# Define Your Direction Before the System Does by Bryant McGill > “Without a plan, a plan will be provided. A person who never defines their own direction ends up spending their time and talent serving someone else's design. Agency begins by naming one's purpose before the surrounding system assigns a convenient role.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Learning the System So You Can Walk an Unconventional Path - Livestream (Dec 2015)* ## Sources and Context - **Source:** [[livestreams/Learning the System So You Can Walk an Unconventional Path - Livestream|Learning the System So You Can Walk an Unconventional Path - Livestream]] — exact quotation from the dated developed livestream document (2015-12-16). ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/Human Proxy-Based Reinforcement (DeepRL) in Human Environments|Human Proxy-Based Reinforcement in Human Environments]] - **Livestream:** [[livestreams/Learning the System So You Can Walk an Unconventional Path - Livestream|Learning the System So You Can Walk an Unconventional Path - Livestream]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Personal Agency|Personal Agency]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “Without a plan, a plan will be provided. A person who never defines their own direction ends up spending their time and talent serving someone else's design. Agency begins by naming one's purpose before the surrounding system assigns a convenient role.” — Bryant McGill, Learning the System So You Can Walk an Unconventional Path - Livestream (Dec 2015) https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-bryant-mcgill-define-direction-before-system ```