Don’t keep the definition of success or fulfillment outside you – based on what other people think.
You have to be the judge of whether you are doing well or thriving, and no one else.
Now certainly, in a great paradox, if many people think you are a scumbag, then you need to take that into consideration; it means you are not being a good human. So what others think of you is an indicator of how you are doing, but not the definition.
YOU know what you are doing all the time. Are you phony or are you real? Who are you when nobody is looking? Are you doing your best? Are you doing what you were made to do? Are you growing and getting better? Are you living to your potential more and more each week? Are you proud of you?
You touched on something I consider to be very important. “Are you phony or are you real?” A poplar saying in recent years is “Fake it until you make it”. Some people don’t ever take that to the next step though and just continue to fake it endlessly. At some point, the “faking” must stop and the “making” has to take over. Living and working as a phony doesn’t benefit you or anyone else.