Build something large without needing yourself to look larger.

Big work and a big self-image often get tangled, and the tangle damages the work. When your standing depends on the thing succeeding, you stop hearing criticism, avoid the tests that might expose a flaw, and choose what flatters over what functions. Building something genuinely large usually requires being able to be wrong in public, which is easier when the building is not holding up your identity.

Notice whether you defend your project or improve it when someone finds a problem. If defence comes first, some of your sense of self has migrated into the work. Take it back deliberately, and the feedback that once stung becomes usable.