Want to know the secret of life? The key to absolutely freakin’ everything?

I’m not going to tell you.

I’m going to let Andrew Rose, the marketing genius at Baltimore-based CPA firm Naden Lean, tell you instead.

Are you ready? Here it is:

“I’m abundantly curious,” Rose said.

That’s it. Those three words will unlock everything.

Rose was talking about social media at the time; it was part of virtual presentation he gave recently to a group of state CPA society communicators in New York City.

And he’s right. That’s how you conquer social media. Play around with every new social tool on the market. Figure out if it has any value for you and your clients. Ask, “What can it do for me?” Get curious. If you dismiss these social tools — any of them — you’ll spend the rest of your life playing catch-up.

But this goes way beyond social media.

Curiosity is how we serve our clients — by asking them about their problems and figuring out ways to solve them.

Curiosity is how we stay ahead of the pace change — by out-learning it. By asking ourselves, “What do I need to do to stay relevant in an increasingly complex world?”

Curiosity is how we stay a step ahead of the competition. The most important skill we’ll possess going forward is the ability to learn new skills. Are you learning more than your competitors?

Curiosity is how we grow — by asking questions. By challenging assumptions. By questioning authority. “We’ve always done it that way” doesn’t cut it anymore. “WHY have we always done it that way?” is a great place to start.

What are you curious about? When you know the answer to that question, your future will start to take shape.