Research on cognitive maintenance consistently shows that engagement matters. But not just any engagement. What seems to protect cognitive performance over time is encountering unfamiliar territory: so, problems you haven't solved before, contexts you don't control, conversations that challenge rather than confirm. During a long career, particularly in professional services, unfamiliarity is built in. New clients bring new problems, market shifts force adaptation, regulatory changes require learning. You might work in the same field for decades, but the field itself keeps moving. And so, although your expertise deepens, the work stays challenging.

I read Enuma Okora's column in the FT this week (behind the FT Paywall). One paragraph stopped me:

"I have a friend who, whenever I ask how he's doing, takes a moment before answering. Often he'll then express two seemingly conflicting feelings. 'A part of me is feeling grounded and engaged but another part of me is also feeling anxious because I'm concerned about [xyz].' I've grown to admire his willingness to sit with multiple realities, and even to begin practising it myself."

That willingness to hold contradictions, to say "both things are true" without rushing to resolve them, is rare. We aren’t always comfortable with it. We would much prefer coherence.

Some ten years ago I wrote a short post about the tension between Urgent and Important. I was then Chair of Trustees at Bridge Support, and I framed my role as encouraging the Executive Team to stay focused on the Important - the strategic work that could all too easily be displaced by firefighting.

My perspective has shifted.