Ryan Hurd Says Try Everything, Because Anything is Possible

Two years ago, Country music singer/songwriter Ryan Hurd was asked to share his personal motivational message to the graduating class of 2022. Hurd said to those in attendance "try everything." He added, "you don't have to know what you are going to do for the rest of your life right now. I was a Sociology major in college and now I'm a songwriter, so anything is possible."

If you were asked to deliver a half-hour of life advice to a group of future leaders, what would you share? What advice would you pass on that might make a huge difference in their lives?

My first instinct would be to share just a few of "under no circumstances never give up" stories.

Everyone knows the name Tiger Woods. The fact is that Tiger has been on top of the sports world and has also spent time in lowest valley. Somehow, he clawed his way back. At the top of his game, his back began giving him problems which resulted in major surgery, his marriage fell apart, his Father passed away, his marriage fell apart, many longtime corporate sponsors said goodbye and then he was involved in a near-fatal car crash.

Through it all Tiger never gave up hope.  Tiger said that prior to undergoing risky back surgery, he envisioned returning to the game of golf.  The biggest challenge came after his car crash when his medical team informed him that his leg may have to be amputated.  As we all probably know, Tiger did return to the game.

Tiger Woods never ever gave up.  Country music singer/songwriter Ryan Hurd reminded us that anything is possible.

Go get 'em tiger! God don't make no junk. You, yes you are awesome! Now go be awesome!

- 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.

Over the years, we've seen some really young country stars like LeAnn Rimes, who was just twelve when she hit country music stardom. Tanya Tucker, who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2023, was just 13 when her country music star began to rise, and she sang adult-themed songs that would make a trucker blush. Billy Gilman enjoyed country music stardom in the 1990s and he was just a teenager.

Maybe the most recent young country star was Mason Ramsey, who, at 12 years old In 2018, gained internet fame from a viral video of him yodeling "Lovesick Blues" by Hank Williams at a Walmart. Ramsey was later signed to Big Loud Records, the home of Morgan Wallen and HARDY.

Miranda Lambert was just twenty when she signed her record deal with Sony Nashville and began her rise to stardom. Carrie Underwood was just 22 when she won American Idol in 2005.

And, of course, there's Taylor Swift. She was just 16 when her debut album came out. Now, she  is arguably the biggest pop star in the world, and she's only 34. Swift was signed on to Toby Keith's record label when she was only 13. Taylor is like a prodigy, and let's face it, even before her teens, she was readying her musical career, and no one could imagine how far she would go.

In 2024, we don't have any teenagers making waves in country music headed for stardom just yet, we do have a handful of country music superstars who just recently completed their twenties, making them the youngest superstars in country music today. One of them is the current CMA Entertainer of the Year, who was only nine years old when she knew she would be a country star one day. A few more of them are major headliners selling out stadium shows almost every weekend all over the country.

HARDY has made quite a name for himself in country music as one of the most successful songwriters in Nashville, later becoming a headliner. In 2023, his opener was Lainey Wilson, who will kick off her headling "Country's Cool Again" Tour this summer. HARDY's "Wait In The Truck," which won numerous awards in country music in 2022 and 2023, catapulted him to stardom.

Before his star rose as an artist, he was best known for writing hit songs for Blake Shelton ("God's Country") and Morgan Wallen ("Sand In My Boots").

Lainey is country music's biggest star right now, having won the CMA's Entertainer of the Year award in November, with the likelihood she will win the same honor from the ACM in 2024. He star shot straight up as her hit songs started to pour out of her with the release of her album Bell Bottom Country. That album was named Album of the Year by the CMA and the ACM and a GRAMMY for Best Country Album.

Wilson can do no wrong as she readies her 2024 headlining tour, "Country's Cool Again." Recently, she has appeared on every national talk show, late-night show, and many TV tapings, including an Elvis Presley Christmas special in December from Graceland and a recent Pet fashion show on NBC with Dolly Parton to raise money for pets.

Lainey moved to Nashville before she was out of her teens and worked hard for eleven years before her country music dreams started to come true.

It's hard to believe how much success this guy has had since he did NOT win or even make the finals on NBC's The Voice (he only made the Top 20). Even with some controversy, Morgan managed to top record charts and break records at Billboard.

Wallen embarked on a stadium tour in 2023, and even though he had to cancel many shows because of vocal problems, fans still came out to fill stadiums after he returned to the road and to the stage.

In 2024, he has set his sights on playing Hyde Park In London after a successful run in Great Britain in December of 2023. That same month, he recorded songs at the famous Abbey Road Studios, which he had just released to rave reviews.

Kane is a young father of two with a baby boy on the way. Making his way to Nashville for Chattanooga a few years ago, he quickly became a superstar and is headlining the "In The Air" tour in 2024. One of the tour's openers is Tyler Hubbard, a guy Brown opened for early in his career for Florida Georgia Line.

Tyler told us, "It was incredible to watch him take on the challenge and grow a ton on that tour. Now, it's full circle. Now I'm getting to open up for him, and I watch him play, and I'm just like, 'Wow, he's really grown into something special.' He's just an awesome dude; he's a great artist. I think he has really found himself and knows who he is and what he wants to be."

Brown is working on new music, and a new album is coming soon. There is no stopping this guy from continuing to rise in country music and beyond.

Kelsea has had a few amazing years, including 2023, when she released her album Rolling Up The Welcome Mat after her divorce from fellow country singer Morgan Evans. That album, which she didn't tell her record label about until just weeks before she released it, was nominated for a GRAMMY in 2024 for Best Country Album.

She has become one of CMT's favorite hosts, signing on to host the popular award show again this year, making it the fourth time she has hosted the show in a row.

Ballerini also played her first headlining arena tour in Knoxville, her hometown, late last year, proving herself to be quite the performer. In 2023, she was also named in Time Magazine's 100 Next list. She has graced the cover of many fashion magazines in the last few years and even started her own makeup line at Cover Girl.