horizon, and a dense, unpredictable landscape in between. A river floods its banks? You build a raft. A canyon blocks your path? You find a new route. The map is incomplete, the fuel is finite, and the vehicle will break down. But you have your hands on the wheel. You don't just follow the path—you *make* the path. This second way of being is what has come to be called "high agency." The term itself is relatively new, reportedly coined in 2016 by the mathematician and investor Eric Weinstein, who described it as a "MacGyverish sort of a way" of constantly seeing what's possible. It’s the deep-seated belief that you are the author of your own story, not just a character in it. It's the refusal to let circumstances have the final say. While others see a dead end, the high-agency operator sees a puzzle. While others blame their tools, they invent new ones. This isn't about mere optimism or a positive attitude; it's about a relentless, proactive drive to shape reality. It's the difference between waiting for the world to give you what you want and deciding to go out and get it, no matter what lies in between.