Problem Solving? - Get a Second Opinion

When you're problem solving, you don't have to do it alone. It's helpful to get a second opinion. Whether it's another doctor, another contractor, or another auto mechanic, a second opinion helps confirm what you're being told. Most importantly, an additional viewpoint helps you obtain:

• Opinions from individuals who are not emotionally attached to the problem.
• Fresh eyes to see what you might be overlooking.
• A different perspective based on different skill, knowledge and experience.
• Opinions and stories from smart people who may have hidden and valuable expertise.

I use my neighbor quite often to review things that I'm considering as an undertaking. He's a smart man with loads of experience in a wide range of areas. I trust his judgment as being sound, so I ask for help from him when I need it. Here is an example.
My objective was to provide water to an old outbuilding. The shortest distance between my water line and the shed crossed over electric lines, phone lines and gas lines. What a mess.
When I asked my neighbor, he thought about it for a minute and suggested cutting into the water line that ran past the shed and out to the barn. It's something I had considered, but dismissed because I had no idea where the water line ran. He explained that water and electricity is usually buried in the same trench, and both could be found by "witching" (also known as dowsing).
He "witched" for the lines and found them both. We used his small backhoe to dig the 9 foot trench to the water lines, and avoided digging a 35 foot trench that would have required hand digging through three other utility runs. The second opinion saved me lots of work and avoided incoming utilities altogether.