Become so grounded that praise feels good without becoming necessary.
REFLECTION
REFLECTION
Praise is pleasant, and there is nothing wrong with enjoying it. The problem starts when it becomes the source of your stability, because then the people who give it hold a lever on your state and you begin arranging your work to keep it coming. Enjoying it without needing it is the difference between a gift and a supply.
Notice how you feel on a day with no positive feedback at all. If the drop is steep, that is worth attending to. Build some sense of your own standards so praise can be a bonus rather than a requirement.
Whose approval are you still waiting on before you feel steady?
Free, with nothing to buy inside it.