Ben Wilson

For this episode, I used the very thorough biography, Insisting on the Impossible, The Life of Edwin Land by Victor McElhenney, which I highly recommend. Great book. A little hard to find, but if you can get it, a really, really inspiring biography. So let's get into it. This is The Life of Edwin Land. But first, a word from our sponsor, Gaines in Bulk.

For this episode, I used the very thorough biography, Insisting on the Impossible, The Life of Edwin Land by Victor McElhenney, which I highly recommend. Great book. A little hard to find, but if you can get it, a really, really inspiring biography. So let's get into it. This is The Life of Edwin Land. But first, a word from our sponsor, Gaines in Bulk.

Gaines has really great products across the board. There is only one supplement I take every day, and that is their Instantized Creatine. It is the only creatine that you can find that is fully water-soluble. So what does that mean for you? Because it is fully water-soluble, your body can digest it more easily, and you get more benefit with less bloating and water retention.

Gaines has really great products across the board. There is only one supplement I take every day, and that is their Instantized Creatine. It is the only creatine that you can find that is fully water-soluble. So what does that mean for you? Because it is fully water-soluble, your body can digest it more easily, and you get more benefit with less bloating and water retention.

Creatine is one of the most studied and proven supplements in the world, and it's not just for bodybuilders. Yes, it does lead to increased muscle strength and power, but also it leads to enhanced recovery and endurance and can even help improve mental clarity and performance. I can't recommend it highly enough. And Gaines has other great products as well.

Creatine is one of the most studied and proven supplements in the world, and it's not just for bodybuilders. Yes, it does lead to increased muscle strength and power, but also it leads to enhanced recovery and endurance and can even help improve mental clarity and performance. I can't recommend it highly enough. And Gaines has other great products as well.

They have great pre-workout, great protein powder. So check them out at gainsinbulk.com slash Ben and use code Ben, that's my name, Ben, for 25% off. Edwin Land was born in 1909 to a upper middle class Jewish family in Connecticut. He was a precocious and high agency young child. So when he's only five years old, he takes apart his family's phonograph.

They have great pre-workout, great protein powder. So check them out at gainsinbulk.com slash Ben and use code Ben, that's my name, Ben, for 25% off. Edwin Land was born in 1909 to a upper middle class Jewish family in Connecticut. He was a precocious and high agency young child. So when he's only five years old, he takes apart his family's phonograph.

That's the Thomas Edison invention that plays recorded sound. And he just wanted to see how it works. And before he can put it back together, his father gets home and his father is furious. He yells at young Edwin and gives him a spanking. Now, most people would learn their lesson that, you know, you can't take things apart and experiment on them without permission.

That's the Thomas Edison invention that plays recorded sound. And he just wanted to see how it works. And before he can put it back together, his father gets home and his father is furious. He yells at young Edwin and gives him a spanking. Now, most people would learn their lesson that, you know, you can't take things apart and experiment on them without permission.

But Edwin Land actually learns the opposite lesson. He gets angry at his father and he says of this incident, remember, he's only five years old. This is what he says. From then on, I was totally stubborn about being blocked. Nothing or nobody could stop me from carrying through the execution of an experiment. Okay, this is ultra high agency behavior.

But Edwin Land actually learns the opposite lesson. He gets angry at his father and he says of this incident, remember, he's only five years old. This is what he says. From then on, I was totally stubborn about being blocked. Nothing or nobody could stop me from carrying through the execution of an experiment. Okay, this is ultra high agency behavior.

And if you haven't heard that term, high agency is the capacity to exert control over your life and take ownership over outcomes in your life. So in other words, it is the ability to break through barriers and act independently when others tell you no or resist your vision. You know, someone who's low agency just kind of accepts the world as it is.

And if you haven't heard that term, high agency is the capacity to exert control over your life and take ownership over outcomes in your life. So in other words, it is the ability to break through barriers and act independently when others tell you no or resist your vision. You know, someone who's low agency just kind of accepts the world as it is.

So Edwin Land is ultra high agency, even as a five-year-old. By the way, if you want to learn more about how to be high agency, George Mack just wrote a very good essay on the concept. You can find it at highagency.com. And I really highly recommend that essay. I learned a ton from it. It also reminds me of a scene from one of my favorite movies from when I was a kid, Sergeant Bilko.

So Edwin Land is ultra high agency, even as a five-year-old. By the way, if you want to learn more about how to be high agency, George Mack just wrote a very good essay on the concept. You can find it at highagency.com. And I really highly recommend that essay. I learned a ton from it. It also reminds me of a scene from one of my favorite movies from when I was a kid, Sergeant Bilko.

and sergeant bilko is about this sergeant bilko uh and he's an ultra corrupt army sergeant in charge of the motor pool at a military base but he's actually running a gambling ring out of the motor pool and they get a very straight edge new private in the motor pool so bilko asks him to do something very corrupt and this is what happens next you want me to turn the odometer back so

and sergeant bilko is about this sergeant bilko uh and he's an ultra corrupt army sergeant in charge of the motor pool at a military base but he's actually running a gambling ring out of the motor pool and they get a very straight edge new private in the motor pool so bilko asks him to do something very corrupt and this is what happens next you want me to turn the odometer back so

Okay, this is basically what always happens to great leaders when someone tells them something is impossible. A full freak out, can't, he said can't. And that is how Edwin Land reacts against his father when he's only five, okay? So he's five years old, he's already high agency.

Okay, this is basically what always happens to great leaders when someone tells them something is impossible. A full freak out, can't, he said can't. And that is how Edwin Land reacts against his father when he's only five, okay? So he's five years old, he's already high agency.