No flames ... I think your list of ways to "prove yourself to yourself" might be a bit incomplete, but the basic concept is sound. I know a few folks with XY chromosomes who've basically had everything handed to them since Day One ... they have no accomplishments for which they had to struggle, no "I made that" or "Been there, done that" experience. I just can't relate to them ... they're like some sort of alien species.
I will never forget one hot afternoon digging a ditch for a new sprinkler system at a home in Hillsborough,California for the grand sum of a buck fifty an hour.
As the homeowner brought me a cold lemonade and a towel to wipe off the sweat,I noticed this guy a few years older than me pulling up to a huge house next door in new sports car.
I asked Mrs Baldwin what that guy did for an occupation and she replied,"Oh,he doesn't work at all.Lives off a trust fund.Spends all his time chasing women and going to car shows"
I guess some guys might of envied him.Yet even back then I believed in my gut that he was less than a man.