You are you. There may be aspects of your personality which you want to explore to see if they are reflected in the achievers in your field of interest. Were they all bookworms as children? Did they come from happy homes, or were they bullied at school for being different?

Or you might be passionate about electronics or Star Trek or architecture or indigenous politics or fractal geometry. It may be that your interests are not shared by many others. The art of performing magic or the classification of crocodiles, evangelical religions or computer chip design. Maybe there's not a lot of them, but there are famous people wherever your interest lie. Are they like you in other ways? Can you learn from what they have done in choosing a direction for yourself?

You may choose anyone who suits your purpose to research. The biographies listed are only samples.

You may choose to study an individual in depth. For example, you might choose to look at Marie Curie in terms of all or some of the questions below.

Or you may be interested in people who become obsessed with a single idea and look at those with a totally absorbing passion for what they do.

Or you may wish to explore the oft-quoted 'fine line between genius and insanity'. Is this just an urban myth?

And don't forget, the particular focus is what they were like at your age, as well as over their entire lives.

The Questions and Sample Biographies

1. What was the first indication of interest in their field? What exactly? Albert Einstein
2. Is the field of achievement represented in the family background? The Leakeys
3. Did they display an obsessive nature and single minded passion for the topic? Marie Curie
4. Is there evidence of a chance event which had a huge impact on their direction? Paul McCartney
5. Did they not only have to overcome adversity, but turn it to a gain? Stephen Hawking
6. Were they able to have a normal life - job, marriage, time at home with the kids? Charles Darwin
7. Did they display perseverance? Thomas Edison
8. Is it perfectionism or a striving for excellence they show? Is there a difference? Henry Ford
9. Did they take that extra step beyond the norm to make their mark? Richard Owen
10. Did they have to work hard to get the break? J.K. Rowling
11. Did their learning come from within or beyond traditional education? Mark Twain
12. What were they like socially at school? Robin Williams
13. Were they an only child, first born or one of many? Beethoven
14. Did they have mentors key to their development in their field of achievement? M.C. Escher
15. Did they grasp at opportunities on the way up? Oprah Winfrey
16. Did they not only overcome opposition, but turn it to a gain? Nelson Mandela
17. Is genius so very near to madness? Nikola Tesla
18. Were they focused in a narrow field or work across different disciplines? Lewis Carroll
19. What REALLY motivated them? Mother Teresa
20. And was it nature or nurture or a bit of both? C. S. Lewis

Taking a single question which relates in some way to who you are, research the biographies of those who shared this trait. In what way do you feel this trait impacted on their lives?

Is there anything you have learnt about yourself in reflecting on others who have some similarities to you?

Remember, these are all people who lived in a different time and place to you, so this is merely to help you reflect on your own situation, nothing more.

Even though the biographies of people are listed against other questions, you may well find information in terms of your question in those biographical notes. These biographies are only given as a starting point. They are not to be taken as complete biographies.