We live in a Do It Yourself (DIY) world.

With the popularity Home Depot, Lowe’s, O’Reilly Auto Parts and AutoZone, I often find myself working harder on weekends than I do all week at my job. There is also an increasing number of Cable TV shows dedicated to making it look easy to take something from trash and turn it into treasure.

The key is it “looks” easy. But we all know that is not always the case.

I wish I could count on just one hand the number of times I have been so frustrated by a DIY project that I ended up calling a professional to finish the job for me, but that’s not going to happen.

For example, just a couple of weeks ago when I decided I could change the ignition coils and spark plugs on my wife’s car. I spent hundreds of dollars on parts and several days studying online videos and how to guides. Then on a bright Saturday morning, I lifted the hood and started tinkering. A couple of hours later, the job was supposedly done; but the car would not start. Not good.

I tried and tried to figure out what I had done wrong and finally gave up and called my mechanic friend. One week and $500 dollars later we were back on the road. This was the second time I have had to call the same mechanic/friend to help me finish a job I started. He is now telling my family to not let me even touch a car again, except to drive it.

I am a fairly intelligent man with plenty of power tools at my disposal and yet I get in just as much trouble trying to do home improvement projects, and have been known to call in a plumber or other pro to fix what I started.

This scenario is not limited to projects we take on at home. Let’s say you are assigned a big project at work, so you dive right in as if you know how to do everything. You’re thinking about how great you will look to the boss when you get it all done by yourself.  Sure, it’s easy to breeze through the tasks that are right up your alley, but even if your name is Jack, its not likely that your last name is “of all trades.” At some point you are bound to encounter problems.

What does all this mean to you?  Next time you’re trying to tackle a big project, don’t be afraid to bring in professionals to help.  Need artwork? Hire an artist. Putting together a presentation for a client and you want to include a video? Put your phone to good use by turning off your camera and call someone who knows how to shoot great footage. The same goes for the voice you choose to narrate the project. Yes, you have a voice and you can read, but is that really where you shine? Find a pro.

In the end, you will save time and energy and you’ll end up with a presentation that has that professional look and sound. You know, the same look you will have in the eyes of your client and boss.