What would you do if you had a tricky problem at work Or if while studying you came across a sentence in your notes you couldn’t quite understand Or if you are simply lost in a new city When you are stuck in life, there are many ways to move forward. You could spend time and effort brainstorming to find the answers yourself. You could go to the library to peruse books. Or, you could consult Google or other Web-based resources. But there is one thing many of us avoid—asking for advice. However, recent research has shown fears about appearing incompetent by asking advice are totally misplaced. Far from inconveniencing or annoying the advice-giver, asking for advice may make others think you are smarter.