Awareness, observance, discipline
It’s impossible to always be going up in life. I would go as far as to say you should live to wait for the next challenge ahead. Problem-solving. Awareness of where you stand. How fun would a life free of struggles be? At some point you are so high all external forces are going to try to pull you down, in whatever way they can. After becoming aware of what you need to be working on, observe. Free of judgement.
The higher the exposure, the largest your negative group is going to be. And the more resilient you should be. This is where confidence comes into place. And discipline. And non-attachment. Not ego. Never ego. Some level of egotistic mind might be required when you are at your lowest, otherwise, people will destroy you, but as you grow up you should aim to increase your confidence levels and kill your ego. Ego death can be a potential goal. Only then you are able to produce quality work and be creative. You will put more emphasis on adding value than looking good. Darwin knew this when he was writing the Theory of Evolution. He took years to write it without ever telling anyone. He was focusing on the process and not the outcome, which is another key for contentment.
When you decrease expectations and focus on the work and accept whatever comes, you will receive so much more than you could have ever imagined. At the same time, both confidence and ego will attract people wanting to listen to you. The difference? Confidence will make people want to be attached to you, whereas ego will make them run away. You choose.