We are all building one.
If —
by Rudyard KiplingIf you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!
Life is won in the moments
“I want my funeral to look more like Heaven than my wedding.” Meaning, there are people of color in attendance who represent authentic, rich relationships that have blessed and shaped me. Hopefully, I was able to return the favor.
Here are some more IF’s:
If you measure success by the size of your impact instead of your bank account,
If you see value in the character you model instead of the accolades you collect,
If you choose to serve rather than shine,
To listen more than lecture,
To lift others even if your own climb is unfinished—
You are already shaping a legacy worth leaving.
Legacy isn’t a monument. It’s not marble or medals.
It’s in the moments—small, consistent, often unseen—
Where you live with integrity, speak the truth in love,
And offer your presence when others disappear.
If you raise your kids to know who they are and whose they are,
If you invest in people rather than platforms,
If you fight for what’s right even when it costs you,
If you give generously without expecting applause—
Then your legacy won’t need your name on a building.
It will echo in lives transformed because you dared to care.
Legacy is not someday.
It’s the sum of your todays.
Live them well.