Olympic ski champ Picabo Street can now claim two gold medals — her own and Lindsey Vonn’s.
Street captured her own in the 1998 Super G Olympics, and served as the inspiration for Vonn’s gold in this year’s Olympic downhill.
Victor Hugo said, “Inspiration and genius–one and the same.”
Vonn got a dose of inspiration — and genius — when, as an awestruck 10-year-old, she met Street, who had medaled at the 1993 World Championships and at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.
Meeting Street brought Vonn to another level in her approach. It gave her the inspiration to become an Olympian.
Daniel Coyle, author of “The Talent Code,” calls this process ignition. It involves an event that changes an attitude.
Is there inspiration in your life? Or is there just drudgery? It’s difficult to imagine anyone accomplishing anything without some emotional fuel. You don’t need an Olympic skier. Inspiration is where you find it. You can seek it in books, movies, quotes and even in the people you meet every day.