Book Reviews: The Power of Agency
Takeaways from Life: Why We Age, Extreme Ownership, and Dune Messiah
POSITIVE AFFIRMATION
“My daughter woke up spunky today. She knew what she wanted to do and what she didn’t. She’d laugh and she’s scowl.
Today I will embrace the passion.”
- Johnny T. Nguyen
I finished three more books, and here are my takeaways on whether it’s worth your time and an interesting throughline that’s a reminder of something important.
Lifespan: Why We Age—and Why We Don't Have To by David Sinclair
Being uncomfortable is good for your healthspan. A lifestyle of comfort doesn’t build strong, resilient cells. TAKEAWAY - That’s why cold therapy and calorie restriction (i.e. eating less than you desire) is effective. Incorporate cold showers, cold baths, intermittent fasting, etc.
Aging should be treated like any other disease, and viewed as treatable, not inevitable. TAKEAWAY - If you feel less than optimal, find a solution. And if your doctor isn’t helping, then find a new doctor.
Our biology and genes constrain how much we can change, but we have more agency than we think. TAKEAWAY - Do not ever say, “oh, it’s just because I’m getting old.” That’s giving up.
Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
Cover and move. My favorite lesson from the book, cover and move is when you have two teams, and one team provides cover for the other team while they move forward. And then they switch roles, with the other team providing cover for the first team so they can make progress forward. TAKEAWAY - Who can you provide cover for, so they can make forward progress?
The enemy gets a vote. My second fav lesson from the book, the enemy gets a vote means even if you have the best laid out plans, there are other people or conditions that you don’t control that affect your plans. You much consider then, like it or not. TAKEAWAY - When making decisions, include input from others. For example, my daughter doesn’t care if I want to sleep in. ;)
Individual agency matters a lot, even in complex organizations and hierarchies. TAKEAWAY - When you feel like there’s nothing you can do (i.e. no good options), gut-check yourself. Chances are is something you can do (i.e. bad options, small steps?).
Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert
Unchoose. This word popped up as I was listening to the book and I found it freeing. What if we simply unchoose to be certain aspects of ourselves, like a behavior that we don’t like about ourselves. TAKEAWAY - Try unchoosing traits that you don’t want to be identified with and, instead, intentionally choose the traits you want.
Create purpose by maintaining personal agency. In Dune Messiah, our protagonist, Paul Atreides, aka Tim Chamalet, has the power of prescience, which is the ability to see the past, present, and future. Because of this ability, it feels like a very constrained situation, as if trapped by what has already happened and what you know will happen. TAKEAWAY - Even in very constraining situations, we can choose to own our actions, and thereby create a purpose.
Informed Agency
What connects these diverse works is what I call Informed Agency—the ability to recognize system boundaries while still exercising meaningful choice within them.
We tell ourselves a myth - that we can’t control the situation as much as we’d like. Wrong.
Sinclair shows we can influence our biology but not escape its fundamental laws. The Navy SEALs don't pretend they control battlefield conditions, yet they take ownership of outcomes. Paul Atreides discovers that even with prescient powers, he's constrained by systems.
To exercise Informed Agency, try this:
Map your situation and find leverage points. Think through your situation methodically, maybe write down or draw your situation. Then look for any weak points, gaps, or someone or something that you can influence the most. For example, you have a great relationship with the office secretary, and can ask for help on when’s the best time to get a few words in with the boss.
Collaboration is better than going it alone. Look back at that map of your situation, is there someone you know who also feels the same way you do? Can you team-up or make an arrangement between yourselves without involving the boss?
Take action. Try something, like incorporating 30 seconds of cold water in your shower, helping out a coworker, or unchoosing a behavior. Try anything, something.
FINAL TAKEAWAY
Practicing informed agency creates positive feelings. Remember, the goal isn't to break free from all systems—that's neither possible nor desirable. The goal is informed agency: recognizing system realities while finding spaces to exercise meaningful choice. The systems that shape our lives aren't going away. But you can learn to navigate them more effectively, finding power and purpose within their boundaries.
