If you ever feel like you've had crossroads in your career or in life, it's pretty common
really. So I really wanted to talk about how we navigate that, particularly as we get to retirement
age. So I wanted to start by having a look at Arthur Brooks' book from Strength to Strength,
and also a video. Because I've just been watching Joe Koons' YouTube review of the book,
which I really enjoyed. Joe's got a really unique perspective on the book, because he actually
lived it. He went from a pretty high-performing engineering type background to a YouTuber,
quite a stack really. So he doesn't just talk about it, he actually has made a shift himself,
which gives him some proper insight into this. And he ties the whole thing back to the book
that talks about fluid intelligence versus crystallized intelligence. Sounds a bit strange,
but actually when you break it down, it does make a lot of sense. So let's start by having a look
at what is fluid intelligence. So to start with, we'll take the peak at different times in our
lives. And fluid intelligence is that quick, sharp, adaptive thinking that we do when we're a bit
younger. It's the kind that helps you solve problems on the fly and innovate. It's what a lot
of us use to climb the ladder from a learned perspective. Joe talked a lot about his engineering
career. That's exactly what drove him. A lot of people expect that from high-performing people
in high-performing careers. Many of us like that idea of the young entrepreneur pulling all-nighters
and corner with inhibiting ideas for their new business. Well, you know, this kind of energy
and this kind of thinking naturally tends to decline between the age of 35 and 50. So our brains
at this point start to really, I wouldn't say slow down, they shift gears into a different way of
thinking. So you fluid intelligence by starting to decrease crystallized intelligence, not to
rewrap up this plot. So what crystallized intelligence will think wisdom and experience?
It's less about achieving things on your own and more about joining the dots with other people.
Using your experience to guide others could be mentoring or teaching or just sharing your
insights with other people. Crystallized intelligence peaks much later in life, like well into our
70s actually. So rather than seeing aging as a decline, we can see it as a whole new ability,
new way to tap into this new strength that comes to us between the age of 35 and 70 and peaks in
our 70s. So in this video, Joe talks about jumping curbs, which I think is really important.
So if you tried to hold onto your fluid intelligence past its prime, it really came back fire on you.
It can leave you feeling stuck in past glory and deflated. It's like trying to squeeze on that old
suit that doesn't fit anymore. Now think of that footballer who dropped the few divisions. I was no
lover getting the same glory was when he was in the premiership. Eventually something has to give,
it can be really difficult to let go, particularly because society often kind of prizes and values
you based on them skills. So a really interesting example of that, and it's Charles Darwin. Yeah,
come back at it. So Charles Darwin during his younger days was really productive, very high
profile prolific writer, really re struggled as he got into his 50s to have the same kind of impact.
Now Joe decided to retire at 54. This was like the peak of his engineering career. People thought he
was mad at the time. But he realized he wasn't getting that same kind of buzz as the work anymore.
We was you get it to start creating something different, something more aligned to crystallized
intelligence. Joe is a great example of how embracing crystallized intelligence can open up a whole
new chapter for you in life. But that's got to come with self awareness, knowing in ourselves
when we need to jump between the curves. And that's a difficult thing to do. And the book,
it references something quite interesting, a reverse book at least. So instead of putting
together a list of all the things that we want to achieve in life, we take a critical look at that
list, and start to take things off, things that don't really align with our new way of thinking
on new crystallized intelligence lifestyle. Does the item on the list bring me last enjoy?
Does it align with my own ethos? I like to think about decluttering your goals, really.
If there's anything on the list that's about ego or self validation, it's gone. Things on that list
need to resonate with meaning, with purpose. So what's off about moving from accomplishments to
relationships and community and family and definitely starting them creative activities
we became too busy for when we were just chasing the accomplishments. I mean, I need to think about
these things myself. I've got a huge bucket list of places in the world where I don't see
any visit. And I do need to think, are some of these accomplishments, or are they really about
finding deeper meaning and making better connections in life? That's the power I think of a reverse
bucket list. It does make you assess what a board is in your head. What fulfills us definitely changes
as we get older. It changes over time. Redefining success on your own terms can be pretty scary.
It's a big change. It's not about slowing down or giving up. It's about evolving and growing and
finding deeper meaning in your activities. So I'll have to think about where you are on the
intelligence curve. So you, at that point where you need to make the jump, have you made the jump
already? Have you got any insights you can share in the comments so other people can learn from them?
Or maybe are you stuck on the fluid intelligence wave chasing
those accomplishments that no longer hang at ring with the same value they used to when you're
younger? Joe in his video described some of the difficulties he had when he went through this
process and the expectations on others. It's as if we're meant to continue to climb that ladder to
stay on that hamster wheel. Eventually, you're going to jump the curve, whether you're ready or not.
So it's best to be ready for it, plan for it and decide if it's the right time for you.
If we jump too late, we can end up becoming disillusioned with a lot of doing and the test
you've burned out trying to keep up. Ageing deforms a transformation not a decline. So what can we do?
What's the practical steps other than written the book of course? Well, Joe talked about mentorship
and he said that during his career, that was the most fulfilling thing that he did.
Ruin for you? Have you had the opportunity to cement people during your career? Did you enjoy it?
Was there something you enjoyed doing? I did. I always enjoyed sharing my knowledge and experience
with the younger generation. We've all got something to offer, but important that we also
focus on relationships. The real important things are the real things that make life worth living,
are the people in our lives, they are for everyone. It goes back to your reverse bucket list again,
are the things on there, you know, climbing a mountain or visiting a waterfall when actually
you could replace them with spending more time with elder children or grandchildren,
things that really help you build connections and will have much more lasting memories.
Well, another factor to think about is legacy. There's a sweet spot between meeting your ambitions
going forward, but also looking for deeper meaning and deeper directions. It's about
realizing that our greatest achievements are probably still ahead of us. The second half of our lives
can be either more meaningful and ambitious, exciting and the first half. And this won't be
a lonely journey in this second half because it's about working with others. It's about taking other
people with you. It sort of has the most exciting destinations that those we discover when we're
focused on something else, something bigger than ourselves. In this video, Joe asked if we could
write our own eulogies. What would people say about us? What would you want them to say about you?
I think there's a great exercise to write your own eulogy and see for yourself what's really
important for you at this stage in your life. And also, by the time we do pass on, what would we
like to achieve? What does the second half of our life look like in terms of catching up with what
we've gone so far? What would like that eulogy to say? Do you want to remember for the accomplishments
you made or would you prefer to be remembered for what you passed on for the connections you made?
So I'll leave you with two tasks. First, rewrite your book at least secondly,
check in on your eulogy, write yourself a eulogy, let me know if it helps. Thanks for listening
and I'll see you on the next one. Don't forget to buy the book and also to check in Joe's YouTube
channel. It's a cracker. Cheers.