Do Not Isolate Yourself at the Top

Success is a beautiful journey. We climb, we struggle, we sacrifice, and eventually, we rise. However, as we ascend, many of us succumb to a subtle trap. We start cutting ourselves off from the very people who gave us strength along the way. We call it upgrading, but in truth, it is isolation.

Think of the young professional who gets promoted. Suddenly, old friends feel “too ordinary.”. They stop attending casual get-togethers, stop answering calls, and slowly surround themselves only with people who match their new status. The academic eventually attains the rank of professor. Instead of staying connected to classmates and mentors who shaped their journey, they now only sit in rooms filled with prestige. The higher they rise, the smaller their circle becomes. 

But here is the truth. No one was designed to live at the top alone.

A strong network keeps you grounded. Real friends remind you who you are beyond your achievements. Even a simple family WhatsApp group, buzzing with jokes, prayers, and daily updates, can keep you anchored when the outside world feels overwhelming. Success may open doors into new rooms, but family and friends remind you where home is.

And when you rise, do not close the door behind you. Send the lift back down. Someone else is climbing too. 

In business, academia, and life, people are struggling to find handles that others have deliberately made difficult to reach. Be the person who makes the climb easier. Share your wisdom. Recommend someone for an opportunity. Mentor the student who reminds you of your younger self. Sometimes, a single act of kindness can be the reason someone else perseveres.

Too many people reach the top only to discover silence. We all know the stories. A successful man dies in his apartment, unnoticed for days, not because he lacked wealth or achievement but because he lacked connection. That is the silent epidemic of isolation.

So do not allow success to separate you from real relationships. Call that childhood friend. Reply in the family group chat, even if it is just with a laughing emoji. Visit the colleague who retired quietly. Check in on the cousin who has been distant. These small acts keep you human in a world that often measures you only by your title. 

At the end of the day, the view from the top is not about how high you climbed. It's about how many lives you touched and who is with you when you arrive.