When too little ego deprives us of a healthy sense of self, getting approval from others is our primary motive and a consuming distraction to making a contribution. We then seek acceptance because we believe if we get the approval of others, it will feed our ego what it’s missing. But those are empty calories. If we’re hypersensitive to how others react to the words we say, the possessions we have, the thoughts we share, or the actions we take, we give control of how we feel about ourselves to others.

David Marcum, Steven B. Smith — Egonomics