About

Jumping to the Second Curve

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Arthur C. Brooks in his book, From Strength to Strength, cites psychologist Raymond Cattell's view of the "two types of intelligence, one prominent in early life and the other in the second half of life.

 

“Fluid intelligence,” more evident in your 30s and 40s, spurs innovation and discovery; most notable achievements happen in this period. (The first bell curve.)

 

“Crystallized intelligence,” essential to the second half of life, increases with age and is “the ability to use stock knowledge learned in the past.” (The second bell curve.)

 

Brooks writes, “When you are young, you have new smarts; when you are old, you have wisdom. When you are young, you can generate lots of facts; when you are old, you know what they mean and how to use them.”

 

To simplify: If you’re going to be successful in the second half of life, shift your focus onto application instead of innovation. (Jump to the second curve.)

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Twenty24 Initiatives is determined to make the most of these later years.

 

Our name came from my notepad when at age 69, with 70 looming, I put the year 2024 at the top of the page with the word "Initiatives" just below it. I then began listing the various ways I could see leveraging my experience and networks to help equip and resource younger ministry leaders toward even greater influence.

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But, to be honest, I was hoping for a bit more meaning in a potential name so I went searching 20:24 in the New Testament. The gospels weren't much help, but then I got to:

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Acts 20:24

"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace."

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And that sentiment precisely captures the motivation for all these endeavors.