Modern Day Ninja

Yeah, he's pretty impressive. But can he cook?

Oh wait, I can't do that either!

Anyway, when someone is able to achieve such incredible feats; whether it is academically, physically, business-wise, or artistically I catch myself thinking this question: What is behind them and driving their success? Are they driven by healthy things or unhealthy? This is of course pure curiosity and speculation. So many hours of practice/learning are necessary for these incredible feats that I wonder if people who don't have severe issues (like a Dad who wasn't there, a traumatic past, a personality disorder, abuse, etc) could actually achieve anything so spectacular. The reason I wonder this is because I've talked with a lot of incredibly successful people and they often are driven by such things. Things that allow them to sacrifice huge areas of their lives (like comfort, friendships, healthy relationships, regular leisure time) to become so good. Often it seems they are trying to prove something - to themself or to others. I realize some people are just gifted and driven, but I wonder how many are simply reacting to something in their past? And I wonder if they can ever take satisfaction in their successes and feats?

P.S. I realize that everyone has some sort of issues (including myself) but some people seem to react to their issues by extreme acts or drive to prove themselves. And it's not all bad, I'm just curious about it.