【推荐1】Talents may be artistic, technical, personal or social. Your talent needn’t be rewarding or useful, but it will always be your own.    1    That might take some work, but will benefit you a lot.

One of the best ways to find out what hidden talents you might have is to talk to people who know you best. We tend to overlook our abilities.    2    If you’re lucky enough to have family and friends who care about you, they won’t be shy about pointing out your talents.

    3    Blind Willie Johnson was blinded, but it was just because of his blindness that he was thought to be a more talented guitar player. So don’t let shortcomings or challenges discourage you from trying new things and developing talent.

Don’t be easily affected by others’ opinions.    4    Some people think James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix was the best guitar player of all time, but a classical musician may consider him to be of no talent. Don’t let others tell you being an excellent rider isn’t a real talent, or that making good cheese doesn’t count.

Practice is also important. Even if you have no talent for the guitar, practicing two hours a day will guarantee you’ll get a lot better. Someone who practices will always end up more talented than someone who never does.    5    

【推荐2】That you start out on one career doesn’t mean you’re stuck on it forever. People decide to change careers for many reasons. For example, your career goals have changed,     1     or you want a more flexible schedule. The bottom line: it’s never too late to make a change. So if you’re thinking about moving in a new direction, here are a few tips:

Think about why you want to leave. It’s important to pinpoint what makes your current job not satisfying. Maybe your problem is with your boss. Maybe your personal values have shifted to something dramatically different.

Assess your abilities. What skills do you have that would be valuable in other types of roles? If you’re stumped, try reading over the job description for your current position to see what types of skills you   use every day.     2     Plenty of companies value employees with those kinds of abilities. Chances are that you bring much more to the table than you realize.

Research potential new careers. And don’t limit yourself to online searches. The best way to find out what a job is really like is to talk to someone who has it. Reach out to your network of contacts and try to set up informational interviews with people who do the kind of work you’re interested in.     3    

Revise your resume(简历). If you’ve worked for many years in one industry but are trying to make the leap to another,     4     . You will probably want to write a functional resume which emphasizes your skills rather than a traditional chronological resume, which focuses on your work history. Include details about any projects you’ve done that demonstrate your qualifications.

    5     Hiring managers get suspicious when they see gaps on a resume so it’s good to stay put until you line up a new position.

【推荐3】We knew we were heading into a bleak (阴冷的) winter for our finances, but it is worse than expected. The cost of living is skyrocketing, households faced their toughest Christmas in a decade. And it’s not going to get better for a while.     1    

Mystery shopping.     2     Sign up to a few agencies-you may have to do a test but after it you can apply to testing out the service at pubs and restaurants. Pay is around 10 per job but you do get free food, shopping and maybe a hotel stay.

Make gifts. If you’re creative and enjoy baking, this can be a great way to supplement your income.     3     Christmas cakes, sweets, and hampers filled with either homemade goods or attractive items from a discount shop sell very well in the run-up to Christmas.

Get away with it. Get a free holiday by swapping your home with somebody else for a few weeks. No money is exchanged for the accommodation.     4     Go to a house-swapping site and read other people’s descriptions of their house and facilities and exchange destination. homeexchange.com and lovehomesuap.co.uk are good sites to use.

    5     You can share the petrol costs or, if you provide a lift to two people, you could find yourself having the whole cost covered by their contribution. It’s also worth trying Lift Share. com to help cover the price of your journeys. According to Liftshare, doing this with your daily commute can save you more than £1,000 a year.