That is not what I got from the article at all. It's about people being inspired to live a fuller life by someone they look up to. Setting time aside for reflection, self-improvement, and giving back.
They don't have to model themselves after billionaires.
Every time you read a book, you're engaging in a dialogue with someone you have likely never known personally. Be it the author, or the characters of fictional works.
Your heroes span time and space, find them everywhere, even among billionaires.
You know, in the spirit of the: