I don't think it matters what other people can do necessarily. But sometimes knowing that other people can do something means it's not an impossible thing.

For example at my office we have a bullitin board of pictures of patients who have gotten their blood glucose under control. They are real patients that we see. They are old, young, skinny, over weight, type 1, type 2, men and women. They are real people and not super models. We put how they did it under their picture. We do this to say, "see, this person is just a normal person and they succeeded. So can you!"

I think it's the same thing here. We are all at different places on this road. But we can see that normal (and by normal I mean all of us, not those non-bipolar people,) people can make it. It doesn't take super models or millionaires. It's not about being better at life. It's about not giving up even when you just want to lay down. And we've all been there at some point, so those who climb out can reach down to help pull the others up.....