Allison sat in the auditorium applauding with the rest of the audience as her sister bowed with the cast.  The ovation only got louder as Nicole, the lead in the play, stepped forward.  After the show, all Allison could do was smile and thank the masses of people who approached her to express praise for her sister’s wonderful performance.  Even though she was proud of Nicole, she couldn’t help but feel that, once again, she was lost in her sister’s shadow. 

 

 

Since early childhood, Allison constantly felt like her older sister was better at everything.  When they played tennis, Nicole won.  When they skied together, Nicole made it down the mountain first.  They both ran track, but Nicole always had the better time.  It seemed as though Allison would never be as good at anything, and she was constantly accepting compliments on her sister’s behalf- whether it was for her singing, her acting skills, or simply her beautiful red hair.  About halfway through high school, things finally began to turn around.  Allison started to focus on activities that her sister did not even participate in; being outdone no was no longer a concern.  She got involved in a research project for the psychology department with a friend, and went on to compete in several competitions.  Although they did not win, seeing the project all the way through and taking on the responsibility was a positive experience in itself.  Allison had her “aha moment” that maybe she was more capable than she thought.

 

Upon entering college, Allison realized it would be difficult to stand out in amongst such a large, talented, and diverse group of people.  There were more options to pursue, making it more difficult to decide which activities to focus on and how effectively manage her time to excel in her pursuits.  However, after her experiences of finding her own interests and skills in high school, she knew that she didn’t need to compare herself to others to feel successful- success can be defined on a personal level rather than in relative terms.  She chose to be a finance major and continued to get good grades; she even began tutoring student-athletes in accounting and economics.  Each summer, she was able to obtain internship positions that allowed her to further explore her interests in the business world, and confirm to herself that her hard work and determination could pay off.

 

Allison was finally thriving in something that her sister was completely uninvolved in.  As she began to come into her own, however, she no longer would let her sister push her around or monopolize the spotlight.  Unfortunately, Nicole still viewed Allison as the “baby” of the family instead of the adult she had become, which created a rift between the two sisters.  Nicole still treated Allison like her opinions and interests were less important and less accurate than her own.  Because of Nicole's stubborn nature, Allison became concerned that her sister's view of her would never change and they would continue to butt heads instead of grow closer as they got older.  She worried that in her pursuit to be different and gain a sense of accomplishment, she had unintentionally pushed her sister away.