Kick Butt Tip: Luke Bryan’s Secret To Success

Here's hoping that today is going absolutely perfect in every way for you.  And I am also hoping that today just keeps getting better and better as it progresses.  But, to use one of the biggest little words in the world, when life throws you a curve ball, how do you handle it?  Do you have a secret to success?  If so, I would love for you to share it with me.  Just email me at DonChase@WKML.com.

Do you happen to have a favorite Kick Butt Tip of the Day that you lean on?  Is there a quote by a famous author or a quote by a famous celebrity or could it be something that a family member said many years ago that you remember when tough times knock on your door?

During a recent interview with Southern Living magazine, Country music star Luke Bryan said that his secret to success is never giving up.  Luke says, "I truly believe if you want something bad enough and you have that passion and you're willing to put the work in, doors open.  It's about being patient and persistent and not giving up.  And obviously having talent is a big part of it, too."

You can click here to read the entire interview.

I think we both can agree that no one works harder on stage than Luke Bryan.  If you leave a Luke Bryan concert and you haven't had a good time, you might want to check your pulse.

To echo Luke, if you want it, you've got to go get it. Whatever you desire is more than likely not going to fall in your lap.  So, if you don't have it, you have to do something in order to get it. Remember, God don't make no junk and you are awesome.  Now, go make it happen.

- Don Chase's Kick Butt Tip of the Day is a daily motivational feature designed to give you the inspiration you need to power through your day. Check out all the Kick Butt Tips here.

Reba McEntire has a few Christmas albums in her discography. The Country Music Hall Of Famer released her first holiday album, Merry Christmas To You, in 1987, just one year after winning the CMA's top Entertainer of the Year award in 1986.

Since then, Reba has released her second holiday album, The Secret of Giving, in 1999. The album was followed by an original CBS Television movie, The Secret of Giving, which aired on Thanksgiving night in 1999.

Reba's third Christmas project, My Kind Of Christmas, was released in 2016. Unlike her previous collections, this album offered stripped-down arrangements of timeless songs featuring Reba and her pianist, Catherine Marx.

In 2013, Kelly Clarkson asked her and Trisha Yearwood to join her on "Silent Night" during her NBC Christmas special. Reba later told us it was her favorite holiday song to sing, "I love 'Silent Night.' I love it, mainly because I got to sing it with my two buddies, Kelly Clarkson and Trisha Yearwood."

Reba has many Christmas memories, but one that stands out in her mind involves her then-young son Shelby, who is now married and in his 30s. She shared. "I'll never forget one Christmas morning. I woke up, and I was laying on my left side, and I felt something, and I opened up my eyes, and Shelby was three inches away from my face. He said, 'Mom, you're not gonna believe what Santy Claus weft for me.' And so, he said, you've got to come here."

She continued, "I got up out of bed and went in there, and there was this little tractor-trailer set that he had just fallen in love with at the store. He's seen it and said, 'I can't believe he bought this for me.' He was so cute."

As we get full swing into the Christmas spirit this week, we wanted to share what we believe are Reba's five finest Christmas songs to date.

This is so much fun. Reba made the song truly her own by singing her son's name "Shelby" (who was five at the time), in the lyrics leading up to the words, "I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus (kissing, kissing Santa Claus) / Underneath the mistletoe last night / She didn't see me creep / Down the stairs to have a peep / She thought that I was tucked up / In my bedroom, fast asleep."

This song is found on Reba's first Christmas album, "Merry Christmas To You," and has always been a classic song. It sounds like the song was written just for her. Many country stars, including Martina McBride, have done the classic. The traditional song was initially written in France in 1843 and was first translated into English in 1885.

Reba's version of this song, initially released by Dolly Parton for the movie The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, is quite good. Reba's record label at the time, Big Machine Records, pushed her version, and Reba even released a music video for her performance, singing in a silver dress on stage with a full band and Christmas trees. Reba's version appeared on her 2016 My Kind Of Christmas album.

From her first Christmas album, this classic Christmas song takes on a southern twang as Reba sings it with such conviction that it becomes her very own. This song seems like it was written in the 1800s, but it was actually written in 1945 and first recorded by Nate King Cole in 1946, in 1953, and once again in 1961. Cole's record label opposed him singing and recording the song for the first time in 1946, but he insisted.

Reba recorded this fun song for her 1999 Secret Of Giving album. It's a song not often done on Christmas albums, but Reba's version has such an infectious and fun vibe she makes it a classic. The song was written in 1864. The most notable recording of the song was by cowboy singer Gene Autry in 1953.