self-importance

I just stumbled across a line from a book that is really causing me to examine a few things.  It is a fictitious novel, but the quote is powerful to me.

"You have the over-developed sense of self-importance that a lot of addictive personalities seem to have, plus the massively low self-esteem."


This was apparently spoken by a counselor to a drug addict.  


I've always considered myself the type of person that puts others first.  I associate self-importance with vain, egotistical types.  However, if I really ponder my actions a lot of them are driven by self-importance.


How many events have I avoided because I didn't want people to see me.  How many people have I avoided because I didn't want them to see how much weight I've gained.  In doing so, the assumption is that these people having nothing better to do than notice me.  


Very humbling.