If you’re always the hero of your stories, you might be leaving out chapters.

Memory edits in your favor without asking permission. Each retelling smooths the parts where you were unkind, slow or wrong, and after a few rounds the story has a clear protagonist and some missing scenes. The people who were there remember a fuller version. You are not lying, you are recalling, and recall is generous to whoever is doing it.

Try telling one story with the part you usually leave out put back in. Notice how the listener reacts, since honesty about your own role tends to make people trust the rest of it. Ask someone who was present what they remember.