Be yourself?

 

I see these memes and quotes all the time and they resonate with me, but then I think I'm just being naive. I'm having such a hard time with this. I feel like I approach every new situation with my positive mental energy and enthusiasm and my "can do" attitude and at some point I always end up feeling like it's just a waste of time. Like people just don't appreciate that. Even though it's supposedly valued, it isn't in real life. That being cynical or selfish or half-hearted is really what's rewarded.