Protecting My Image

I’m becoming aware of how often I attempt to protect my image. I find there's a tremendous amount of energy wasted trying to make sure people's opinions of me are as I want them to be. When I stop defending this perceived image I'm actually far more productive and happy in life. What's odd is that I actually even think I can somehow take certain actions or say certain things to influence a person's view of me. To do so would require me to know what the person is thinking and how they process information the information I give them. Plus, depending upon a person's mood their reaction is always going to be different. It's all a bit insane.