My sister had always been the pride and joy of our family; someone who offered a good pair of ears whenever I needed them. We had the same hobbies; music, art, swimming, and tennis. When I was young, I felt it was the coolest thing to have a near replica of myself shrunk in a washer machine, figuratively speaking of course. One day it hit me that I did not want to be a nice and open-minded sister anymore. I started to feel like the world was out to get me. As I grew older, I realized my sister had gotten everything much earlier than I did. She had everything, even something as simple as trendy clothes. My sister’s wardrobe was filled with Abercrombie garments at the age of eight. Her involvement with music affected me the most. Going to Juilliard Pre-college was my dream since I was a little girl. No one ever pushed me to audition though. Nobody either told me to go to the city and find a Juilliard professor until I was twelve years old.
I began my studies and auditioned a year later. The task of getting into Juilliard Pre-College would be a lot less daunting for my sister because she started when she was six. I felt cheated. Why should my sister get so many more opportunities when I worked just as hard, if not harder, as she did when I was young? By the time I learned of opportunities, it was already too late to change my whole life and fully commit to my goals. I felt like my sister got these advantages simply because she was born after me.
Many times I wanted to pull my hair out! But as school got busier, I did not have the time or energy to feel spiteful of my adorable sister. Expecting good marks in a significant number of AP courses, my mild overbearing nature was dimmed. My ultimate focus became the destination, not the looming obstacles. I am not the victim. We are all victims of our own lives if we choose to live so calculatingly. I took what I got from my one year of training as a grain of salt and brought my musical abilities to a new level. Essentially I practiced three hours daily. The day I got the call from Juilliard was by far the happiest day of my life. This feeling of fulfilling my dream effaced traces of envy. Had I let my moments of envy blind me with darkness, many obstacles would have tripped me. Musical accomplishments, academic excellence, and development of character would have been my obstacles. I very easily could have grown into an angered adolescent as opposed to a compassionate lady.
With everything I did in life, I gave more than a hundred percent commitment. Most of the time, it paid off. Now I realize it’s good to have such a versatile sister because she understands what I went through. There is definitely room for two shining gems in my family. I’m really glad I learned to have an open mind to my sister’s successes early in life, because the pettiness would have greatly hindered my potential. It would be more traumatic if I were to learn one day that it was my over-calculating nature that inhibited my performance level in everything that I excel in now. I’ve learned for the future to never feel jealous and small for any length of time. I have to be competitive, perceptive, and ambitious but never angry and deprived. Yes! This is what drives success. My sister is the greatest friend I’ll ever have. As I go through this rigorous rat race of college applications, I feel more connected and grateful to my sister than I ever have.
