Sounds like you are requiring others to validate your life and your happiness. I used to do that and was miserable. Now I am happy. I started worrying about me…what I did, what I said, etc were all geared towards making me feel good inside. What others thought of me became less important. And a funny thing happened: the more I made myself happy and content, the more people liked and admired me, apparently. I would suggest seeking some professional help to work through some of the issues you have with trying to find your self-esteem.