[hegemonicon]

There's nothing wrong with trying to be smart. The problem is trying to show others how smart you are (as the guy so astutely wrote in your yearbook). It makes you look like a jerk. No one likes a jerk.

I have an extremely similar problem, where I feel like I always have to be right about...well, whatever I happen to be talking about. Because big personality changes are hard, instead I try to control some specific behaviors that get me into trouble, such as getting defensive and trying to sound like I know more than I do. That may be a better goal than a complete personality makeover.

[If you're interested, I wrote about getting defensive here: http://www.hegemonicon.com/blog/?p=184 and sounding like I know more than I do here: http://www.hegemonicon.com/blog/?p=683]