Is ‘Being Yourself’ Bad Advice?

No... But life is very complex and few things are a simple black and white answer, most answers are a shade of grey.

Be yourself but always aspire to be a better person. Who do you want to be in five years time, and how are you going to achieve that goal? Do not shy away from who you want to become, even if it may sound stupid to others.

We all have great potential but most are scared to achieve their greatness!

Your education should truly begin once you leave school, you should then start educating yourself about what you want to learn. This doesn't have to be in a formal style, but personal development and learning should continue until your last breath.
Plato stated that Socrates once said,"The only thing I know is that I know nothing". Always strive to learn more! Even if it's in a topic that you believe yourself to be an expert in. This will at times require listening to other's point of view, try and understand things from their perspective. If you see life as being 'black and white' then there's a great chance you are missing what is actually true in life.

Your integrity counts for a lot. It will be your calling card and how others will judge you! If you constantly let others down, lie, or manipulate then people will eventually lose trust in you and even actively avoid you.
Sometimes we can do this without thinking, sometimes it's out of a sense of fear or ignorance.

If that is the case, then aspire to become a better person. Learn from your mistakes and try to improve yourself. You will only ever fail if you do not learn from your mistakes, so if need be then make mistakes whilst trying to grow as an individual. You will only fail if you give up and do not learn! This may not be easy, you will face many problems and challenges.

Look on those problems as being "Projects". David Allen once said "There are no problems, there are only projects. If you haven’t labeled the problem as a project, you are a victim of the situation.” You are not a victim, you will not fail, but you will learn and grow. In five years time, you can be well onto the road of solving those projects, be it wealth, or educational goals. As you grow, learn and develop your integrity, you will also start to gain influence.

In management, it is said that "Being influential depends on knowledge, expertise, and an on developing interpersonal relationships based on mutual trust and understanding."
Your ability to influence others is built up on the foundation of your integrity. We can all change if we desire to do so. Growth can at times be painful, but few things that are really worth doing in this life are ever easy. To become who you want to be will at times be very painful, you will lose false friends and those who have held you back in life, but in the end, you will become a better version of who you are.

So be yourself, but have a vision of who you want to be in five years and work on becoming that person.
Spent at least 30 minutes every day focused on improving you, not necessarily just your technical skills but your personal and interpersonal skills. Books by Dale Carnegie such as "How to Win Friends and Influence People" will help you to become a better person in a social setting. We do not live in a vacuum, we need others. This can be difficult to understand, especially when we've been hurt or let down by others. Sometimes we may need to move elsewhere and start a new...

If you're good in a social setting but want to become a speaker then you can do so. Work on your weak areas, if it's your voice then study Judy apps "voice of influence" to give yourself a voice that will carry your message to the masses.

Be yourself my friends but also work towards who you want to become in five years time. You all have great potential within yourselves and you can achieve this with a little bit of work.

For my final piece of advice, stop always trying to please others at the expense of yourselves, I know that this is hard, especially when you're lonely but work on yourself find out what makes you happy. Sometimes we can be lonely in a crowded room, find out what makes you happy. Look deep down inside yourself and find out what truly makes you happy and reach for it, this will take time. You have but one life and you can achieve many great things in it as well as help your fellow man.

These are not hollow words. I've been broken to the point where I was scared to speak, I've even been betrayed but I learned from those mistakes and I moved forward..Many years ago I once was a Combat Medic in the Army who dreamed of working in Aerospace sector. Now I am an Aerospace Engineer who helps vulnerable kids in Iraq and Turkey learn about STEM and what good they can do in this world. Many times I was told to give up upon my dreams and many more times I had to grind, I learned, I improved my skills and I moved forward. Many mistakes were made but I learned and I kept moving forward. At times I took blows that made me want to stop but I moved forward.

Be yourself, but discover a vision of who you want to become and become that person!

What are your thoughts? Is being yourself bad advice?

Special thanks to @bunnypuncher for posting this question and inspiring this post.

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