Wit and Insecurity

I used to use wit as a defense mechanism, to deflect attention from the fact that I have no knowledge in a particular field while still sounding smart. Sounding smart was important to me back then. Sadly, far more than actually being smart.
In remarkable contrast, today I use wit for that exact same purpose. It seems, the more mature I become the more I am aware of all the character flaws I haven’t changed. The same insecurities which plagued me as a child still prod at my brain today. I have the same fear of being thought stupid, and so shuffle constantly to prove it by charging at any opportunity for wit. A smart man would notice how obvious these insecurities are to everyone around him, and seek to change it. Although, a smart man wouldn’t care what others think of him, and so would not have these problems in the first place.
This addiction, however, is not entirely irrational. Wit makes for a great first impression, which is only later ruined by the use of more wit. Wit, in itself, is a wonderful tool for passing along a point or winning an argument. It is “more wit” that separates the secure from the insecure, the ‘looked up to’ from the ‘looked down upon’.
The problem resides in the constant need to impress those around you. In my case, considering I am remarkably unremarkable in every other sense, wit remains my only refuge. But people, being the complex creatures we are, tend to be more attracted to those who don’t feel the need to constantly impress. If you’re trying to impress someone, you must be less valuable then they are. And so a baseline insecurity, which in no way emanates from actual value but from imaginary value, ends up lowering your perceived value. Bad news for me.
Truth be told, I haven’t been entirely stagnant in my personal growth. Unlike in the past, I am now well aware of my actual value. After many years of constant self assessment I learned to get over my ‘self worth anorexia’ and see myself for who I am. None more than I were as surprised to learn this didn’t solve the problem. Years of insecurities had left their mark on the way I act and project myself to others. Making me seem far less secure then I am.
The thing about perceived insecurity is that it makes people loose respect for the one who seems insecure. Leading them to show it. And so suddenly, what was once only a perceived insecurity becomes an actual insecurity; and what was once emotional progress becomes a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach.
And so we come to the end. What advice can I part that I myself have not yet managed to internalize? I wouldn’t take advice from anyone who does not suffer from this same problem and even less so from someone who does. The best I can do is this:
Wit is good. More wit is not. Anyone who has this problem would know what I mean.