Frustration is when an obstacle blocks your ability to achieve a goal. You know it is still possible to achieve it, but you just have no idea how.

Often the obstacle blocking a clear path to the successful completion of a goal is our own knowledge. The trouble is, we just don't know what we don't know.

One weekend, I set myself a project of downloading and installing some fairly complicated weblog publishing software. Getting started was easy, but soon it became apparent to me that my lack of knowledge in that area was causing me problems. I had neither knowledge or experience with running cgi-scripts. Twelve hours later I was still no closer to completing this arduous task - all I had accomplished was discovering a few ways that didn't work. Finally, with assistance froim my friends, I got it up and running. Total time? 22 hours. Not bad for something that I thought would take me an hour or so.

So the question is, if we don't know what we don't know, how can we plan for it?

The truth is, we can't.

But we can do some other things. We can either:

• learn how to fix the problem ourselves (which will probably result in much wasted time)
• ask for help (from people with more experience and/or more knowledge)
• delegate it to someone else who has more experience and/or knowledge

That all sounds obvious. Yet I know people, who after ten years of working on a project, are still struggling with exactly the same obstacles because they are too stubborn to ask for help. It has chewed away at their self-esteem and stopped them from achieving success in other areas.

I could have paid to get the software working for around $40. So working for 22 hours gave me less than $2 an hour output.

The moral of the story? If you are about to do something new, decide beforehand how much time you are willing to put into it if an obstacle arises. If you value your time, and it is not an essential skill to learn, swallow your pride and ask someone else to do it.

You can waste a lot of time trying to master something you are not very good at. Learn to delegate properly, to the right person with the right skills.

(C) Copyright Petra Rankin 2005

Petra Rankin used powerful techniques to beat her own long-term depression. She is now dedicated to teaching others how to be happier and lead more successful lives. Her first book Fast Track Your Success and Happiness is due to be launched in September 2005 and is currently available for download as a free e-book instead of paying $19.95. Limited time only!