I interpret the phrase "be yourself" to mean "don't be afraid of being judged". People are often preoccupied with managing the guilt or shame that they experience when they face social disapproval for (otherwise innocuous) natural inclinations.
This is good advice for someone with social anxiety, and not as good for someone with narcissistic tendencies.
Also, I think the author only talks about external rewards, but "being yourself" is largely about internal rewards: it's about being comfortable with yourself, which allows you to feel at peace.
I've met plenty of super-successful people who work every day to be exactly what the successful people around them want them to be. These peoples' "high-maintenance" approaches to life have allowed them to achieve some status they desired, but these people are often unhappy anyway, because they optimize for rewards that matter to other people, and not to themselves.
This is good advice for someone with social anxiety, and not as good for someone with narcissistic tendencies.
Also, I think the author only talks about external rewards, but "being yourself" is largely about internal rewards: it's about being comfortable with yourself, which allows you to feel at peace.
I've met plenty of super-successful people who work every day to be exactly what the successful people around them want them to be. These peoples' "high-maintenance" approaches to life have allowed them to achieve some status they desired, but these people are often unhappy anyway, because they optimize for rewards that matter to other people, and not to themselves.