I'd tell my 20-year-old self, 'Don't be afraid to do it all.

Hear the words of Angela Bassett: “I’d tell my 20-year-old self, ‘Don’t be afraid to do it all. Whatever you’re interested in, just go for it. Don’t wait around for a better time.’” These words are not merely advice—they are a battle-cry against hesitation, a call to arms for the young and the restless. They carry the weight of wisdom earned through struggle, triumph, and endurance. For in them lies the eternal truth: the river of time does not slow its current, and the shores of opportunity are not always seen twice.

The ancients knew well that fear is the great thief of destiny. It binds the heart with invisible chains, whispering lies of “later” and “not yet.” But Bassett, a woman who rose to greatness through persistence and courage, declares that there is no greater error than waiting for the “right moment.” The truth is fierce: the right moment is now, for tomorrow is a promise written in smoke. To do it all is not reckless—it is to honor the fire of one’s own soul, to heed the divine spark of curiosity planted within us.

Consider the story of Leonardo da Vinci, who lived centuries ago. He was a painter, yes, but also an inventor, a sculptor, an anatomist, a musician, and a dreamer of machines the world would not see until hundreds of years later. Had he confined himself to but one path, how much dimmer would the light of humanity burn? Yet Leonardo dared to pursue all that stirred his mind, unafraid of wandering roads that others dismissed. His life teaches us that greatness often flows not from a single pursuit, but from daring to explore the fullness of one’s gifts.

Yet how often do the young, standing at the crossroads, hesitate! They hear the voices of doubt: “Wait until you are stronger. Wait until you are wiser. Wait until the world is ready.” But the world is never ready. The soil of destiny is fertile only when watered with courage. Those who tarry too long watch others reap the harvest that might have been theirs. Thus Bassett’s words resound like the voice of a seasoned warrior urging the untested: “Do not wait. Strike now, and strike true.”

Still, let us not misunderstand her command. To go for it does not mean to act with folly or to scatter one’s strength like seeds upon the wind. It means to trust that the passions within us are not accidents, but sacred signposts guiding us to the work for which we were born. To paint when the spirit burns to paint. To sing when the voice longs to sing. To build, to write, to lead, to love—these longings are no trivial whims. They are callings, and to ignore them is to betray one’s very self.

And what lesson shall the listener take from this? It is that hesitation is more deadly than failure. To fail is to learn; to hesitate is to stagnate. Life is not a hoard of coins to be saved for later—it is a flame, meant to burn brightly in the present. Therefore, honor the fire within you. Ask not whether you are ready; ask only whether your heart is stirred. If it is, then the time is already ripe.

Practical action must follow this wisdom. The youth should rise each morning and ask: “What stirs me today?” Then take even the smallest step toward it—one brushstroke, one page written, one note sung, one bold word spoken. Let no day pass without reaching toward what calls you. And to those older in years, do not mourn what has been delayed; for while breath remains in your lungs, it is never too late to begin. The only unbreakable chain is the chain of inaction.

So let Bassett’s cry echo across generations: Do not wait around for a better time. Do it now. Do it all. Let your days be marked not by regret, but by the glory of having dared. And when your own hair turns silver, may you look back not with longing for what might have been, but with pride for what you seized, for what you risked, for what you lived. This is the legacy of the fearless. This is the teaching for all who would choose to truly live.