To those diagnosed with ASD who were eventually able to navigate social situations effectively– how did you do it?

I recently got diagnosed at a public hospital as an adult, and I feel like my life finally makes sense.

Growing up, I had no friends and could never understand why I was generally disliked in school and work settings. I used this subreddit frequently with my very first Reddit account and even was suggested "Coping: A Survival Guide for People with Asperger Syndrome" (which I found very helpful).

I generally feel discouraged when I see other users on autism-related subreddits say that they can function very well in life simply by "masking". How do they develop the skills to "mask" in the first place, without having the intuition that others have?

If you were in a similar situation but were able to turn things around, how did you do it?