Are there any stories of people notable/talented/successful in their field who started out being completely crap? [more inside]
posted by divabat on Oct 5, 2009 - 32 answers

Do you know of anyone, yourself included, who has actually made significant positive in terms of optimism, discipline, and ambition? How did this happen? [more inside]
posted by mjewkes on Oct 27, 2008 - 13 answers

I am looking for stories of inspirational people (names, URLs or in-thread) who overcame adversities to become successful after the age of 40. They could have become wildly successful, or perhaps just financially independent and can be famous or not-famous, perhaps even yourself or a relative. I've gone through an arduous career change and am starting my own business in my late 30s from basically nothing. I realize I'm still quite young, but it is so easy to feel late to the game when so many of my peers are established and successful. I'm really needing some inspiration right now. Thank you very much in advance for your answers.
posted by PigAlien on Jan 17, 2007 - 24 answers

I'm looking for real-life examples of coaches, business people, athletes or teams who experienced great success when they went back to the basics/fundamentals. [more inside]
posted by rinkjustice on Aug 8, 2006 - 14 answers