Guest Post by Melanie Elsbeth, the founder and host of ‘Mama, What’s Next?

I’m excited to share a guest feature written by Melanie Elsbeth. In this thoughtful and honest article, she shares her approach to finding truthful expression, alignment, and honoring her whole self in work and life. Stick around to the end, where she includes four helpful tips on how to reconnect with your path and find more meaning.

Enjoy!
Denise

How to stay true to your values while the whole world screams “follow the rules!” by Melanie Elsbeth

How to stay true to your values while the whole world screams “follow the rules!”

Author Bio: Melanie Elsbeth is the founder and host of ‘Mama, What’s Next?’ — a holistic career service for mothers. As a creative strategist and mentor, she helps mothers reconnect with their inner wisdom and rebuild work lives that feel true. Find her here!

The Problem with Being "Different"

For most of my adult life, I thought something was wrong with me. My family called me unfocused. They said it never followed through, I never really committed to something fully. They would say things like "when are you finally gonna stick to something!" Maybe you'd be much more successful if you actually committed to something 100%. And if I'm honest, I believed them.

I would fall in love with a new business idea, or a new job, a creative project constantly. I always went all in, filled with excitement and so much passion. And sometimes, just as quickly as the fire started, I'd feel the urge to stop it. On the outside everything looked so great (this is how you can tell, a LinkedIn profile says nothing about a person).

The Cost of Fitting In

For most of my life, I had judged myself harshly for being this way. Sometimes I stayed in jobs that looked good on paper but drained the life out of me. I pushed myself to fit a mold I never quite belonged in. Worst of all, I pretended to be something I was not. It looked great from the outside but something always felt off and wrong. I felt like I should (or had to) hide my real personality.

Permission to Be Yourself

Luckily that started to shift the day I discovered Human Design. I'm a Manifesting Generator with a 5/1 profile. And for the first time, I realized: I wasn't uncommitted and unfocused, I was just wired a little differently. There was actually nothing wrong with me. Manifesting Generators (MGs) are designed to be multi-passionate, fast-moving, and non-linear. We're not here to follow one clear path. We're here to try things, skip steps, change our minds, loop back, combine seemingly random experiences, and create something new. We learn by doing, experimenting and trying new things. I finally gave myself permission to be exactly the way I am (no more hiding my multihyphenate nature). I tuned into what felt expansive, energizing, into what made me feel alive and excited and I began rebuilding my work and life from that place. 

Equally, I realize that we always want to belong. Community is important to us. We are social animals. So knowing that there are more out there, that are just like me, helped I admit. 

Just like in marketing, the brands that cut through aren't asking for permission. They're creating new categories entirely. When you work with brands that stand for something meaningful, you don't have to pretend to be something you’re not. You're not spending 8 hours a day promoting values you don't believe in. The brand's integrity becomes an extension of your own. Working on strategies and campaigns for brands with a genuine purpose creates even deeper meaning in your life. It makes you realize you are not just “selling something”. You tell stories that matter. You connect to people in meaningful ways. This in turn, makes both your work and your life purposeful, impactful and you know why you get up in the morning, and what you contribute to. 

The Search for Meaning

Overall, the real goal for me was always happiness, joy and fun. I wanted to live fully, feel good about the work that I did. The more I worked my way across various marketing roles, the more my desire for meaning grew too. I started working my way up in the beauty. Nowadays many of these brands I could probably not work with anymore. Simply because I care too much about the ingredients they put into fragrance and cosmetics. The longer I stayed in marketing and PR, the more I wanted to work with brands that really made an great impact in people's lives.

And every time you make a decision for a brand whose values you share, is a step closer to your ideal life. Every time you are showing God how you are living your life. Every time you are sending out signals of what you want more of in your life. You declare that this is what you stand for and what you belief in, and what you want more of. 

Integrity and Values

I realized early on in my work, that I couldn't trade passion for money. I couldn't fake engagement and excitement if there was none. I think the moment you think "just this once" or "until I get promoted" is the moment you've already lost (yourself). 

Integrity is a key driver in everything I do. Jobs that drain your soul often pay more because they have to. It's compensation for the part of yourself you're selling. But meaningful work builds skills, creates change, impacts people and relationships, and creates personal growth that "have-to jobs" never will.

Generic marketing serves everyone and moves no one. That's the same in your career. Your weirdness is actually your point of difference.

How to Reconnect with Your Path and Find more Meaning

If you're feeling unaligned in your career or you've fallen off track, here’s what helped me reconnect:

1. Follow energy, not logic. (even if outside voices tell you differently)

If a choice makes you feel tight or tired before it begins, trust that. Your body always knows and energy does not lie. Sometimes, we have to do “the crazy thing” to get where we’re meant to go. It always paid off for me. 

2. Experiment often

Try something. Do it messy. You don't have to commit to all projects you start. Like in my case as an MG- I thrive on trial and error.


3. Stop feeling ashamed for not having it all figured out

Your pace, your pivots, your passions in work and life, they're your journey. I always say: everyone has to run their own race. Only you truly know how it feels on the inside and if you're living in integrity.

4. Follow YOUR path (not anyone's advice)

Ask yourself: If no one was watching, what would I really do? If no one was watching, what would you dare to create? What do you really care about and what would bring you so much joy, you'd do it for free (I am doing it right now, writing this feature).

Author Bio: 

Melanie Elsbeth is the founder and host of ‘Mama, What’s Next?’ — a holistic career service for mothers. As a creative strategist and mentor, she helps mothers reconnect with their inner wisdom and rebuild work lives that feel true. Find her here!

Thank you Melanie!

And thank you reader for checking out this guest post! Learn more about our collaborations here! It’s great to hear different perspectives and insights and I hope you found it supportive. One note: Although I’m not a fan of Human Design (mentioned in the article) or any other man-made limitations/definitions concerning who we are, I know that many are. Thanks for stopping by! Denise