Always on defense...

I get so tired of constantly having to defend myself. I do realize that I am young, and I realize that in many, MANY, ways I am naive and have a lot to learn. But I also know that I'm smart, I catch on quick, and the standard I hold for myself is that my performance always be above average. But I'm so tired of always having to defend myself. And it seems like, especially, these last two years being in nursing school, that I'm always coming up against someone whose trying to put me down. I'm so sick of it. I'm sick of fighting and I'm sick of always having to come up with a response to someones exaggerated statements about me. I get it: I'm opinionated, and therefore by putting myself out there I make myself a target to all those mean people who want to pick someone out of the crowd and knock them down. But it gets so old sometimes. Most recently, I heard I was "a know it all, and cocky". Excuse me for answering the questions YOU asked, and for actually knowing the answers. And on top of that why does me being confident make me cocky. So because I feel like I'm at least semi- knowledgeable (and let me tell you I'll be the first to admit I don't know shit from shamrocks!)   that somehow turns into me being a know it all...? I'm confused.  Ugg... and then theres the truth of the matter, which is that I am WAYYY too thin skinned for my own good, and I let what other people say, especially the people who don't matter, get to me. But like my Momma would say, "Every insult has a hint of  truth"... So I guess the hint of truth in this is that I should keep my mouth shut a little more often... Lets just hope all this negativity ends soon. For once I'd like to meet someone who has a little faith in me, instead of people who just don't like what I have to say...