I'm really big on independence. My mom said that when I was a toddler, I'd say, "Do it sef, do it sef!" because I wanted to dress myself. Then I'd get both legs through the same hole of my underwear and fall on my butt.
I've had coworkers who were a real pain to work with. I didn't have much of a spine in my younger days either. When I grew my own spine and stood up and spoke up for myself, my life got a lot better.
I'm sure you are a very strong person in many ways. One thing I learned is to surround myself with people who complement my strengths/weaknesses with theirs, have a positive attitude, and who I genuinely like to be around. Collect people like that in your life. They are gems. Together with them, you can do so much more than you thought possible.