What Would You Tell Younger You?

When we are young, we long to grow up. We are in a rush. Everything we are angered by we reply, “Just wait until I am an adult.” In young adulthood we make mistakes that often are regrettable. Wouldn’t you love to go back and tell younger you something?

Here are some of the letters that two accomplished actresses and one executive had to say.

Dear Marian,

If you don’t like the world the way it is, change it—one step at a time. Be prepared for how long change might take and how hard it will sometimes be. Always remember the quote you wrote in your diary after hearing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speak: “If you can’t fly, run; if you can’t run, walk; if you can’t walk, crawl; but by all means keep moving.”

—Marian Wright Edelman, 72, president of the Children’s Defense Fund

Dear Whoopi,

Stay out of your own way.

—Whoopi Goldberg, 56, cohost of The View

Hello Traveler,

As you make your way along life’s tumultuous highways, it’s important to note that you should always carry a map, have plenty of fuel in the tank, and take frequent rest stops.

—Octavia Spencer, 39, 2012 Academy Award winner for best supporting actress