High risk, High reward: Life Lessons with Lindsey Vonn

NEW YORK : If you think investing is scary, imagine skiing down the world's most challenging mountains at 70 or 80 miles (112.7 or 128.8 km) an hour.

After doing that for years – and being the best in the world at it – nothing much fazes Lindsey Vonn.

The former World Cup overall champion and Olympic gold medalist may be retired from the slopes now, but slaloms her way through multiple business ventures at age 39.

For the latest in Reuters' "Life Lessons" series, she talked with us about how to attack your career with speed, skill and courage.

Q: Your dad gave you some career advice very early on. What was it?

A: I was nine years old when I first decided I wanted to be an Olympian, after meeting my idol Picabo Street. We made a 10-year plan on how to make the Olympics. One thing he made sure I understood was that ski racing didn't make any money.

If I wanted to have a successful career, I needed to be more than an athlete. I had to work harder than anyone else, and be smart about everything I did, because nothing would come easy, and I was not going to get a big contract.

Q: When you were just starting out, were you able to work at all?

A: I did a lot of babysitting for kids in my neighborhood. I made pretty good money, about $20 an hour. That was my spending money, which I would use to buy things like CDs. I'm the oldest of five, and three of my younger siblings are triplets, so I'm pretty good at managing kids. I changed a lot of diapers growing up.

Q: Was it difficult to plan a financial life, when you are only paid when you win?

A: For me it was a matter of motivation. I calculated in my head that if I won a certain number of races, I could finally get a car or buy a house. As I became more successful, the amount of