Зачастую люди не осознают насколько важно следить за своим здоровьем: «Как правильно следить за своим здоровьем?» – Яндекс.Кью

любимую книжку и чашку горячего шоколада или прогулки по сказочно золотому лесу?» – Яндекс.Кью

Все три варианта прекрасны.
Во время прогулок по лесу можно захватить с собой фотоаппарат. А еще лучше сделать из прогулок с фотоаппаратом хобби. Изучение настроек, обработка фотографий — все это может сильно увлечь не на одну осень и сильно скрасить дождливые и унылые дни, которые непременно последуют за золотой осенью.
Кстати, фотографировать можно и осенний дождик. Может получится очень романтично. Или же наоборот — грустно.
Вот, к примеру, пару кадров (все фото не мои):

Я помню, как однажды осенью мы выбрались в путешествие из Москвы в Санкт-Петербург. Решив объехать пробку в Волочке, мы попали в одно потрясающее место — небольшой пруд, деревья, переливающиеся зелеными, желтыми и красными цветами и уютная церквушка… Место было похоже на такое:

Этот кадр я не запечатлела, но он до сих пор живет в моих воспоминаниях. Именно тогда я решила в будущем выделить время для фотографии.
Книги — прекрасный способ скоротать осенние дни. Только тут, на мой взгляд, нужно выбрать какое-то легкое чтиво…
Например, этой осенью я совершила ошибку. Прочитала книгу «Оскар и розовая дама» — книга о последних днях больного ребенка. Самое тяжелое, что я читала до этого — «Мальчик в полосатой пижаме». После прочтения несколько осенних недель я была в очень подавленном настроении…
И что касается горячего шоколада… Тут у кого что болит, но я бы заменила на какао с корицей на нежирном молоке. Ну просто, чтобы по весне не удивляться лишним сантиметрам. Осень длинная, греться придется часто… Хотя пару кружек шоколада за зиму — самое то! Особенно очень горячего, нежно пахнущего, да в морозец, под медленно падающие снежинки…
Еще шоколад осенью вполне заменят бананы. Они тоже прекрасно поднимают настроение. Или безалкогольный глинтвейн — с наступлением холодов его продают многие кафешки.
Так что осенние вечера можно коротать при свечах за чашечкой какао, просматривая свои фотографии. Прекрасный способ расслабиться.

90000 IELTS 6, Speaking test 2 (with response) 90001 90002 IELTS 6, Speaking test 2 (with response) 90003 90004 May 30, 2011 by SuLi Hoang 90005 90004 Part 1: 90007 Which instrument do you like listening to most? [Why?] 90007 Have you ever learned to play a musical instrument? [Which one?] 90007 Do you think children should learn to play a musical instrument at school? [Why / Why not?] 90007 How easy would it be to learn to play a musical instrument without a teacher? [Why?] 90007 Part 2: 90007 Describe something healthy you enjoy doing.90007 You should say: 90007 what you do 90007 where you do it 90007 who you do it with 90007 and explain why you think doing this is healthy. 90007 Part 3: 90007 Keeping fit and healthy. 90007 What do most people do to keep fit in your country? 90007 How important is it for people to do some regular physical exercise? 90007 Health and modern lifestyles. 90007 Why do some people think that modern lifestyles are not healthy? 90007 Why do some people choose to lead unhealthy lives? 90007 Should individuals or governments be responsible for making people’s lifestyle healthy? 90007 What could be done to encourage people to love in a healthy way? 90007 ►►►►► 90007 NOTES: 90007 IELTS words (22000 từ) 90007 Idioms 90007 Những từ về PROBABILITY 90007 Part 1: 90007 Which instrument do you like listening to most? [Why?] 90007 ► The instrument I like listening to most is harmonica.Firstly, the voice of harmonica is as general as that of the guitar. However, the rhythm of harmonica still has its outstanding things. Secondly, A harmonica is very portable which distinguishes it with others big instruments. Lastly, the price of a harmonica is very cheap. Therefore, you will not be worried of paying an arm and a leg when buying a harmonica. 90007 Have you ever learned to play a musical instrument? [Which one?] 90007 ► I am so unlucky that I have not ever learned to play a musical instrument.Although learning a musical instrument is not just a piece of cake for me, if I have a chance and time to learn it, I will try to do it well. 90007 Do you think children should learn to play a musical instrument at school? [Why / Why not?] 90007 ► In my opinion, it is necessary for children to play a musical instrument at school. Firstly, the reason is the most effective time of learning something new is when we are little children. Secondly, music can improve children’s creation and help them relax after hard studying time.90007 How easy would it be to learn to play a musical instrument without a teacher? [Why?] 90007 ► As I see it, children had better learn to play a musical instrument with a teacher. The reason is that with a teacher, children will learn with a better speed and the teacher can correct their mistakes. It is very difficult to realize our mistakes, especially with children. Next, learning with a teacher can help mitigate the lazy habits of the children. 90007 Part 2: 90007 One of the healthy things I enjoy doing is drinking a lot of water and eating many kinds of fruit.In my opinion, the food and beverage we use daily play a vital part in keeping life healthy. Besides, keeping a healthy life by controlling food and drink habits is quite easy to follow. Every morning as I get up, I drink a glass of water to begin a new day. I tried to drink water as much as possible even when I do not feel thirsty. Water is very important in keeping a healthy and fresh body. Besides, habits of eating a lot of fruit are very effective. Fruits contain many vitamins and even water in them which are necessary for a healthy body.We can have ways galore of making many delicious dishes from fruits such as fresh fruits, fruit juice which make your diet more abundant. I suppose habits of drinking water and eating fruit can be done every where we want to do. Besides, we can do it and other activities simultaneously. I choose this habit to keep healthy because of many reasons. Firstly, this habit is very easy to follow. As I see it, there are many different ways in keeping healthy which require you to have strength to follow.If you have given up and you want to resume, you must back to the old drawing board. Secondly, you do not need to spend a lot of money doing it. Therefore, you will not worry about having to pay an arm and a leg to buy machines or drugs to keep healthy. I think keeping a healthy life is very important to outlast. Therefore, let’s do it right now. 90007 Part 3: 90007 What do most people do to keep fit in your country? 90007 ► In my country, there are many ways to keep fit. They usually do exercise in the morning, which is a very effective way to keep fit.Besides, they do many kinds of sport such as Swimming, jogging, playing badminton and so on. Another popular way is having diet with lots of vegetable. Every method has its own effect. 90007 How important is it for people to do some regular physical exercise? 90007 ► As I see it, doing some regular physical exercise is quite important in keeping fit and become healthy. Firstly, it is easy to follow and you do not have to pay lots of money to do it. Secondly, doing exercise helps you mitigate odd fat in your body, which makes your body slimmer and remains healthy.Lastly, doing it makes you more dynamic and flexible. 90007 Why do some people think that modern lifestyles are not healthy? 90007 ► There are many reasons for this problem. The main reason is the pressure of work and studying. Nowadays, we have to spend too much time on working and studying. Therefore, we do not have much time to relax, do outdoor activities and do exercise. For example, you have to work or study until 1 am or 2 am, I wonder how you can get up early in the morning to do exercise.Another reason is our environment is too polluted, which causes many kinds of diseases. 90007 Why do some people choose to lead unhealthy lives? 90007 ► Why some people choose to lead unhealthy lives is a complicated question. In my opinion, it is because of the need of life. If they want to earn money for a living and surviving, they must work even to forget their healthy. Besides, we can not stand out of the circle of changing of the world. We live in a world and we have to accept what it brought to us.90007 Should individuals or governments be responsible for making people’s lifestyle healthy? 90007 ► I suppose both individuals and governments should be responsible for making people’s lifestyle healthy. However, the most important is in individuals. If you can not protect yourself, no one can protect it for you. Besides, the government should have plans to improve quality of life for their civilians by mitigating pressure of living and holding more efficient outdoor activities for them. 90007 What could be done to encourage people to love in a healthy way? 90007 ► In my opinion, the government should probably have programs to educate their civilians how important to keep healthy.Besides, individuals should be initiative to protect themselves. It is likely that in the future, people will care more of their health when their lives are better. 90005 90004 credit: multisource 90007 reup by: lienhoangphuong aka SuLi Hoang 90005 90060 Like this: 90061 90004 Like Loading … 90005 90004 90060 90066 Related 90067 90061 90005.90000 IELTS Speaking Part 3 Sample Questions # Living Healthily 90001 90002 Health is one of the most important aspects of our lives and although we tend to ignore it more often, it still remains the backbone of everything we achieve in our lives. This time we are talking about some recent questions asked in Part 3 of the IELTS Speaking about living healthily. 90003 90004 90005 90006 Do you think people pay enough attention to their health today? 90007 90008 90009 90002 Times have changed, I believe.There was a time when people stopped caring about their health but I believe in recent times, people have again become more aware of their health. Most people prefer doing some sort of physical activity in their lives to make sure they are healthy. When making small decisions like the food they prefer, people are going for, much healthier foods. 90003 90004 90005 90006 What costs are involved when you are ill in your country? 90007 90008 90009 90002 It depends on the kind of hospital we go for.The government hospitals are way too cheaper than the private ones. Also, having medical insurance and things in place, cost does become less. However, for the daily workers, the cost of getting ill is usually high. 90003 90004 90005 90006 Do you think most people worry more about their health as they get older? 90007 90008 90009 90002 Definitely yes. I think as the person starts getting old, they start getting the signs of bad health. It is during that time that people realise the importance of health.So, one can see a lot of old people going out for walks or jogging. 90003 90004 90005 90006 How can people be encouraged to stay healthy? 90007 90008 90009 90002 The best way a person can be encouraged to stay healthy is by talk and promotion using advertisements. So, if there are few who get motivated by it, then there are others who start following. Also, one can motivate others to be healthy by adopting a healthy lifestyle for themselves. 90003 90004 90005 90006 What are the most popular ways of keeping healthy in your country? 90007 90008 90009 90002 The ways by which people stay healthy in my country is usually divided into age groups and sometimes their income as well.So, the younger group is usually found in the gym or playing a sport. With age, the older generation prefers walking or jogging along with nature. With different income groups, the higher ones usually have their personal trainers, while the middle of the lower finds out ways for themselves. 90003 90004 90005 90006 Why do you think some people continue bad habits when they know that they are damaging to their health? 90007 90008 90009 90002 The only reason that people have for continuing their bad habits is that they have become their habit and as they say bad habits die hard.So, even when people know that it is harming them it is quite tough to stop doing things that they have inculcated in their routines for a long period of time. 90003 90004 90005 90006 Do women pay more attention to their health than men? 90007 90008 90009 90002 In my country, women are always more concerned about their men and their family more than they are about themselves. But as an individual, I think yes, a woman make sure that she does not indulge herself into the habits that are not good for her health.90003 90004 90005 90006 Do you think people have become more health conscious in recent years? 90007 90008 90009 90002 In my opinion, yes people have become more health conscious. It could be because of the influence of their favourite stars or the images that are being portrayed. Even more, with advancement in technology people have very less to do physically, so there has a sense of consciousness among people for their health. 90003 90004 90005 90006 How can children learn to have a healthy lifestyle? 90007 90008 90009 90002 The best way a child can be taught to have a healthy lifestyle is by showing them how to have one.If we as a society in large, will try to be healthy, every child will adapt to it. Like, a child learns about cigarette only when he or she sees someone lighting a cigarette and likewise if he or she sees someone leading a healthy life, he or she will lead one for himself or herself. 90003 90004 90005 90006 Do you think the government should promote a healthy lifestyle among the citizens? 90007 90008 90009 90002 I think yes there should be campaigns by the government for a healthy lifestyle but I also believe that government can only do a certain part to it.It always boils down to the individuals if they want to go for it or not. 90003 90004 90005 90006 Would you say modern science and technology has more of a positive or a negative influence on people’s health? 90007 90008 90009 90002 There are many ways in which modern science and technology have helped, like in curing diseases and making operations better and more successful. However, there have been some negative impacts as well, I believe if we keep focusing on the positive impacts, the negative will surely become minimal.90003 90006 IELTSBAND7 90007 90002 IELTS Dehradun Uttarakhand Tel: 8439000086 90003 90002 90003 .90000 Ageing and health 90001 People worldwide are living longer. Today, for the first time in history, most people can expect to live into their sixties and beyond. By 2050, the world’s population aged 60 years and older is expected to total 2 billion, up from 900 million in 2015. Today, 125 million people are aged 80 years or older. By 2050, there will be almost this many (120 million) living in China alone, and 434 million people in this age group worldwide. By 2050, 80% of all older people will live in low- and middle-income countries.90002 90003 The pace of population ageing around the world is also increasing dramatically. France had almost 150 years to adapt to a change from 10% to 20% in the proportion of the population that was older than 60 years .However, places such as Brazil, China and India will have slightly more than 20 years to make the same adaptation. 90002 90005 90003 While this shift in distribution of a country’s population towards older ages — known as population ageing — started in high-income countries (for example in Japan 30% of the population are already over 60 years old), it is now low- and middle- income countries that are experiencing the greatest change.By the middle of the century many countries for e.g. Chile, China, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation will have a similar proportion of older people to Japan. 90002 90005 90003 A longer life brings with it opportunities, not only for older people and their families, but also for societies as a whole. Additional years provide the chance to pursue new activities such as further education, a new career or pursuing a long neglected passion. Older people also contribute in many ways to their families and communities.Yet the extent of these opportunities and contributions depends heavily on one factor: health. 90002 90005 90003 There is, however, little evidence to suggest that older people today are experiencing their later years in better health than their parents. While rates of severe disability have declined in high-income countries over the past 30 years, there has been no significant change in mild to moderate disability over the same period. 90005 90003 If people can experience these extra years of life in good health and if they live in a supportive environment, their ability to do the things they value will be little different from that of a younger person.If these added years are dominated by declines in physical and mental capacity, the implications for older people and for society are more negative. 90005 90016 Ageing explained 90017 90003 At the biological level, ageing results from the impact of the accumulation of a wide variety of molecular and cellular damage over time. This leads to a gradual decrease in physical and mental capacity, a growing risk of disease, and ultimately, death. But these changes are neither linear nor consistent, and they are only loosely associated with a person’s age in years.While some 70 year-olds enjoy extremely good health and functioning, other 70 year-olds are frail and require significant help from others. 90005 90003 Beyond biological changes, ageing is also associated with other life transitions such as retirement, relocation to more appropriate housing, and the death of friends and partners. In developing a public-health response to ageing, it is important not just to consider approaches that ameliorate the losses associated with older age, but also those that may reinforce recovery, adaptation and psychosocial growth.90005 90022 Common health conditions associated with ageing 90023 90003 Common conditions in older age include hearing loss, cataracts and refractive errors, back and neck pain and osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, depression, and dementia. Furthermore, as people age, they are more likely to experience several conditions at the same time. 90005 90003 Older age is also characterized by the emergence of several complex health states that tend to occur only later in life and that do not fall into discrete disease categories.These are commonly called 90027 geriatric syndromes 90028. They are often the consequence of multiple underlying factors and include frailty, urinary incontinence, falls, delirium and pressure ulcers. 90005 90003 Geriatric syndromes appear to be better predictors of death than the presence or number of specific diseases. Yet outside of countries that have developed geriatric medicine as a specialty, they are often overlooked in traditionally structured health services and in epidemiological research.90005 90016 Factors influencing Healthy Ageing 90017 90003 Although some of the variations in older people’s health are genetic, much is due to people’s physical and social environments — including their homes, neighbourhoods, and communities, as well as their personal characteristics — such as their sex, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. 90005 90003 These factors start to influence the ageing process at an early stage. The environments that people live in as children — or even as developing foetuses — combined with their personal characteristics, have long-term effects on how they age.90005 90003 Environments also have an important influence on the development and maintenance of healthy behaviours. Maintaining healthy behaviours throughout life, particularly eating a balanced diet, engaging in regular physical activity, and refraining from tobacco use all contribute to reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases and improving physical and mental capacity. 90005 90003 Behaviours also remain important in older age. Strength training to maintain muscle mass and good nutrition can both help to preserve cognitive function, delay care dependency, and reverse frailty.90005 90003 Supportive environments enable people to do what is important to them, despite losses in capacity. The availability of safe and accessible public buildings and transport, and environments that are easy to walk around are examples of supportive environments. 90005 90016 Challenges in responding to population ageing 90017 90046 Diversity in older age 90047 90003 There is no ‘typical’ older person. Some 80 year-olds have physical and mental capacities similar to many 20 year-olds.Other people experience significant declines in physical and mental capacities at much younger ages. A comprehensive public health response must address this wide range of older people’s experiences and needs. 90005 90016 Health inequities 90017 90003 The diversity seen in older age is not random. A large part arises from people’s physical and social environments and the impact of these environments on their opportunities and health behaviour. The relationship we have with our environments is skewed by personal characteristics such as the family we were born into, our sex and our ethnicity, leading to inequalities in health.A significant proportion of the diversity in older age is due to the cumulative impact of these health inequities across the life course. Public health policy must be crafted to reduce, rather than reinforce, these inequities. 90005 90016 Outdated and ageist stereotypes 90017 90003 Older people are often assumed to be frail or dependent, and a burden to society. Public health, and society as a whole, need to address these and other ageist attitudes, which can lead to discrimination, affect the way policies are developed and the opportunities older people have to experience 90027 Healthy Aging 90028.90005 90016 A rapidly changing world 90017 90003 Globalization, technological developments (e.g. in transport and communication), urbanization, migration and changing gender norms are influencing the lives of older people in direct and indirect ways. For example, although the number of surviving generations in a family has increased, today these generations are more likely than in the past to live separately. A public health response must take stock of these current and projected trends, and frame policies accordingly.90005 90016 WHO’s response 90017 90003 In accordance with a recent World Health Resolution (67/13), a comprehensive 90027 Global Strategy and Action Plan on Ageing and Health 90028 is being developed by WHO in consultation with Member States and other partners. The Strategy and Action Plan draws on the evidence of the 90027 World report on ageing and health 90028 and builds on existing activities to address 5 priority areas for action. 90005 90072 90073 90027 Commitment to Healthy Ageing.90028 Requires awareness of the value of Healthy Ageing and sustained commitment and action to formulate evidence-based policies that strengthen the abilities of older persons. 90076 90073 90027 Aligning health systems with the needs of older populations. 90028 Health systems need to be better organized around older people’s needs and preferences, designed to enhance older peoples intrinsic capacity, and integrated across settings and care providers. Actions in this area are closely aligned with other work across the Organization to strengthen universal health care and people-centred and integrated health services.90076 90073 90027 Developing systems for providing long-term care. 90028 Systems of long-term care are needed in all countries to meet the needs of older people. This requires developing, sometimes from nothing, governance systems, infrastructure and workforce capacity. WHO’s work on long-term care (including palliative care) aligns closely with efforts to enhance universal health coverage, address non-communicable diseases, and develop people-centred and integrated health services. 90076 90073 90027 Creating age-friendly environments.90028 This will require actions to combat ageism, enable autonomy and support Healthy Ageing in all policies and at all levels of government. These activities build on and complement WHO’s work during the past decade to develop age-friendly cities and communities including the development of the Global Network of Age Friendly Cities and Communities and an interactive information sharing platform Age-friendly World. 90076 90073 90027 Improving measurement, monitoring and understanding. 90028 Focused research, new metrics and analytical methods are needed for a wide range of ageing issues.This work builds on the extensive work WHO has done in improving health statistics and information, for example through the WHO Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) 90076 90093 90003 90005.90000 Reaching Your Potential 90001 90002 Executive Summary 90003 90004 Reprint: R0807C 90005 90004 Despite their lofty job titles and impressive pay, many high-achieving executives feel professionally dissatisfied and unfulfilled. Looking back, they wish they’d accomplished more or even chosen a different career altogether. Often they feel trapped in their jobs. 90005 90004 In this article, Kaplan, a Harvard Business School professor, examines why people arrive at this impasse-and offers them guidance on how to break through it and reach their full potential.That goal is not about getting to the top, he says. Rather, it’s about taking a very personal look at how you define success in your heart of hearts, and then finding your own path there. 90005 90004 To discover your way, you need to step back and reassess your career, recognizing that managing it is your responsibility. Many people feel like victims when, in fact, most career wounds are self-inflicted. Taking control begins with understanding yourself: seeking frank feedback about your strengths and weaknesses from colleagues above and below you, and figuring out what you truly enjoy doing.That understanding-not other people’s definition of success-should guide your career choices and goals. Next, it’s critical to identify the three or four tasks central to your business and make sure you excel at them; otherwise, success is likely to elude you. 90005 90004 Once you’ve chosen the right enterprise, you must show character and leadership. Great executives put the interests of their company and colleagues ahead of their own. They’re willing to speak up, even to voice unpopular views.Many managers hit a plateau because they play it too safe. But those that identify their dreams, develop the skills to realize them, and demonstrate courage will find fulfillment-even if they hit bumps along the way. 90005 90002 The Idea in Brief 90003 90004 Despite racking up impressive accomplishments, you feel frustrated with your career-convinced you should be achieving more. You may even wish you had chosen a different career altogether. 90005 90004 These feelings often stem from a common error: buying into others ‘definitions of success.To reach your potential, Kaplan suggests taking a deeply personal look at how 90019 you 90020 define success: 90005 90004 Begin by recognizing that managing your career is 90019 your 90020 responsibility. Then, follow these three steps: 90005 90026 90027 90028 Know yourself 90029 by identifying your strengths and weaknesses and the activities you truly enjoy doing. 90030 90031 90026 90027 90028 Excel 90029 at the activities critical to success in your desired role.90030 90031 90026 90027 90028 Demonstrate character and leadership 90029 by putting the interests of your company and colleagues ahead of your own. 90030 90031 90004 The Idea in Practice 90005 90004 Kaplan offers these guidelines for reaching your potential at work: 90005 90048 Know Yourself 90049 90004 Write down your 2-3 greatest strengths 90019 and 90020 weaknesses. If (like most people) you struggle with identifying key weaknesses, solicit the views of people (peers, direct reports, trusted friends) who will tell you the brutal truth.Ask for very specific feedback ( «How well do I listen?» «What is my leadership style?»). Be receptive to the input you receive. 90005 90004 Then figure out what you truly enjoy doing. What’s your dream job? Resist the lure of a hot field: If you go into it without a strong enthusiasm for the actual work, you may waste a number of years before you admit it’s the wrong job for you. Once you’ve chosen your ideal job, you’ll have to start from scratch. But choosing a field you love gives you strength to weather the inevitable setbacks and long hours needed to reach your full potential in any career.90005 90048 Excel at Critical Activities 90049 90004 Identify the 3-4 activities essential for success in your desired or current role. Then develop a plan for excelling in these activities. Example: 90005 90004 A new division head at a large industrial company was struggling to grow sales and profits. Through interviews with staff and customers, he concluded that success in his business hinged on developing close relationships with top customers ‘purchasing managers, putting the right people in critical leadership positions, and staying at the cutting edge of product innovation.He began delegating activities less central to success so he could focus on raising the bar on the three success factors he had identified. Sales and profits improved. 90005 90048 Demonstrate Character and Leadership 90049 90004 Character and leadership make the difference between good and great performance. To demonstrate 90028 character 90029: 90005 90026 90027 Put the interests of your company and colleagues ahead of your own, doing things for others without regard to what’s in it for you.90030 90031 90026 90027 Adopt an owner’s mindset, asking yourself what you would do if you were the ultimate decision maker. 90030 90031 90026 90027 Be willing to make recommendations that will benefit your organization’s overall performance, possibly to the detriment of your own unit. Trust that you’ll eventually be rewarded. 90030 90031 90004 To exhibit 90028 leadership 90029, speak up-even when you’re expressing an unpopular view. Your superiors desperately want dissenting opinions so they can make better choices.If you play it safe instead of asserting your heartfelt opinions, you may hit a plateau in your career. 90005 90004 Ambitious professionals often spend a substantial amount of time thinking about strategies that will help them achieve greater levels of success. They strive for a more impressive job title, higher compensation, and responsibility for more sizable revenues, profits, and numbers of employees. Their definitions of success are often heavily influenced by family, friends, and colleagues.90005 90004 Yet many ultimately find that, despite their efforts and accomplishments, they lack a true sense of professional satisfaction and fulfillment. During my career with Goldman Sachs, as well as over the past few years of teaching and coaching managers and MBA students at Harvard Business School, I have met a surprisingly large number of impressive executives who expressed deep frustration with their careers. They looked back and felt that they should have achieved more or even wished that they had chosen a different career altogether.90005 90004 Consider a very successful research analyst at a large securities firm who came to see me because he was discouraged with his career progress. This was particularly ironic because he was well known, highly regarded (ranked number one in his industry sector), and well compensated. He told me that, after 10 years, he was tired of his job, disliked his boss, and felt he had no potential for further upward mobility. Most of all, he had always wanted to be an investment manager, but he had started out as an analyst and never really reassessed his career path.He felt trapped. He feared losing his stature and did not want to let anyone down, but at the same time he did not want to keep doing what he was doing. 90005 90004 As we talked, he wondered if he’d been so busy trying to reach specific milestones and impress other people that he’d lost sight of what he really enjoyed doing. The truth was that he loved analyzing stocks and assessing management teams, but he also wanted to have the responsibility for making the actual investment decisions and then be held accountable for the results.I encouraged him to take action and speak to a number of investment firms (including his current employer) about a career change. After doing this, he ultimately was offered and accepted a portfolio manager position in the asset management division of his current firm. He learned that his firm’s leaders wanted to retain him regardless of job description and that they were quite surprised to find out he wanted to be on the investment side of the business. He has since become a superb investment manager, and although he wishes he’d stepped back and reexamined his career years earlier, he’s thrilled that he made the switch while there was «still time.»90005 90004 If you are experiencing similar feelings of frustration or even regret about the direction of your career, this article is intended to help you examine the question, «Am I reaching my potential?» This is not the same as asking, «How do I rise to the top?» or «How can I be successful in my career?» Rather, it’s about taking a very personal look at how 90019 you 90020 define success in your heart of hearts and then finding 90019 your 90020 path to get there. 90005 90004 «Am I reaching my potential?» is not the same as asking, «How do I rise to the top?» 90005 90004 To do that, you must step back and reassess your career-starting with the recognition that managing it is your responsibility.Too many people feel like victims in their careers, when in fact they have a substantial degree of control. Seizing control requires you to take a fresh look at your behavior in three main areas: knowing yourself, excelling at critical tasks, and demonstrating character and leadership. 90005 90048 Knowing Yourself 90049 90004 Taking responsibility for your career starts with an accurate assessment of your current skills and performance. Can you write down your two or three greatest strengths and your two or three most significant weaknesses? While most people can detail their strengths, they often struggle to identify key weaknesses.This exercise involves meaningful reflection and, almost always, requires soliciting the views of people who will tell you the brutal truth. Unfortunately, you often can not count on your boss to accurately assess your strengths or to be willing to confront you with what you’re doing wrong. It’s up to you to take control of this process by seeking coaching, asking for very specific feedback, and being receptive to input from a wide variety of people at various levels within your organization. This gathering of feedback needs to be an ongoing process because, as your career progresses, you will face new challenges and demands.90005 90004 Recently I met with a division head of a large professional services firm. Though he’d been a rising star for several years, he felt he’d begun to stagnate. His direct reports and his CEO no longer seemed engaged and enthusiastic in their dealings with him, and he did not know why. In our discussions, he was able to specifically describe his strengths, but when I asked about his weaknesses, he gave me fairly generic responses, such as «Maybe I’m too impatient» and «I need to raise my profile.»When I pressed him about feedback from his boss he still struggled to identify even one specific weakness. I sent him off on an assignment: Interview at least five colleagues and subordinates. 90005 90004 He returned a few weeks later with several «surprises.» He’d heard, for example, that while he was detail-oriented and decisive, he micromanaged, had a dictatorial style, and failed to listen. Armed with these insights, he sought coaching, started working on his flaws, and began regularly soliciting feedback from his colleagues and subordinates.A year later he reported that his effectiveness had improved as a result of these ongoing efforts, and he was once again feeling confident and optimistic about his career. 90005 90004 This type of initiative takes time, humility, and a willingness to confront weaknesses, fears, and blind spots that many of us would rather ignore. But I never cease to be impressed by the capacity of people to change and improve once they recognize their shortcomings as well as their strengths. 90005 90004 Of course, getting others to tell you where you’re falling short is not easy-particularly if they’re your subordinates.It must be done in one-on-one conversations, and you need to give potential coaches time to learn that you’re sincere. When your employees see you actually act on their feedback, they are likely to become more proactive in offering advice, because they know you value their input. Your subordinates and colleagues will also feel they have a stake in your success and that of your unit-which will make them more likely to enjoy working with you. 90005 90004 Once you have a grip on your strengths and weaknesses, your next challenge is to figure out what you truly enjoy doing.What’s your dream job? How well does it match what you currently do? Many people either do not know what their passions are or are so focused on the views of their peers that they drift into the wrong career. I was recently approached by an MBA student who wanted advice on whether to go work for a hedge fund, a private equity firm, or an investment bank. When asked whether he had an interest in financial markets, he quickly said no. He was not even sure about the key tasks that each of those jobs would entail.When asked what he would do if he had $ 10 million in the bank, however, his answer was very clear: pursue a career in the music industry. He was a concert-level musician and loved the music business. Once he recognized how much he had been swayed by his fellow students ‘bias toward the lucrative financial services industry, he realized he needed to rethink his choices. 90005 90004 The conventional wisdom about the attractiveness of various careers changes constantly. Twenty-five years ago the medical and legal professions were considered financially rewarding and socially desirable.Today, a number of doctors and lawyers are frustrated in their jobs and realize that they might have based their career choices excessively on the views of their peers and popular opinion, instead of on whether they would actually love the work. Hedge funds and private equity are today’s hot fields, but people who go into them without a strong enthusiasm for the actual tasks may find themselves starting from scratch a few years down the line. Loving what you do gives you the strength to weather personal setbacks, overcome adversity, face and address your weaknesses, and work the long hours typically needed to reach your full potential.90005 90048 Excelling at Critical Tasks 90049 90004 It’s very difficult to succeed if you do not excel at the tasks that are central to your chosen enterprise. That sounds painfully simple, but many executives fail to identify the three or four most important activities that lead to success in their job or business. If you’re a medical researcher, the three keys are likely to be conducting cutting-edge research, getting published, and fund-raising. If you manage a large sales force, the crucial tasks might be attracting, retaining, and developing outstanding salespeople; customer segmentation; and client relationship management.If you’re assessing a potential job move, you need to know what will drive success in the new position and, then, ask yourself whether you enjoy those key tasks. In your current job, identifying critical tasks helps you determine how to spend your time and develop your skills. 90005 90004 Promising leaders sometimes lose sight of this connection. Not long ago, a new division head at a large industrial company told me that he was struggling to grow sales and profits. He complained that he was spending too much time fighting fires and did not have enough hours in the day.When I asked him to identify the three main drivers of success in his business, he realized that he was not sure. He spent the next several weeks interviewing staff and customers, and concluded that success in his business depended on developing close relationships with the purchasing managers at each of his top 25 customers, putting the right people in critical sales and manufacturing leadership positions, and staying at the cutting edge of product innovation. He also realized that his division was performing poorly in all three areas.90005 90004 He proceeded to clear his calendar, force himself to delegate tasks that were less central to success, and focus on raising the bar in each of these areas. Six months later he reported that he had replaced a number of executives-including the sales manager and head of product development-and created an executive committee that met weekly to discuss critical business issues. He also reported that he’d become much more disciplined in matching his priorities (and those of his leadership team) with the keys to success for the business.Sales and profits began to improve, and he felt confident that he would resume his upward career trajectory. 90005 90048 Demonstrating Character and Leadership 90049 90004 While seemingly amorphous, character and leadership often make the difference between good performance and great performance. One measure of character is the degree to which you put the interests of your company and colleagues ahead of your own. Excellent leaders are willing to do things for others without regard to what’s in it for them.They coach and mentor. They have the mindset of an owner and figure out what they would do if they were the ultimate decision maker. They’re willing to make a recommendation that would benefit the organization’s overall performance, possibly to the detriment of their own unit. They have the courage to trust that they will eventually be rewarded, even if their actions may not be in their own short-term interest. 90005 90004 Being a leader also means being willing to speak up, even when you’re expressing an unpopular view.CEOs ‘proposals often generate head nodding, even from people who secretly harbor serious reservations. In reality, most chief executives desperately want dissenting opinions so they can make better choices. While emerging leaders must use good judgment regarding the tone and timing of their dissent, they also need to be aware that they can hit a plateau by playing it safe when they should be asserting their heartfelt opinions. 90005 90004 One CEO recounted to me his regrets over a recent key hire.His top three reports had each interviewed the various job candidates and expressed no major concerns about the final choice. After the new hire was on board-and had begun to struggle-it came to light that two of the three senior managers had privately held significant reservations but concluded that the CEO’s mind was made up and that speaking out was unwise. The CEO was furious. Though he recognized his own role in the mess (he vowed to more actively encourage dissent), he also lowered his opinion of the two executives who failed to express their views.90005 90004 Otherwise confident executives sometimes overestimate the career risk of speaking up and meaningfully underestimate the risk of staying silent. I encourage people to develop various approaches to help them overcome this hesitancy: For example, I’ve counseled emerging executives to save their money to build financial security and to avoid getting too emotionally attached to their jobs. Though it may seem that you’ll never find another great job, you have to have faith that there are many attractive opportunities outside your firm.90005 90004 In some cases, I advise people to become experts in some specific business area in order to build their confidence. I also encourage people to spend more time deciding what they truly believe versus trying to guess what the boss might want to hear. At work, as in competitive sports, you must play with confidence and even a little abandon. I’ve talked to several executives whose finest moments came when they gathered their courage and confidently expressed disagreement with their boss and peers.To their surprise, they found that they were treated with more respect after these episodes. 90005 90004 I have seen many people stall their careers by playing it safe. 90005 90004 Most outstanding CEOs value emerging executives who assert themselves out of genuine concern for what is best for the company. Doing the right thing is a reward in itself-psychologically in the short run and professionally in the longer run. Of course, this approach requires that you have some reasonable level of faith that justice will prevail.I have seldom seen people hurt their careers by speaking up and appropriately articulating a well-thought-out contrary position (even when it was unpopular). However, I have seen many bitter and confused people who stalled their careers by playing it safe. • • • 90005 90004 Every rewarding career will bring ups and downs, bad days, bad weeks, and bad months. Everyone will face setbacks and discouraging situations. Some people abandon their plans when they hit one of these bumps. They lose their way and ultimately undermine their own performance-and the wound is all the more painful because it is self-inflicted.The advice in this article is intended to help you avoid such self-inflicted wounds. There’s nothing anyone can do to prevent you from reaching your potential; the challenge is for you to identify your dream, develop the skills to get there, and exhibit character and leadership. Then, you need to have the courage to periodically reassess, make adjustments, and pursue a course that reflects who you truly are. 90005 A version of this article appeared in the July-August 2008 issue of 90019 Harvard Business Review 90020..