If You Can Keep Your Calm

If you can keep your calm when all around you

Are losing theirs and placing blame on you,

If you can trust yourself when others doubt you

Yet understand the reasons for their view;

If you can wait with patience and resilience,

And in the face of lies, speak only truth,

If you are hated, but do not embrace hatred,

And still walk humbly, without need for proof;

If you can dream and dream with eyes wide open,

Yet not let dreams dictate your every move,

If you can think with clarity and reason

And let your thoughts inspire, but not consume;

If you can stand against the winds of failure,

And meet both triumph and disaster’s call,

To see them as the fleeting winds of fortune,

And not be swayed or fooled by them at all;

If you can hear your words misused and twisted

By those who seek to use them for deceit,

And still find strength to speak with honest wisdom,

Though every truth is challenged or repeats;

If you can watch the things you’ve built be broken,

The dreams you’ve lived for crumble into dust,

And start again with hands worn out and weary,

And find the strength to rebuild out of trust;

If you can pile up all your hard-earned fortune,

And risk it in a single turn of chance,

And, losing all, rise up from loss undaunted,

And face the world again without a glance;

If you can drive your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your will long after strength is gone,

And so hold on when nothing's left inside you,

Except the quiet voice that urges, “Hold on”;

If you can walk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings and never lose your grace,

If neither foe nor closest friend can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none take place;

If you can use each moment with intention,

And see each second as a chance to grow,

If you can run the race with full conviction,

And find the strength to rise after each blow;

If you can find your peace amidst the chaos,

And bend with storms but never break apart,

If you can meet the world with calm and courage,

And still hold fast the softness of your heart;

If you can face the night when days are darkest,

Yet still believe that dawn will come once more,

If you can learn to trust when all is uncertain,

And know that hope lies just beyond the door;

If you can keep your path when others wander,

And know that what is right is not always clear,

If you can stand alone when strength is needed,

And offer love when hatred is most near;

If you can laugh when life is full of sorrow,

If you can find a light when shadows fall,

If you can face the trials of tomorrow

And greet each new day with a loving call;

If you can live each day with bold compassion,

And give of self without a thought of gain,

If you can find the joy within each moment,

And see the beauty in both sun and rain;

If you can walk through fire and keep your spirit,

And find the grace in every test you meet,

If you can rise with courage when you’re weary,

And keep your faith when all else seems defeat;

If you can rise from every fall with honor,

And know that every step has been your choice,

If you can speak your truth and hold your power,

And never once betray your inner voice;

If you can face the world without resentment,

And find forgiveness for each painful scar,

If you can build your life with gentle kindness,

And see the stars no matter where you are;

If you can give with love, without condition,

If you can hold your ground when you’re afraid,

If you can see the worth in all you’ve witnessed,

And understand the price you have to pay;

If you can learn from loss and find your wisdom,

If you can grow through every fear you face,

Then yours is life, and all the world within it,

And what’s more—you’ll find your rightful place.

If you can find the strength to keep on going,

When every bone is tired and weary worn,

If you can see the light within the darkness,

And trust in brighter days beyond the storm;

If you can lead with both your heart and reason,

And know that neither one should rule alone,

If you can stand for truth in every season,

And make your mind and spirit truly known;

If you can build a life from simple moments,

And treasure every heartbeat, every breath,

If you can find a purpose in each silence,

And see that life is precious even in death;

If you can love and lose and still find meaning,

And seek the lessons hidden in each day,

Then yours is strength beyond all understanding,

And what’s more—you'll have found your way.

If you can listen deeply when all are shouting,

And hear the quiet wisdom in the sound,

If you can build a bridge instead of barriers,

And plant your feet yet softly on the ground;

If you can choose to rise above the madness,

And keep your center when the world's askew,

If you can give your heart without condition,

And see the best in all that you pursue;

If you can stand with courage in your calling,

And face the trials with a knowing smile,

If you can find the joy within the journey,

And let it lift you up, mile after mile;

If you can know your worth without conceit,

And hold your own with strength and dignity,

Then yours is the earth and everything within it,

And what is more, you’ll truly be set free.