How To Build A High Agency Mindset

What it takes to become more resilient, independent, and in charge of your own life… 

What Is Agency?

‘Agency’ refers to your capacity to act independently; to make (sometimes bold) choices in order to change your reality; and to be the source of your own actions, rather than being passively influenced by external factors. 

It's about having the power and control over your life and decisions, feeling in charge, and being able to shape your own experience. 

– Sort of like being the main character in a movie, rather than an extra. 

There are different levels of agency. 

A person with low agency will often passively accept the cards they’ve been dealt in life, without really trying to improve their situation too much. They’ll frequently feel like a victim of circumstances and tend to view themselves as a supporting character in other people’s stories. Life is something that happens to them, and they lack control or responsibility for it. 

On the other hand, a person with high agency will come to terms with the hand they've been dealt, and then swiftly change focus to what they can control: their actions. High agency people view themselves as the hero and author of their own story. They’re active, enthusiastic, and optimistic, and will take steps to make changes for the better (or will at least attempt to make changes for the better) in situations where things aren’t ideal. 

I’ll give you a real-world example of high agency from a recent experience: 

Table With A View

On my birthday, my family and I went for lunch to a nice restaurant in London, which is located on the top floor of a high-rise building. 

The restaurant has 360 degree views of the city, but it was quite packed when we arrived and all the best tables were occupied. And so, we were seated at a table in the centre of the restaurant (i.e. not by the windows). 

A few minutes after we had been seated, a window table became free. My partner immediately asked the waitress if we could move to that table instead, to get a better view. And, luckily, the waitress said ‘of course, no problem’. It turned out that the table wasn’t reserved again until a few hours later. 

(We hadn’t ordered anything yet, so moving us to the new table only took 30 seconds of the waitress’ time – a minimal inconvenience to her). 

Asking to change tables was a high agency move. 

My partner could have just passively accepted the table that we got. She could have told herself that the other table was probably reserved anyway. Or, she could have not bothered to ask about it because we had already been seated and made ourselves comfortable. 

Or even, she could have failed to notice that it had become available in the first place. And, we would have missed out on the very reason for why she chose to make a reservation for us at this particular restaurant for my birthday – the great views. 

But instead, she decided to go straight after what she wanted, and asked for it. The worst thing that could have happened would just have been getting a ‘sorry, that table is reserved’, and nothing would have changed. 

We effectively had everything to gain, and nothing to lose, by her just asking for the better table. 

Actively looking for, identifying, and acting on opportunities like this doesn’t only apply to getting a better table at a restaurant. Exercising high agency can have a significant impact on every aspect of life. 

In simple terms, with high agency, you will get what you truly want, more often – leading to a more pleasant journey through life. 

But you might not feel like a high agency person. In fact, most people don’t have a particularly high agency. On the other hand, most people typically don’t have an especially low agency, either. The majority find themselves somewhere in the middle. 

This can change over time, and in different situations. And, if you feel like you’re not quite where you would like to be on the agency spectrum, don’t worry. 

The good news is that you can increase your agency – it’s just like improving a skill. And with a high agency mindset you’ll have the capacity for creating the life that you want. 

How To Become A High Agency Person

Okay, so a person with a high agency is basically someone who gets sh!t done. 

The key here is the doing part. Agency is all about taking action. 

And high agency is basically about actively going after what you want without waiting for the circumstances or conditions to be perfect. In fact, it’s often about overcoming adverse conditions. 

If you want to increase your agency, it’s probably not the best idea to jump straight into the biggest challenges right away. (Immediately failing a task can knock your confidence and kill your motivation). 

Instead, build up your confidence by starting out doing smaller tasks. Or, divide a larger challenge into smaller, more manageable tasks, and attack one of them at a time. 

Start Small

You could begin by taking simple actions that change something small in your life. 

Something just slightly out of the ordinary routine: 

• If you usually don’t make your bed in the morning, start to make it after you wake up. – A small gift (and reminder of your agency) for your future self when you go to bed later on. 
• Reduce your daily consumption of Netflix, TikTok, Instagram, etc. by half an hour, or even an hour, and instead spend that time building or creating something. Start switching your mindset from passive consumption to active creation. 
• If you want to get in shape, literally take the first few steps and get off the sofa and go outside for a walk. You don’t have to hit the gym four times a week right away. 
• If you dream of writing a book, try setting aside dedicated time during the week purely for writing. Carve out some focused time with no distractions, even if it’s only 30 minutes, just to write. And even if you ‘only’ write for example 100 words each session, over time that adds up to a whole book. (That’s how most books are written: small bits added together, consistently, over a long time). 
• If your backyard is a mess, make an effort to clear it – starting from one end and working your way across. There is no expectation that you should finish everything in one session. Rather, you do it little by little – in manageable chunks. 

Keep compounding small actions, and you’ll regularly be proving to yourself that you can affect meaningful change to your surroundings and to your situation. That your actions alter your reality, however little to begin with. And that you are, and become, what you consistently do (and not just what you say). 

The point is to get momentum going. Actions lead to more actions, which lead to more actions, and so on. And having a high agency is about taking action more often. 

Again, many small actions compound. 

Build Undeniable Proof 

By consistently putting in the effort and doing the work – on whichever task it might be – you start to leave behind undeniable proof, creating an image that confirms who you are. 

A true reflection of yourself. 

Let me quickly use my own situation to illustrate. 

I can genuinely say that I am a writer now. I wasn’t a writer a few years back, but then I started consistently writing guides for this website. And to date I have published 112 guides. 

I’ve written hundreds – thousands – of pages. All digitally trailing behind me, proving that I am a writer. (Perhaps not in the traditional sense; with a book deal and a publisher, but definitely in the modern sense). 

I’m also (mainly) a 2D supervisor creating visual effects. And I have around 60 feature films and TV shows under my belt across the past 12+ years to prove it. 

That’s undeniable proof. You (or I) can’t look at those credentials and say that I’m not either of those things which I claim to be. 

Build your own undeniable proof of who you are. Do you want to be a person of high agency? Do high agency things – take actions that are consistent with a high agency. Again and again. 

Keep stacking up more proof, leaving what will become an impressive trail of evidence behind you. And soon, you’ll become what it is that you’re doing. 

If you run twice a week for a year, you’re a runner. There’s no arguing against that. You’ve put hundreds of kilometres behind you, and probably have a smart watch or phone with the step count to prove it. 

If you joined a few races, you might even have medals to prove that you finished them. More importantly, after a whole year, you’ll have improved your physique, technique, and the confidence in your running ability. 

That’s a bunch of real, tangible – and undeniable – achievements, which prove that you’re a runner. 

And now as a runner, with a runner’s mindset, you keep running. You’ll choose to run more, and spot more opportunities surrounding running and all that comes with it. 

You’ll pick better running shoes, find new paths to run, and maybe join a club. You’re not being dragged outside by a friend to run, you are choosing the direction of your own adventure. 

So, more action leads to a higher agency. And a higher agency leads to more action. 

Taking action with high agency is also about speaking up. 

Push Back Against Inconvenience

Most of us will accept a small inconvenience even when it’s not necessary. 

– And then become disappointed later on, when we meet the consequences of our decision. 

Sometimes, it’s the polite thing to do, and fixing the issue would cause the other person more inconvenience than the amount it would reduce on our end. But often, that’s not the case. 

Next time, stop and ask for the missing napkins in your lunch order. Suggest to push the meeting that’s been scheduled during your lunch hour. Or, propose whichever reasonable change it may be that would be more convenient to you. 

Usually, it’s not a problem at all for the person on the other end to accommodate you. 

If people don’t know what you like or want, they might schedule things, pick locations to meet, or choose activities to do that are inconvenient to you (even just by random chance). 

So, politely push back against inconvenience, share your preferences, and simply: 

Ask For What You Want

The worst you can get in return is a no. 

That’s not a big deal. You just adapt and move on. 

Usually, you will have everything to gain and practically nothing to lose by asking for what you want. 

Ask for an upgrade. Ask for help. Ask for a promotion, or a payrise. But be prepared to give a valid reason if needed. 

Or, you could ask for something to be done sooner. 

Has the lighter not published the lighting renders yet? Ask them if they’re able to. Don’t sit around and wait for things to happen. 

Make them happen. 

Asking for what you want is one of the best ways to cultivate high agency. 

But you have to be truthful to yourself and ask for what you actually want. 

Be Honest About It

Reflect on, and be honest about what you really want. 

Do you want something because you want it? 

Or, do you want it because society tells you that you should want it? – And that it’s expected of you to follow a certain path? 

When I was younger, I wanted to be an engineer. I didn’t really have a clue what an engineer was, but everyone made it sound like a great profession to get into. 

After school, I started studying engineering, and hated it. It was nothing at all like I had imagined. So, instead of lying to myself and forcing myself into a profession I would have been miserable in, I decided to take a different path. (I have nothing against engineers, hats off to you, it just wasn’t for me). 

Now I make movies for a living, and actually enjoy the work. It’s a perfect blend of technical and creative challenges on a daily basis. 

That turning point was a pretty significant change of direction in my life, but the benefits of course correcting your path are also apparent in everyday situations: 

Change Your Path When It Turns Out To Be Wrong

Sometimes, we make poor choices. 

But most of the time, a choice is not final. At least not right away. 

Like the Norwegian Mountain Code says, ‘Don’t be ashamed to turn around’. Especially, when continuing to move forward in the current direction is not in your best interest. 

Let’s take a basic, everyday example: 

Did you turn down a shopping bag for your groceries at the convenience store, and then realised that you could actually use one after all? 

Your answer is not locked in, so change it. Don’t awkwardly carry a bunch of items and risk dropping some, just simply get a bag. 

Stop your auto-pilot answering for a moment, take over the ‘wheel’, and change lanes before you take the wrong exit. 

This gets more and more important the greater the consequences are. If something doesn’t feel right, you have the option to back out of the deal and change the path you take. Use your agency to make a better choice before it’s too late. 

This might mean less people pleasing. However, you should avoid becoming difficult to deal with. People tend to choose to work and be friends with people they like. 

So, be respectful, and: 

Practise Assertive Communication

There are four main styles of communication: 

• Passive: You’re too conscientious and deferential to the wants and needs of others. You avoid conflict, and inhibit the expression of your own wants and needs. You’re afraid of others thinking less of you. For example, agreeing to do something that you don’t want to do, or staying silent when you should be speaking up. 
• Aggressive: You’re too inconsiderate and disrespectful toward others and their wants and needs. You overcompensate for deep insecurities by trying to control or manipulate others. For example, by bullying, threatening, or teasing others. 
• Passive-Aggressive: You’re communicating aggressively but in a disguised manner to avoid responsibility. It’s combining the worst of the two prior styles: not being authentic to yourself while trying to control others. For example, being sarcastic, gossiping, giving back-handed compliments, making excuses, or gaslighting others. 
• Assertive: You communicate in a way that is completely honest to your own wants and needs, while being respectful of others at the same time. You’re clear, direct, and kind, and you set healthy boundaries. For example, giving honest (but difficult) feedback, saying no to something you don’t want to do, or respectfully being open about your preferences despite knowing the other person wants something else. 

As opposed to with the other three styles, when you practise assertive communication, you’re not being avoidant, and so you’re not eroding your agency. In fact, you’re bolstering it. 

When you commit to communicating more assertively and express yourself wholeheartedly, you can’t help but feel like the hero in your own story, 

It’s like a superpower. – But with great power comes great responsibility: 

The Obligations Of A High Agency Person

Having a high agency is extremely beneficial, but it comes with some moral responsibilities. 

A part of that is helping out others – because you’ll often be the only one who can, or who is willing to. Like the friend who’s called upon to help bust someone out of a Guatemalan jail. 

– Obviously, it won’t be as extreme as that in everyday life, but you get my point. Use your high agency not only for your own benefit, but also for others’. 

Light the way for the next person. 

To illustrate, let’s take a trip to the Middle East: 

Become A Beacon

In the northern part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia lies the vast Al Nafud desert, known for its scarce water resources. 

Both experienced and inexperienced travellers alike have lost their way in the huge arid stretches of the desert, and even for those with strong survival skills, it can be a dangerous place. 

Search and rescue parties have embarked on countless rescue missions in Saudi Arabia’s grand deserts for years. The lucky ones out of the lost or stranded travellers were rescued within 24 hours. Others didn’t survive their failed attempts to locate the few existing water tanks, reservoirs, and wells amidst oceans of sand. 

– In fact, many people have lost their lives near water sources, because they didn’t know that those water sources were nearby in the first place. 

In an effort to save more lives, in 2021 environmental activist and explorer Mohammad Fohaid Al-Sohaiman Al-Rammali launched a new initiative: 

With the help of specialized contractors supervised by the Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Water, 11 solar powered laser beacons were installed near water sources in the Al Nafud desert. (Later expanded to 100 beacons across the desert). 

Each of these beacons shine a column of light into the sky, visible at night from several miles away, pointing travellers to a source of water: 

One of the solar powered laser beacon installations in the Al Nafud desert. 

So, why am I telling you about all this? 

Because, as a high agency person, you may have to ‘guide people to the water’, so to speak. 

And in order to help others find their way, you must act as a beacon. There are several things you can do: 

• Lead by example. Demonstrate the values that you want others to embrace. For example, by pulling your weight on the projects you work on. 
• Share your own journey. Share the challenges you’ve overcome, your insights, and stories. We can all learn a lot from each other, both from our successes and from our failures. 
• Share your knowledge, and guide others. For example, post tips or tutorials on social media or on your own website, or mentor someone in person. People may also come to you more often asking for solutions – be there for them and do your best to help them out. 
• Be a positive force. Spread joy and happiness, and be a source of hope and encouragement. The world doesn’t need another complainer, especially during tough times. Stay optimistic. 
• Seek out opportunities to make a difference. Contribute to your community in your own way. Whether physically or online, you can affect a positive change – locally and globally. 

When you do these things, you’ll frequently see something interesting: people can often sense high agency in a person. 

They’ll notice that a high agency person in a team gets more work done, acts independently and so doesn’t need constant handholding, flags issues early, and generally is a more productive, helpful team member. 

And when you’ve proven yourself capable, you may be offered opportunities to take on more responsibility. – Which you should (often) take. 

Take On More Responsibility

Who would you want in a leadership position; a person with low agency or a person with high agency? 

I think the answer is pretty clear. And so if you’re a person of high agency, it makes sense to take on that duty. It may even make sense to offer to take on the extra responsibility. 

– Remember, ask for what you want. And that also means asking for additional resources should you need them for tackling the new responsibilities. 

Having more responsibility means taking on an extra burden, but it’s also an honour. Someone entrusted you with something important. And that speaks to your character. 

When you do take on more responsibility – let’s for example say that you’re overseeing a (part of a) project – one thing is very important: 

Take Ownership

Inevitably, things will go wrong at some point. 

When that happens, take ownership instead of blaming others for the failure. 

You might not be directly responsible for the mishap, but you were indirectly responsible. If you were supervising a sequence and an artist missed a continuity error, acknowledge the issue with the client in the review and own up to it. 

Like I wrote in this article: Improving Your Leadership Skills Using Biomimicry, protect your team. A good leader is a person who takes a little bit more than their share of the blame and a little bit less than their share of the credit.

And then, kick into action mode. 

Brief the relevant people and, if needed, show them how to solve the problem. Address the issue as soon as possible. 

No moaning or complaining, just take action. 

So, What Can You Do Now? 

The VFX industry is not in a great place at the moment (June 2025). 

Multiple (and consecutive) strikes, war, recession, tariffs, a global pandemic, a shift from cinema to streaming, AI advancements, and great economic uncertainty have all contributed to scaring off investors, making them hesitant to fund new projects. 

And we’re all feeling the impacts of that. 

There is less work to go around, more cutbacks, and an uncertain future ahead – all of which are symptoms of this giant, global clusterf*ck. Many VFX companies are going through redundancies, and/or are resorting to putting staff on reduced working hours in order to stay afloat. 

These are definitely adverse conditions for VFX workers. A series of sizable bumps in the road. And a high agency is what will get you over those bumps. 

Avoid sitting around and waiting for potential redundancies to happen to you. 

Instead, act now, ahead of time. 

Practising high agency and being proactive are inevitably going to be very helpful on your journey through these tough times: so start preparing yourself and looking for opportunities: 

• Update your showreel. 
• Update your CV. 
• Reach out to friends and recruiters in other companies, and ask if they are looking to hire.  
• Look at different companies, roles, locations, or even industries. What are your options? 
• Do you have a plan B? If not, look into making one. 
• Do you have savings to tide you over in case you have to go some time without work? If not, start putting aside as much as you are able to, and build a buffer. 

Take action, and act with a high agency mindset. 

I hope you found this article useful. For more productivity tips & tricks, see Productivity.