Egotism?

Have no further doubts;
Rejoice greatly in your hearts,
Knowing that you will become buddhas. -Shakyamuni Buddha, from The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law

Nowadays, I try to curb my criticism. So often my criticism in the past has been a manifestation of inner negativity that really had nothing to do with the thing being criticized. It was a way to bolster my ego, although it was rather ineffective. As a resilt, I don't have a firm idea of where to draw the line. Take the Christian doctrine of original sin. It has taken me some time, and I am still working at it, to get the idea out of my bones that I am fundamentally unworthy. I don't want to be unneccesarily critical of Christanity, but some viewpoints are erroneous, and I think this is one of them. In Buddhism we learn that all beings have the same underlying Buddha nature. I am not any different than Shakyamuni Buddha, deep down, and I can be a Buddha in this lifetime. So can you. Now from the viewpoint of my Western, Christian upbringing, this smacks of egotism and hubris. Who do I think I am, anyway? And even if I do admit a small theoretical possibility that I could be a Buddha, I better not act like it! Aspiring to help other beings is not bad, and being a genuine Buddha is infinitely good. Believing in my self-worth is fundamental and neccesary to genuinely help others. Otherwise, I will probably delude myself into believing I am helping others, when in actual fact I will be attempting to prop up a failing ego. Believing deep down to my core that I have self-worth and that I can be a Buddha (even as I write this, my mental editor says "someday") is NOT egotistical. It is the only way to be selfless. It is the only way to ensure that my stake in the game is not greed but compassion.