Just read Outliers the new book from Malcom Gladwell.  It is really fascinating because he looks at what it means to be successful not in the normal way but in an alternative way.  Athletes don't just succeed because they train hard but also because they were born in the right month to give them more training so they have an advantage when it comes to selection.
I like hearing about people who do well because they revel in who they are and want to be different.
Read more about him here.Malcolm Gladwell's site.