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The striver's curse
Professional young athletes expect their talents to taper off in their early adulthood, and many prepare for a second career in advance. Musicians are similar and often find that their abilities decline over time.
Studies found that knowledge-based professions, such as lawyers, financial professionals, doctors, also decline between their late thirties and early 50s. Startups favour the young, between 21 and 34. This is called the fluid intelligence curve.
However, the better people perform, the steeper the decline. The more attached they are to their success, the harder its loss hits them.
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MORE IDEAS ON THIS
A roadmap to the second curve
You know it's time to look for the second curve when you don't enjoy your work as much as before:
- You feel your competence declining.
- Others close to you notice you're not as sharp as you used to be.
- Other people receive the social and professional atte...
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Finding a new calling
The decline is not all past 40. Certain abilities grow during middle age that favour wisdom, teaching, and sharing ideas. Language skills tend to increase.
Moving on to a second intelligence curve means people should take on a teaching or mentoring mindset in the field they're in. For those...
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Defeating the striver's curse with two intelligences
People possess two types of intelligence.
- Fluid intelligence is the ability to reason, think flexibly, and solve problems. You learn quickly, focus on what matters and create solutions but can't maintain this as you age.
- Crystallised intelligence
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Understanding the second curve
Ageing isn't all bad news. In some specific ways, you'll get smarter and more skilful. The trick to improve is understanding, developing, and practising your new strength.
- As people age, their vocabulary and grammar increase. They are better Scrabble players and can do...
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CURATED FROM
IDEAS CURATED BY
Letting go of past glory can pave the way for life's "second curve."
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Other curated ideas on this topic:
Mid-career crises do not discriminate
The age-related curve in job satisfaction has been found in more than 50 countries. It affects senior-level executives as well as blue-collar workers, stay-at-home parents, childless couples and single people.
Generally, life satisfaction is high when people are young, it starts to decline...
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