The answer to that mind bugging question depends on your view of what it means to be lonely at the top. It depends on a the circumstanctancial facts of your charisma and personality.
Some people say it is okay to be lonely at the top, they say it is peaceful and drama free. In life, if you feel that having peace of mind and being alone are of the same meaning then you’re wrong. How can you find peace in being alone, no companion or shoulder to take a break on. No body to catch you when you fall, and no one for you to catch either.
John C. Maxwell an internationally recognized leadership expert quoted: If it is lonely at the top then you’re  doing something wrong. Dear reader, it is not lonely at the top of you’re doing everything right. It is not lonely at the top as long as you don’t climb to the top while ignoring everyone.
Being lonely at the top comes from you, what you do and what you believe in. Most people tend to believe that keeping others at a distance will prevent them from getting hurt. People who worship this belief must have never heard of cases of stray bullets. Whether you put yourself out there or not, you’ll get burned in a way.
The world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel.
Horace Walpole – 4th Earl of Oxford.

You’re a product of what you think and believe in. If you think that people will hurt you at the top, you will eventually spend all your days being too careful, scared and at the tip of your toe that you will eventually miss out on the beautiful opportunities of life out there.
Like Dr. Samuel Johnson once quoted: if a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will soon find himself alone. A man, sir, should keep his friendship in constant repair.
Ending up lonely at the top all depends on you and your personality. It revolves around how you lived while at the bottom, in the middle and your way to the top. It summarizes your outlook on friendship. How good or poorly you are with friendship.

Loneliness is not a positional issue; it is a personality trait.
John C. Maxwell.

I am a living witness of these words. I know a lot of people, I have very few friends and yet I am always at a corner, lonely. It is not because of the little friends I have, neither is it that I love being lonely. I tend to push people away when I am going through something, and in the end I would feel alone. I am the problem.
My inability to connect properly with people who are ready to be Bonnie to my Clyde leaves me looking forlorn.
When you feel lonely ask yourself these questions. Is something wrong? What changed? Am I the problem? Do I relate well with people? Go through your memory lane, search for how you lived your life before you got to this point. These questions should help you check your boxes.
Just like the saying: You cannot eat your cake and have it back. Same goes for humans, you cannot be a negative influence or of no help to people and still expect them to stick with you.

I want someone to laugh with me, someone to be grave with me, someone to please me and help my discrimination with his or her own remark and at times,no doubt, to admire my acuteness and penetration.
Robert Burns.

If you resonate with Robert Burns then you’re a thoughtful human who values friendship and partnership. If on the other hand you think that Robert Burns is as dramatic as a five year-old  who wants the most expensive candy at a candy store then you might need some help unlocking your childhood traumas.

One of the reasons people tend to exclude themselves from others is due to fear of betrayal, abandonment issues, getting hurt, being used, etcetera.
Of course, it is risky to get out there and let people into your space, definitely you have to let your guard down a few times and be vulnerable. You would also get hurt. The best part is that none of these would amount to the joy of having someone by your side. Instead of thinking about all these negative factors, think about the good outcome.
The happiness, the love you can give and receive, the impacts you can make, the lives you can change, the difference it would make,the lessons you would learn. Think about all the people that would be glad to shout into the air that they know.

PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE, BUT GUARD YOUR HEART AND HEALTH.

THIS ARTICLE IS INSPIRED FROM “AN EXCERPT FROM LEADERSHIP GOLD” BY JOHN C. MAXWELL.