Once you achieve one goal, you should be looking forward to trying to build onto the next thing, and not just getting comfortable with what you're doing.
I'm not sure that you can say definitively that some roles are better filled by consultants, but I would say that some projects are better handled by consultants.
Don't believe your friends when they ask you to be honest with them. All they really want is to be maintained in the good opinion they have of themselves.

