That was a question I found myself asking today when I was trying hard not to strangle a client my email. (It's not impossible to do if you believe in the power of the Internet.)

Feeling about as friendly as one of J.K. Rowling's Dementors, I hit the reply button and realized that responding without an oh-so-necessary waiting period would have unfortunate results. So I hugged Zaphod instead. ;)

Even with the calming effects of kitten love, I struggled with the annoyance I felt. What on earth is wrong with them? Didn't they realize that they weren't making sense? Was this just their way to make my Friday even more freaky? And who the hell ate all the Golden Oreos?

That's when the question of knowledge hit me square on the forehead: How can I benefit from this problem?

Huh. It was a new angle I hadn't even considered exploring. And by putting myself on the other side of the situation, like looking at it from above rather than from my or their shoes, I spotted an opportunity that had been lurking in the sidelines the whole time.

And I have a feeling that this will work with the problem I'm having with my current work in progress (WIP) as well. Go figure. ;)