Life lessons from my brother: How has his challenging and caring spirit allowed me to learn and grow?

I look up to my brother as a role model and have learned a lot from his challenging spirit and caring nature. His enthusiasm and sociability have inspired me to strive to better myself and find what I truly want. I hope to continue to emulate his positive attitude and become a better person.

 

“What am I going to do with my life?” is a question that everyone asks at some point in their lives. And it is usually solved by looking at other people’s lives, how they live in the world. We look to the people around us, or to great people, as role models, establishing our own values and trying to follow a similar path. When I was writing my own description, I thought about who I wanted to be like. Although there are many great people, I realized that the person who has had the most direct and significant impact on my life is my brother. We both loved LEGOs as kids, and I remember him holding onto the pieces for hours on end, unlike me, who easily lost interest. I was young and didn’t think much of it at the time, but looking back, I realize that his behavior was a big lesson for me. I thought a lot about how different my brother was from me, even though he seemed to be similar to me.
Our family traveled a lot to gain a variety of experiences. In each of these trips, my brother was always unafraid of new challenges and experiences. For example, when we went camping together, she was the first to set up the tent and learn how to make a fire, easily adapting to the new environment. I learned from him how to be challenging and adaptable. This was a great inspiration for me, and I think of him every time I try something new.
Fast forward to now, I got into the university of my choice, and after nine long years in New Zealand, I came to Korea and my parents moved back home with me. I didn’t realize it at the time, but looking back now, I feel so sorry for my brother. It’s a very important time for her, and I feel bad that I can’t be there to support her while she’s studying far away from her family. I’m proud of her for sticking with it, even though it must be lonely, and there are two main things I want to learn from her.
The first is passion. It’s very hard to be passionate about something you love, especially when you’re often held back from doing what you really want to do by what others think of you. I reflected on my younger brother, who pushes hard when he wants to do something, unlike me, who is always worried about “What will others think of me?” and doesn’t finish what he starts. For example, she once participated in an intramural debate tournament. Although she didn’t win any awards, it was refreshing to see her firmly express her arguments in every debate. I also thought about whether or not I love everything I do now. I realized that I’ve been living too much by the results. Was I right to be disappointed when I didn’t get the results I wanted? I think if I had been as passionate as my brother, I wouldn’t have been disappointed with the results. I don’t think I’ve ever been so into one thing that I forgot about other things. I want to start putting my passion into the things I love, little by little, without worrying about what others think.
Also, by watching my brother’s passion, I learned to find out what I really want. She’s always been honest with herself and constantly strives to find what she loves to do. In contrast, I feel like I’ve been living my life according to society’s expectations. But watching her made me think about what I really want for myself, and I realized that the process of finding it is important.
I am usually quiet and introverted. My brother, on the other hand, is very outgoing and easy to get along with. I want to emulate my brother’s sociability because he is trusted and easy to get along with. For example, unlike me, who is often speechless in front of people I don’t know, he can easily strike up a conversation. When we went to New Zealand for the first time, my brother and I got lost and I couldn’t ask people for directions because of my introverted personality, but he asked foreigners he met despite not speaking English very well. When I saw my brother like this, I felt ashamed of myself, because I thought that even though I was his brother, I couldn’t do anything. However, I realized that if I changed my personality a little bit, I could easily approach people. Instead of waiting for others to take a step forward, I would take the initiative. I hope that I can change my personality little by little and become a person that others can rely on and trust, just like my brother.
Also, my brother has a big heart for people. Whenever I was in trouble, she was always there for me and cared about me like it was her own business. Seeing her like this, I learned to be considerate and understanding of others. My brother’s warm heart and caring spirit touched me deeply, and I vowed to be like him.
The thoughts and lives of many great people, such as Einstein and King Sejong the Great, have influenced me a lot. However, the person who directly influenced me was closer than I thought. I want my brother, who is younger than me but has a lot to learn, to be my role model, and I will always keep the things I learned from him in mind. I hope to grow with my brother and become a better person.