Have you ever had one of those moments when someone says something so profound, so righteously perfect, that it makes you take stock of everything you believe?

I have. It came during the 2011 AICPA E.D.G.E. Conference in New Orleans, an event designed to give young professionals the skills they need to become leaders in the CPA profession.

During a panel discussion titled “Sky High: Personal Success Stories,” Nicole Morris explained why she turned her back on the corporate fast track to teach the next generation of CPAs as an accounting professor at Champlain College.

“I decided not to do anything that I'm not passionate about,” she told the crowd.

After my head stopped spinning, I thought: What if we all did that? How different would the world be? How much happier? How much more productive? How completely awesome?

We only get one shot at this thing, folks. Life's too short to do things that suck. Find your passion. Get good at it. Work hard. Demand excellence from yourself.

And guess what? That passion is contagious. Others will follow your lead.

A pipe dream? Maybe. Too many people settle for good enough these days.

And what a cop-out that is. Good enough isn't nearly enough — not at work, not at home, not in anything we do.

Not when you put it in the context of our singular life.

Thanks for the inspiration, Nicole!