I've always thought that rags to riches stories are inspiring. Hey if someone who came from poverty can make it then so can I. Here are a couple articles with rags to riches stories:
The article 5 rags to riches stories covers the stories of Chris Gardner whos life was featured in The Pursuit of Happyness, actor Jim Carrey, H Wayne Huizenga founder of WMI, Oprah and Andrew Carnegie.
Smart Money Daily has 10 Rags to Riches Billionaires with stories of billionaires from around the world who started from meager beginnings.