Great story. It sounds like you're very intelligent yet you haven't had the right support - or you know, fertile ground to grow in. A couple of good books to read on this subject are
Those two books, I think, are far better than what most psychologists or psychotherapists can offer/understand.
Anyway, it sounds like you've found a certain level of peace and contentment and wisdom in your situation - that's worth the world. I look forward to seeing more of what you can do!
There's one successful guy I made friends with not too long ago who told me that I've just been very unlucky. He compared his background to mine, and showed me how he was quite similar to me, but just got very very lucky with his circumstances, which helped him succeed. However, he also told me that much of what I'm going through is similar to what he went through. It wasn't a dance on roses for him either, which was encouraging to hear, because it gives me optimism.