When you write about yourself (autobiography) you want to focus on a snapshot of your life; a very pivotal moment or moments that would make a great story. I often tell my students who write personal essays to not give me a play by play of one event after another from birth till present, but give me a few significant events (a snapshot) and tell it with great description.
If I were writing an autobiography I would start in the middle of a scene of something really exciting that had happened to me; the time I caught a shark or hit the home run to win a game. I would talk about how it impacted me--helped me learn determination and battling against the odds. I would then talk about similar challenges in my life that I have had to overcome. Then my final sentences would be a toss back to those big moments in the early days of my life (the shark and the home run).
To summarize: I would begin by telling an exciting moment; grasp the reader's attention. Tell all about it and its impact on your present life. I would tell about the lessons you've learned from those moments and conclude with a sentence referring to the exciting moment you began the story with.
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