Illusions of Grandeur

I think I am more self-conscious than I used to be.
That is to say, I have become more self-absorbed.
Whereas before I could care less about what others thought of me, I became accustomed to being liked and even admired. As a result I have come to lose the very characteristics that produced those relationships in the first place. I have come to care greatly about what others think of me – and I have come to expect them to think highly of me.
Now, I've always been a shy person, but for the last half dozen years I've been able to hide that fairly well.
To be shy and arrogant, that's when the trouble truly begins.