All sorts of people are quick to offer advice, solicited or not, in which, the advisor of such, doesn't really have their own house in order, which doesn't necessarily mean that their particular advice doesn't have merit, but it does indicate that the person giving such advice, needs to follow their own advice, and/or needs to master their own self, first, in order to properly demonstrate themselves as a true mentor.
The very first thing that we need to have complete control over is ourselves. While it is true that others can change our circumstances, the interior portion of our mind and how we react to external changes or things which we may not have control over, is still entirely our own, for all are gifted with free will and free decision making of the mind, and in many cases, are gifted with far, far more. This gift of free will is ours to utilize either for good or for bad, to be used appropriately or not, as is our inclination, whatever it may be as ultimately we are responsible for the things that we do and say.
It must be said, that whatever that we do with our free will has an awful lot to do with our ability to truly be master of our own fate, as well as to be master of our own desires, in addition to being master of the circumstances that surround us. For some people, it must be incredibly disappointing that they have not the will to resist a sugary dessert or similar that they know they should not have, especially since even a pet, can be trained to obey its master and not do the same, because of that training, whereas, some humans given the primary responsibility to demonstrate their own self-control, fall woefully short.
Sad to say, this inability to discipline ourselves properly, presents a problem that just gets progressively worse, for those that cannot control themselves, will often find themselves controlled by the state, in one form or another, because of this lack of discipline, or if not controlled by the state by some agent acting as its substitute, enthralled typically by their most imposing vice, such as alcohol, drugs, illicit sex, anger, and so on and so forth.
Still, within each of us is the power to escape this lack of discipline, to escape this lack of order, and that way is to train the mind to overcome the things that hold us back from our better selves. For some people, the best way to overcome their shortcomings is to work in conjunction with others that are able to hold them accountable for their actions and thereby to keep them focus on their goals; then again, alternatively it is the developing of one's inner concentration that helps one to calm their mind in order to make one's decision making less impulsive and better thought out. In any event, progress is only made through successful application as well as the constant desire to be the master of yourself.
Those that see if through, and become masters of their own free will, are best able to deal with not only the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, but will find themselves better able to apply themselves in things great and small, so as to be and to thereby have the accouterments of a life lived successfully which benefits not only themselves but others that they mentor to.