If

Adapted from Rudyard Kipling's "IF"

If

If you can keep your head
while all about you
people are losing theirs
and blaming you;
if you can trust yourself,
when everybody else doubts you,
and make allowances for their doubting too.

If you can wait,
and not get tired of waiting,
and when lied about,
stand tall.
Don't deal in lies
and when hated
don't give in to hating back,
don't need to look so good,
don't need to talk too wise.

If you can dream,
and not make dreams your master;
if you can think,
and not make intellect your game;
if your can meet
with triumph and disaster,
and treat those two imposters
just the same.

If you can force your heart
and nerve and sinew
to serve you,
after all of them are gone,
and so hold on,
when there's nothing in you,
nothing but the will
that's telling you to hold on!
Hold on!

If you can bear to hear
the truth you've spoken,
twisted and misconstrued,
by some smug fool,
or watch your life's work
torn apart and broken down,
and still stoop to build again
with worn out tools.

If you can draw a crowd,
and keep your virtue,
or walk with Kings
and keep the common touch,
if neither enemies nor loving friends
can hurt you;
if everybody counts with you,
but none too much.

If you can fill the journey
of a minute
with sixty seconds worth
of wonder and delight,
then
the Earth is yours,
and Everything that's in it;
but more than that
I know
you'll be alright,
you'll be alright.

Cause you got the light.
You've got the insight.
You've got the fight.
You've got the insight.

Joni Mitchell 2007