This post makes me think alot. I love that you got that message from your dad and how it has helped guide you life. It makes me wonder how to create a society where everyone gets this strong sense of self at such an early age and is able to keep it throughout their lives creating resilience in difficult times. I too wonder if it had mattered who said it or whether it was a message you were just born to hear and it could have been a teacher, Dora the Explorer or just something you figured out/knew on your own. I wonder too if people are born with sense of self and if is something than get taken away over time, with experiences that diminish confidence.