I like routines, norms, habits, systems, and all things that make my life as consistent and predictable as possible. Building these systems ensures that I have the personal headspace to enjoy the times when I get to branch out and do something new.
Well, one of my morning routines is reading Seth’s Blog. Seth Godin is a marketing guru, super smart thinker, and someone that is just a good person. Check him out when you have a chance, you will find him encouraging and insightful.
In this post I read on the morning of the 7th, Seth is talking about the moment when a person has lost something, they are looking everywhere for it, but then right before giving up, they find it. I know I have been there a few times in the past, be it the remote control I cannot find, my car key stuck in one of many jacket pockets, or I am unable to place that favorite shirt I like to pull out on occasion. Seth mentions the respite that comes from finding the item and how we probably stick things out longer than we think we can. I do love that feeling of relief when I finally find that one thing I was searching for but thought I would never find it.
Have you ever been in that situation?
Do you know the feeling of relief when finding that one thing?
In this post, Seth reminded me about the concept of personal agency. We all have the ability to act in any situation to some degree depending upon our knowledge or means, so in this personal example, I hate to lose things, forget things, etc and so I decided to form routines, habits, systems, and norms in my personal and professional life to help mitigate my own limitations and stop from getting frustrated on repeat.
I made a choice in my life to flex my management and systems knowledge combined with the time I have or the means to build some simple systems in my life.
Simply put, A person having agency depends on 2 things:
- Their knowledge level related to a given problem
- Their means to fix the problem
So, imagine you are me in the example above and you get frustrated from losing things, but you are working 2 jobs, a single dad, and just do not have the time to spend thinking about or learning about personal systems, then you have less agency to fix the same problem. Even so, the best part about considering agency in any situation is that these situations in life are all about levels and scope.
The same single father above is working so hard for his family and he IS flexing his personal agency to make his and his family’s situation better by making money and providing a better life.
Time and space in any given situation may be different, but everyone has a choice regardless of their level of agency to do something to make the situation they find themselves in better. Better for them personally, but also better for those around them if they have the knowledge and means to do so.
Action in an attempt to make a situation better is always better than taking no action at all.
Jason A. Belt 