Dr. Christine Riordan identifies reasons why one should dare to be extraordinary, and exposes the traits belonging to extraordinary individuals. Please visit ChristineRiordan.com to learn more.

1. B Y C H R I S T I N E R I O R D A N
EXTRAORDINARY
DARE TO BE

2. Embracing your inherent “extraordinary”
nature can be difficult.
If it wasn’t, there would be no conversations
around the questioning of confidence and
esteem, and there would be no short supply
of brazen and bold individuals who are
fearless and ready to do something that’s
outside of the realm of ordinary. The act of
embracing “extraordinary,” daring oneself to
be something or do something outside of
one’s comfort zone can be revolutionary, it
can be remarkable.

3. Consider what the word extraordinary
means: special, exceptional, and unique –and
that’s just to name a few. That’s a word that’s
often applied to heroes, leaders, game
changers, entertainers, and political greats.
For more than two decades, I’ve conducted
research on leaders, and about 8 years ago I
found that these leaders and heroes all have
five ordinary things in common: passion,
integrity, courage, resilience, and confidence.

4. These five traits can be practiced
independently, but as a collection, these
items fuel success. Passion is instrumental for
work and life. Integrity is essential for trust in
personal and professional relationships;
courage is necessary for overcoming
obstacles; and resilience is the buoyancy,
allowing you to bounce back when knocked
down. Finally, confidence, the most fortified
attribute, is precious and important for
acceleration and sustainability.

5. Passion

6. Passion is an attribute that’s fastened to the tool
belt of an extraordinary person. The drive, the
interest, and stimulation are essential when
building toward something great. When that
interest and investment is to be directed toward
work, success becomes inevitable.
After all, truly extraordinary people are
passionate about their work. It’s that zeal and
enthusiasm that inspires and motivates
colleagues to perform better, to move beyond
what’s expected.

7. While some cynics roll their eyes at the
commitment of extraordinary individuals,
others will be marked by their nature and
dedication. By constantly demonstrating
passion through positive behavior, they
attract others, pulling them into the belief of
winning character and charm.

8. A friend of mine once shared a story about a
camp counselor she had during his youth, an
older man who met each person with an
identical refrain each morning: “Good morning!
It’s a great day to be alive!” Year after year, the
man met grumpy demeanor with a smile, and
his obvious passion was something to emulate,
something to make any business a success.

9. Any company that exceeds when it comes to
customer service obviously possess passion.
Not only this, but these companies recognize
that passion is imprinted onto customers after
customer expectations are met. Also, a wise
business will seek out customers who are
unsatisfied.
They’ll work to exceed expectations, turning
the disgruntled into loyal fans. Fundamentally
passionate businesses understand that minds
can be changed through demonstrations of
passion because customers tend to gravitate
toward those who practice the art of passion.

10. Courage

11. Courage isn’t easily won, it’s something that
one has to fight for; it means coming face­to­
face with things that are frightening, things
that are outside of normality –and choosing to
say yes. It’s easy to feign bravery, but just as
easily, we can curl into the fetal position like
the cowardly lion from the Wizard of Oz.
However, there are instances when our goals
are tested, when people need us the most, and
that’s when we demonstrate unknown strength.
Like the cowardly lion, we tend to find that we
had the courage all along when standing
against all odds, proving to be extraordinary.

12. Extraordinary people are stimulated by the
notion of risk­taking, they’re drawn to the idea
of stepping out and being bold. Even shy
people can be extraordinary, finding the
courage to step up in front of thousands. The
most unlikely people choose to be NBA players,
astronauts, television producers, and CEOs. The
decision to take risks and make bold choices is
often rewarded.

13. In the face of overwhelming odds, companies
have remained successful. Starbucks, for
instance, has done this. One of my favorite
books happens to be “Onward: How Starbucks
Fought for its Life without Losing its Soul.” It
tells the story of the company’s executives, and
their journey toward continued success despite
the threat of risk, public failure, and personal
failure after experiencing a 42 percent stock
drop following the onset of the recession.

14. Rather than give up, Schultz, the chairman,
returned as the CEO; he closed stores across the
U.S. for 3 ½ hours to retrain baristas; he invited
people to email him directly, and immediately
received 5,000 emails, and he launched Starbucks’
first national advertising campaign. He raised
wages and offered healthcare to employees, he
compensated loyal customers with rewards cards;
and he did it although no one thought it could be
done.

15. He warmly laughed in the face of naysayers,
because courage had won. Having faith in one’s
own intuition is more important than presiding fear
or doubt. Fear and anxiety are normal in
challenging situations, but Nelson Mandela said it
best, when he stated, “courage is not the absence
of fear, but the triumph over it.”

16. Resilience

17. Want a challenge in steadfastness? Try being
resilient.
Naysayers may have frequently told you that the
odds are against you or that your plans will never
come to fruition. They’ve likely told you to play it
safe and to steer clear of certain risk. However,
extraordinary people understand how to ignore
these voices and how to proclaim self­assigned
success. While resilient individuals sometimes
suffer disappointments, they rebound. They don’t
wallow in said failure, they pull themselves up by
their bootstraps and return to the battle with
raised fists.

18. All­time winning NFL coach Don Shula is a terrific
example of resilience. He coached pro football for
30+ years and holds the record for most career
wins. To date, he's the only coach to have teams in
six SuperBowls. Shula instituted a “24­hour rule,” a
policy of looking forward instead of retreating from
a loss.
He, his coaching staff, and his players were only
granted 24 hours to wallow following a defeat or
even to celebrate a victory. Shula instructed his
camp to feel their emotions of failure or success
during those 24 hours. After 24 hours, they had to
focus on preparing for their upcoming challenge.

19. Extraordinary people are equipped to endure
"downs," managing to remain optimistic in the face
of adversity. If they fail or they're wrong, they keep
their resolve and they correct. The goal is to
recapture lost dreams and inflate those dreams
following a failure. The realities of success are ever­
changing, and being persistent and courage is the
only way to assure that those dreams are realized.
The ability to turn tragedy, heartbreak, or setbacks
into a launching pad for success speaks to
resilience and courage, but also accomplishment
and fearlessness.

20. Integrity

21. Integrity is yet another attribute of extraordinary
individuals. Integrity­abiding individuals prove they
can be trusted because their inner values never
waver, demonstrating that they’re exemplary
because of their unshakable ethics and honesty.
Some go above and beyond to display their
commitment to integrity, even when it’s contrary to
their own self­interest.

22. For instance, Andy Roddick, the No. 1 seed at the
Rome Masters in 2008, identified an inbound mark
on the clay made by the ball he’d hit. This led to his
victory being overturned. Roddick’s ethics were so
thoroughgoing that he was willing to risk a loss in
order to do the right thing. The beyond­the­call­of­
duty honesty made him recognizable as an
upstanding individual. Often, individuals with
integrity bring that trait to the workplace, making it
a richer and more dependable workplace for
everyone.
Extraordinary people ultimately win by making the
right and, sometimes, difficult decisions. They win
because integrity Is the backbone of character and
strength.

23. Confidence

24. Courage, passion, ethics, and resilience are
inarguably components of confidence. While some
are born with these comprising attributes, many
others need the direction and encouragement of
our teachers, our parents and our friends, who
instill confidence.

25. Improvisational comedy functions on a theory
called “Yes, and,” where members of a troupe build
off of one another when they’re on the stage. They
have to embrace and escalate zany and uncanny
ideas. If they were to say “no,” the action and the
laughs would stop, so they accept every challenge
with a smile and a “Yes, and.”

26. For most adults, the inclination to say no is
ingrained, particularly when opportunities present
themselves, likely because new opportunities
require more energy and more work. Yet, an
extraordinary person welcomes all new
opportunities, due chiefly to the fact that they have
the confidence to say yes. They understand that
confidence begets productivity, and they
understand that each idea they bring to the table
could be elevated and built upon with “Yes, and.”

27. Businesses and business schools around the nation
have sought out improv troupe to learn the power
of “Yes, and.” It should be understood that if you
champion a culture where people are encouraged
to develop ideas, people will come to you to you
with ideas. They’ll have the confidence to bring
ideas to you, and you, in turn, will feel confident
about sharing your own ideas.

28. Please keep the following words in mind:
When you instill confidence, you get it back in return.
So, today, I dare you to be extraordinary.
I dare you to exhibit the PASSION you have for your career,
your life.
I dare you to call upon your personal INTEGRITY to do the
right thing.
I dare you to find the COURAGE to overcome obstacles
I dare you to be RESILIENT and bounce back from mistakes
or disappointments.
And I dare you to acknowledge the CONFIDENCE you have
and find a way to instill confidence in someone else.
Just today. Just for today, be extraordinary.
Tomorrow, you can go back to being ordinary.
But I don’t think you will.

29. Interested
in learning
more?
Please visit
ChristineRiordan.com