I'm curious about our levels of self-confidence and what the biggest factors have been in getting us to those levels, high or low.

Were we born this way? Did we work to get it as high as it is? Or beat ourselves up to get it as low as it is? Or did it come from either hearing wonderful or awful things about ourselves?

And of course, the correct answer is that it is all those things, not equally. 

Accepting the challenge of assigning a level, I would say I've worked myself to a level of about 8 out of 10 (from my lowest level in college of maybe a 3), not because I think I'm so wonderful, but because I know enough about myself, or think I do, to know I'm not a bad person so if...no, when...someone has negative things to say about me, I am able to absorb them, reflect on them and sometimes even just ignore them without feeling defensive.

But I allow myself to revel in anything positive anyone has to say about me. It feels like they are giving me a gift it would be impolite not to accept and so I do with gratitude.