What does it take to win?
I have heard this term being thrown around recently for people who are naturally introverted (which is likely this audience) as something that you should know or try to understand. Really it comes down to how much you are able to rotate within the simulation. Rotate shapes, ideas, the game engine you're in right now.
Imagine you're speeding down a highway and get into an accident. The outcomes are predictable: injuries, police intervention, insurance claims, and potentially going to jail. However, every scenario can be simulated through your mind, and you have the power to step through those simulations within your means.
"The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do." -- Steve Jobs
Besides what is legally possible you can envision a different reality, one that is only constrained by the immutable laws of physics; you just need to be audacious enough to do so and ambitious enough to pursue it; breaking free of the constructs pre-installed by our gods (simulators).
In many other instances you can find yourself bound by social and internal constructs activating primal needs for safety and comfort. You seek predictability in income, living arrangements, and daily routines. While those constructs can provide stability, they hinder your ability to decide on a moment's notice to climb on top of Sutro Tower (for the thrill).
Something people who drift through the system of school and employment often experience (and don't question hard enough) is whether they are adhering to those constructs because of peer influence or because it is simply out of habit, allowing them to focus their agency on other meaningful pursuits.
"Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action has arrived, stop thinking and go in." -- Napoleon.
It’s likely good to allocate your agency strategically—minimize it in areas of necessity and amplify it in domains where you want to make a significant impact.
The key is realizing the power you have to render anything in the world. There's no authority figure dictating what they expect from you. When I entered the "real world," I realized the absurdity of addressing middle-aged, college-educated adults as "Mr." or "Mrs.," and the unnecessary anxiety surrounding the use of "Ms." or "Mrs." No one inherently deserves your deference unless they have proven themselves worthy or earned your genuine respect.
the RLHF that colleges perform on smart students seems particularly bad not just because the goals are artificial and gameable, but also because it encourages a default operational loop of 'wait for an authority figure to tell you what to do next.' -- @nearcyan