If

"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart." Nelson Mandela

"Then" is "if's" partner. They always go hand in hand, but then, so what? "If" can survive alone without "then", and "then" can flirt with any other words. Loyalty? Not a chance! Same happens to "Although" and "but". "Although" doesn't need "but", but people always put them together. Happy relationship? Could be, but definitely under a lot of pressure.

When people face dilemma, "if" provides direction by helping them perform cost-benefit analysis. If they do this, then what's next. If that, then what's what?

Undoubtedly, "if" is a very powerful word. It's most used in competition, particularly chess. If I make that move, how's the opponent going to react? If I don't make that move, will the opponent take advantage? Although "if" doesn't help people solve everything, it at least prevents people from taking immediate action, and prompt people to think twice before taking any action. People using "ifs" may make effective decision but definitely not efficient.

Nothing gets done when there are too many "ifs". The more one knows, the less one delivers. There is always a strong gap between knowing and doing. Time is either spent worrying about the risk, or learning junk. Everyone has limited brain cells and time. Instead of wasting energy on irrelevant items, people should focus on things that are relevant to success. That's actually the shortcut to success. It's really funny that it's people themselves who always keep picking the most difficult and longest path to success. Only if they know what to focus, will they realize that the success they've been longing for is originally within reach.

"If" gives false hope. If I were you, then I'd do this and that. Fact is, each individual is a single entity. Nobody can ever be
somebody.

If... if there were no "ifs", people won't have dreams and would do things that please themselves rather than "if".