A long-time client at the top of her game recently revealed a big insight: “I have to stop striving for validation because I am not going to get it anymore.” Her comment acknowledged an uncomfortable realization of many high performers who have long used external validation to fuel career success. At the top, they find that few are applauding anymore. At altitude, feedback dwindles to a whisper.

To be clear, people at the top of their game continue to do great work. But as you ascend in your profession, you’ll encounter fewer people to tell you you’re doing a good job. Instead, you’ll find more people looking to you for validation.

At the risk of sounding like a motivational cliche, consider looking inward when external validation dissipates. Breaking your reliance on others to affirm you is unsettling at first. Ultimately, though, it’s freeing; you decide what success looks like. As you stop relying on external feedback to define your worth or to validate your decisions, you can become more agile, more confident, and less tied to the whims of others. When the applause meter ringing in your ears is no longer the measure of your success, you can make decisions more boldly with less fear of judgment. Then, you decide if you’re doing the right thing—not because someone reinforced it, but because you’re following your intuition, values, and vision.

As you make this shift, you own your growth. You decide what will support and sustain you. Perhaps you’ll develop a new skill, mentor someone, or set a new direction for your team. As your best advocate, even your mistakes will be more productive. You’ll own them and learn from them. By loosening the grip of the validation habit, you’ll operate in a new place where you can breathe, evolve, and lead more on your own terms.