I know I'm your big brother and your mentor, but I've learned a lot from you. You taught me that I have to grow up. You taught me that I have to become more responsible. You taught me what it's like to believe in someone before I fully believed in myself. I learned how to think of others because of you. I realized the importance of personal growth because of you. You taught me why I have to be strong in more ways than one. You taught me how to be a role model.
I know that I'm not easy to have as a big brother. I'm your harshest external critic. I'm your hardest pusher. I'm never satisfied with you and always tell you to do more. And sometimes you might feel like my punching bag, but trust me, it's for your own good. I hold you to high standards that you feel like you'll never reach. I even put you in awkward and uncomfortable situations. I’m basically another parent who you didn’t ask to for but you got anyway.
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I'm also your biggest fan. I'm proud of any and everything you'll ever accomplish. I'll always support you through any and all of your endeavors. I'll always make sure you reach new levels of growth and unlock potential you don't see in yourself. I know that you can do more, and you always prove to me that the bar is never too high for you to hurdle. Don't ever think that you're not good enough, but always know that you can do better. You’re more capable and competent than you think and I feel like my job is to help you realize your potential.
Thank you for trusting me as your big brother and your mentor. Thank you for bonding with me, even through the awkward moments. Thank you for making me your go-to guy. Thank you for taking my advice, from girls to school to life. I'm glad you know that I'll always (try to) point you in the right direction. Thank you for telling me when I’m wrong. And especially thank you for dealing with my constructive “I told you so” rants whenever you don't listen and I’m right. Thank you for knowing that I always have your back and thank you for always having mine. Thank you for showing me the importance of my actions, my grades, and my demeanor. Thank you for always giving me something and someone to believe in. And thank you for dealing with me whenever I pester to do so much, especially when you really don’t want to do anything at all. Thank you for working to become the man I couldn’t become and for helping me become a man I never thought I could be. Thank you for accepting me the same way that I accept you. Thank you for respecting me and for continuously earning more respect from me. Thank you for another reason that I have to be better and do better. Thank you for being a better little brother than I am.
At the end of the day you’ll never stop being my little brother. That means that you will never beat me in a fight. You will never out-drink me (to the ones of age). You will never dress better than me. No matter how much you study, lift, work or practice I’ll always be smarter, stronger, faster and more advanced all while looking better than you because, well, that’s what big brothers do. You’ll always be better than the next guy, just never better than me. But I do challenge you. I challenge you to find your own definition of success and become more successful than me.
Find a better, more healthy balance for yourself than I do. Enjoy your life and find more happiness than I do. Reflect on the person you think I am and be a better person than him. Be a better big brother than I am. I taught you how to hurdle, now it’s your turn to set the bar.
