Agency is the power to make your own choices and take action to shape what happens in your life. When you have agency, you're actively steering the ship, controlling the direction of events rather than passively watching them unfold.

A student with strong agency doesn't wait for the teacher to tell her exactly what to do on every assignment. She figures out her own approach, asks questions when she's stuck, and takes initiative. When your little brother complains that he's bored, he's looking for someone else to entertain him. But when he grabs some art supplies and starts building something, he's exercising his agency.

A detective agency is a business that helps people solve crimes or mysteries. A staffing agency is a business that helps other companies hire workers. A government agency is an organization within a government with specific responsibilities. For example, in the United States, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is responsible for helping people after natural disasters like tornadoes and earthquakes.

In all of its different meanings, the word agency is fundamentally about taking action.