Elara Merritt

External validation can feel good, but it is never enough. It was never designed to be enough, because your worth was never meant to come from someone else.

The difference is whether recognition is a gift or a lifeline. When it is a gift, it feels sweet but not necessary. When it is a lifeline, it becomes addictive, and you give away your power in the hope of receiving it.

The very qualities that once made you chase validation — your kindness, your care, your generosity — stop being sources of weakness and become sources of strength.