Today, I welcome a guest post to A Branch of Holly - the lovely Stephie from Tea In Your Twenties. I have had the pleasure of meeting this lady in real life and let me tell you - she is definitely the girl behind the blog. Chatty, open and someone you feel like you've known forever.

So I won't give anything else away. Just go ahead and read. But I will tell you this - she'll put a smile on your face.

Hi everyone, it’s Stephie from Tea in your Twenties here. I usually blog over on

my spot of the internet

about life in your twenties, tea, theatre and climbing your own metaphorical mountains*. I’m very happy to be guest posting for Holly - it took me all of 0.5 seconds to offer to do so! And luckily it only took me a further 5 to come up with a topic!

As you wonderful readers will know, Holly is incredibly driven and passionate about her career, something which I like to think I am too, so it made sense for me to cover this mutual ground.

But

I’m not as good as Holly at offering advice on how to get to where you want to be, so instead I thought I’d talk instead, a little bit about recognising how far you’ve already come.

It is safe to say I don’t have a normal job, and I certainly haven’t had a normal career path. Working in the arts tends to look like that alot. At times I have been simultaneously experiencing career highs (performing my solo show in a professional theatre) and career lows (returning to waitressing and living with my parents). But I think regardless as to what career you’re in, there are times, when gaining a little perspective on how far you’ve come can be the hardest thing in the world.

Of course there are the big things that signal you’ve taken a step forward. A new job, a pay rise, a particularly glowing appraisal, but these things aren’t a daily occurrence, and in some ways can be a double edged sword. These are the type of things that spur me on, to keep going, to do better. I use the momentum of these big old pats on the back to continue up the mountain. But gathering momentum rarely gives you time to catch your breath and take it all in.

6 months ago, I took a new job. For the first time ever I have a steady monthly wage, a job title my parents

vaguely

understand and a flat of my own. And in the past 6 months, I have spent a lot of time thinking that I should be doing more. Now that I have got this far there is no time to be resting on my laurels. I should write more, blog more, learn more. When what I really need to do is rest more, listen more, reflect more.

I want you to think about where you were 6 months ago, and make a list of the big things that show you’ve grown. Even if those things are tasks within themselves, admitting you need a change, is a positive step. And now look at the last week, and think of all the small things you did without thinking twice, would you have been able to do those things so confidently and with such ease six months ago? A year ago?

For me it’s the small things that show me how far I have really come. A confident telephone manner, speeding through a to do list that a year ago I wouldn’t have even been able to imagine, paying my bills on time and not feeling like I need to brag to my parents about it. Because while those big signs are what makes the climb worth it, it’s the smaller things that provide you with the right equipment and a good sense of direction.

So to come back to my mountain metaphor, keep looking up, but also look out at the view, and every now and then check your toolkit, you might be surprised to find you’ve picked up a few new additions along the way. And of course, most importantly of all, keep an eye on your compass, because there is no point climbing at all, if it’s in the wrong direction.

Live life & remember the world is full of people putting one foot in front of the other but that doesn’t mean it is easy x

*I never climb actual mountains, I have a terrible romantic history with fellows who enjoyed climbing - but that’s a whole other blog post.

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Where to find Stephie: