I'm sure you've heard countless things about what it's like to have an older sibling. Many people say how annoying their sibling is or how many fights they've had recently. For me, I can't imagine not having my older brother. Having an older sibling has been one of the greatest blessings in my life.

Now, I'm not going to say that my brother and I have always been best friends. There have definitely been times as kids when my brother made fun of me or made me do crazy, embarrassing things. We've had plenty of disagreements throughout our lives. But, now that I'm 20, I can look back at those times and see how many valuable life lessons I learned from my brother.

My brother is by far one of the best people in my life. He is the most hard-working, intelligent, kindhearted, and generous person I know. Throughout all of the highs and lows of life, my brother has been my biggest supporter and number one fan. He is the person I know I can always go to for honest advice. He is also the person I can lean on when life gets tough.

Since my brother and I are four years apart, I learned a lot about how to navigate the different stages of life from watching my brother. My brother has always entered every phase of life fearlessly and with an incredible sense of confidence. Throughout high school, I watched as my brother achieved incredible grades in all of his IB courses. By far the most amazing feat I witnessed was his receiving a perfect score on the SAT despite forgetting his calculator at home. He never had any fear of new situations, and easily adapted to every new change.

One of the greatest things I admire about my brother is how he is never afraid to make mistakes. He was always willing to share the mistakes he made and help me to learn from them. It is because of my brother's guidance and support that I too entered every new phase of life fearlessly. He taught me to surround myself with people who build me up and to remove those from my life who do not see my value.

Through every part of life, I've always known that my brother will be right by my side. He always helps me to gain a fresh perspective on challenging situations. I know that as I continue to grow older, I will never stop looking up to my brother for advice and support. He has helped me to navigate life gracefully and to conquer every challenge I face.

Although having an older sibling can be challenging at times, it is by far one of the things in life I'm most grateful for. I am extremely lucky to be able to call my brother my best friend. I will forever cherish the guidance he has given me and the positive influence he has had on my life.