I think you're looking at binary choices: give up, or forge ahead. Whereas I tend to see it as a question of picking among infinitely many desirable options. In

I think you're looking at binary choices: give up, or forge ahead. Whereas I tend to see it as a question of picking among infinitely many desirable options. In that case, optimizing based on what you're best at is essential. That actually answers the Zen question, too: don't become independent by learning how to solve every problem, but by getting into a situation in which the problems you're faced with are the ones you're best at solving.