Playing the hand that is dealt is a term that I have heard my entire life "He was dealt a bad hand" or "She was dealt a good hand in life" for me I was given an even hand it was not good or bad, but it was my hand and how I chose to play it was up to me so that's what I did, and many others faced the same as well I have often said that where you are at plays a significant role in your life and I still believe that if a child see positive things in life then they are more likely to lean that way and if it is the opposite with negativity then a child will learn that too and I hear people say he made it despite his situation so where you come from is not an excuse and they are right it's not an excuse but it is the cause and effect of a bigger problem everyone is not the same we all process information differently which causes us the behave differently than others might in the same situation trauma in the home or neighborhood effects all of us differently some turn to drugs or crime others work to clean up our neighborhoods and try to live productive lives but being young peer pressure can be a big factor as a kid until I had people to tell me to stand up for myself and not allow other people to dictate the man that I should grow up to be and those lessons have resonated with me for my entire life have I made mistakes of course have I done things that I am not proud of yes but what I did have is people in my life who actually cared about me and I think that is something that is lacking today 40 years ago when I was coming up there were people in my neighborhood who cared enough to tell my mother when I did not go to school or doing something that I had no business doing and those people helped to mold me into the man I am today not perfect but functional those people are my heroes and taught me how to win playing the hand I was dealt.