" With agency, you are active rather than passive, taking initiative and directing your life rather than being swept along. Agency is central to grit, since without it a person can’t mobilize other internal resources for coping. If you’ve been knocked down by life, agency is the first thing you draw on to get up off the floor. Unlearning Helplessness Agency is the opposite of helplessness. Research by Martin Seligman and others has shown that we are very susceptible to acquiring learned helplessness through experiences of powerlessness, immobilization, and defeat. "

― Rick Hanson , Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness