A dear friend of mine died last week. She was an extraordinary person.

We are all extraordinary when we are born, but so few of us actually die as extraordinary people.

That is because we spend our lifetimes whittling away our unique traits that don't "fit in". You can do too many things you think you "should", versus what you want or need to do. Or, you get stuck doing things that used to work for you, but no longer do. You may not even truly know who you are intended to be. As a result, you become ordinary.

Ordinary. Just like everyone else.

Not Zardoz. My friend and teacher was everything that she was meant to be, and then some. She left a high-powered, high-income investment banking job some time ago to pursue her spiritual passions. This transition included changing her name legally to one that better suited her uniqueness and her vision.

The word "kook" may have been used once or twice to describe her.

But, she took no offense.

She taught me that when you are true to your unique nature, you may lose a few "friends". You may not do or say things that are "popular". In fact when you are really true to yourself, you start to live the life you want and not the life that someone else wants you to live. When you are true to yourself, you can become the ultimate leader in your own life and become extraordinary through the process.

I realize that staying true to your course requires courage. Unfortunately, it can sometimes be easier to bail out on yourself than to feel like you are failing others. Ordinary people bail out on themselves over and over again.

This message is so timely when many people are finding themselves a part of this economic downward spiral. More jobs are being lost and many folks are asking serious questions about what's next? Who am I and what am I going to do? Deep inside you may be excited for something new, but you are scared to death.