This week’s conversation is with Chris Waddell, a Paralympian who is widely known as the most decorated mono-skier in U.S. history.
Chris began ski racing at the age of six, and went on to ski competitively at Middlebury College - where an accident during a freshman year training session left him paralyzed from the waist down.
What happens for most of us when we go through a life-altering event, is that it reveals our internal operating system - one’s world-view, personal philosophy, and psychological skills. While Chris couldn’t use his body the same way – it revealed who he is.
Within a year, Chris was back on the mountain as a mono-skier and soon became the fastest in the world. He has gone on to compete in seven Paralympic games, earning 13 medals in alpine skiing and track & field, cementing his place as one of Team USA’s most successful two-sport athletes, and a Paralympic Hall of Famer.
As if that wasn’t enough, in 2009 Chris also became the first “nearly unassisted” paraplegic to summit the 19,340-foot Mt Kilimanjaro.
Chris is epic for so many reasons – he is an embodiment of resilience, purpose, passion, and having command of his mind.
After the conversation, there was nowhere for me to turn other than to re-examine how I’m living my life – am I really pouring into being the person I believe I’m capable of being?
I hope he does the same for you.
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