DO NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES I DID.
I am your older sister and all I hope for is that I’m your role model and that you look up to me. I want to be an inspiration to you. I want to be the person you admire the most and come with every problem you have, even if it’s not a problem but a funny story or gossip. I am always here, just a phone call away. However, there are things I did wrong, and I want to ensure you’ll do them correctly. If you don’t make these certain mistakes, you’ll live a happier and more exciting teenage life.
You’re only a sophomore, about to be a junior in high school, and that’s when life started getting harder for me. I stressed a lot in high school when it came to grades, SAT scores, college applications and just trying to ignore all the rumors that were being spread around the school. I cared too much about things that didn’t matter, and it drove me insane. In this case, I admire you for not caring about what people think about you, for accepting a low grade on a test and for never giving up.
Don’t listen to people who try to tear you down. You and only you know what is best for you and your future. I am here to tell you that it doesn’t get easier from here, but if you play your cards right, it will be less of a struggle to accomplish the things you want in life. Don’t try to one-up your friends, life isn’t a competition. I tried so hard to be better than all the girls who made my life miserable just to prove a point that I was better than them, but in the end, it just turned out making me sad and lonely.
I stopped putting myself out there, I stopped asking people to do things and along the way I forgot how to have fun. I lost all motivation to want to go out and experience life and all the opportunities that have come my way. I am just starting to live my life to the fullest, and it only took two years for me to realize how stupid I was for caring too much about things that had zero impact on the person I am and was to become.
As your older sister, I admire you. You are my role model and I hope to live life the way you’ve been doing it. Just don’t stop having fun and keep striving for success, because I know you’ll go far. You are my little sister, my best friend, and my inspiration to live life the way I want you to.
All images provided by author.