The Advice Accomplished People Would Give Their Younger Selves

Hospice and palliative care specialist Dr. B.J. Miller, best-selling author Elizabeth Gilbert, life coach Iyanla Vanzant and feminist icon Gloria Steinem are leaders in their respective fields. Surely, though, there must have been some obstacles on the road to success. So, what words of wisdom would these luminaries impart to their younger selves if they could?

"I would say do more of what you can uniquely do and less of what other people can do," Gloria says.

Iyanla would try to hammer home the lesson her father tried to teach her as a young person. "I would give her, actually, the advice that my father gave me," she says. "At the time, I didn't value it, but it has become one of the grounding forces of my life: Sit down, shut up and listen. Sit down. Shut up. And listen. I do it every day."

In this collection of excerpts from Soul to Soul, past guests of Super Soul Sunday reveal the key lessons they know now—and wish they knew then.

Tune in to Super Soul Sunday every Sunday at 11 a.m. ET/PT.