Turning 22 can be both an exhilarating and frightening time. Taylor Swift even wrote a whole song about the age saying, "We're happy, free, confused, and lonely in the best way. It's miserable and magical." As a whole new crop of youngsters prepare to graduate college and head off into the working world, they're surely being bombarded with advice.

But what if that advice was coming from some of the most successful people in the world? LinkedIn recently launched its new content series "If I Were 22," with celebrities sharing advice they would give their younger selves, along with photos of when they were that special age.

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Echoing Taylor's lyrics, fellow songstress Alanis Morissette , 40, talked about loneliness. "It’s OK to admit I am lonely," she told the career site. "Yes, even lonely with all those people around me, maybe especially so, because of how many people were around me.”

Photo: LinkedIn

She's prepping for her highly anticipated film Jurassic World this June, but Bryce Dallas Howard, 34, took time to open up about what she wished she had done in her early 20s. "If I could talk to my 22-year-old self, I would tell her take a daily note of what she saw, who she met, what she notices, what she celebrated, and what she wish she could do over."

Photo: LinkedIn

Though she doesn't look like she's aged since she was in her 20s, 35-year-old supermodel Petra Nemcova, offers up a bit of advice that gives us a glimpse into her success. "We create with each thought, word, image, action and intention," she told LinkedIn. "Be aware and create in a state of consciousness."

Photo: LinkedIn

Some of the most sagely guidance comes from a man graduating from his long and successful TV career. David Letterman, 68, actually sent his advice in on a handwritten Post-it note because — as he recently mentioned in the New York Times — as the world modernizes, he doesn’t always race to catch up. "Doing good things for other never stops making you feel good about yourself," read the note.

Photo: LinkedIn


Joan Lunden, Chris Cuomo, Rev Run, Richard Branson, Suze Orman and more celebrities contributed to the fascinating series. Click through the LinkedIn slideshow below:

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