First Officer : Don’t beat yourself up. I certainly felt I was getting ‘dumber’ as I became older, however I believe the experience gained from age offset the ‘dumbness’ to a certain extent. When I self analysed myself I also came to the conclusion I was attempting to understand finer and finer nuances of the operation this effectively being a result of understanding more than I realised due to said experience. The mere fact you are asking these questions is a healthy indicator and I for one have enjoyed and learnt from this thread. Alas I have witnessed a minority of people in the career who do not think things through and when things get difficult are unable to see the wood for the trees.