I was going to simply say that all the tales seem to be various distractions that don't seem to be factors for success. But then there is an idiom in Chinese 破釜沉舟 which roughly means breaking your cooking utensils and your boats (removing your means for a retreat) and fighting, which has historically proven to be a great psychological motivator. So I wonder if that psychological urge outweigh the time spent on these distractions. I have to say tho, it must take a special kind of a personality to deal with that kind of stress and uncertainty.