People are not victims of circumstance nearly as much as they think. Rise above your problems and be great. Don't waste your six or seven decades doing nothing. Make a difference.
I always wondered when I was younger, "If the me now could meet me when I'm older, would I like him? Would he like me?" Well, yeah. We'd like each other. I do wish, however, that I'd learned from other people's mistakes, not just my own mistakes.
Some people lie so much that when they tell a lie, they think they're telling the truth. Learn how to filter through all the duplicity and remove those people from your list. Then sift through the rest to find the honest few who are both brilliant and easy to work with. Surround yourself with these rare humans, collaborate with them, befriend them, love them, and change the world with them, forever.