Do you ever take time to praise yourself ; take time to see the good things about you; acknowledge the achievements and accomplishments, large and small, you have performed? Do you think nice thoughts about yourself, and have positive things to say about you?  How do you treat you?
None of this is ego based, but it is what you need to have for you, and that need, is Love of Self.
You do have to like and love yourself. It is not a selfish thing as you have been taught, but it is a necessary thing for you to have, and is not ego based, but knowledge of who you are, and what you are, and having the freedom to express and be who you are, without any guilt whatsoever. 
It is the knowledge that it is okay to love and like yourself, for when you do, you become a better person, and because you see the good in you, you are more able to see the good in others, and to express your love for them as well.