There is no way to be certain what we really are. Our self-concept is an image composed of both what we hope and what we fear we might be. Most of us are tempted to believe that our public self is a true representation of who we really are.
From the very beginning, we each must learn to accommodate or die. Emotional survival is largely a matter of maintaining self-esteem. If we’ve had to struggle too hard for this survival, we’re likely to focus on the less desirable self we’ve imagined, primarily believing what we fear is true about us. Then it’s most useful to remember that, like our idealized self-image, our worst fears are also caricatures created in our imaginations.
Unless you feel good enough about yourself, life doesn’t seem worth living. You could give up trying because your limits are causing you pain. Or, you might try to imagine that you are no better or worse than anyone else, and then decide to do the best you can.
Freedom lies in having no choice but to be who you already are.