Recently in 2015, popular country artist Tim McGraw released a song with a very simple message that didn’t take much work to decipher what he was trying to say. The song I am talking about is called “Humble and Kind.” " Humble and Kind" speaks a simple way to stay true to yourself and others.

“Hold the door, say please, say thank you. Don’t steal, don’t cheat, and don’t lie...”

The first two lines of the chorus remind you that the little things count. These are the simplest of things to do. They take little to no effort and can be the difference to someone having a good or bad day. Think about it: You hold the door open for someone, they smile, and say “thank you.” How does that make you feel? Just making someone smile makes you a little happier. This act reinforces that what you did was a good thing, even though it was a simple little gesture, you feel a little better about yourself, and they feel a bit of gratitude for your few second of time you took out of your day to hold the door for them. You may think I’m crazy, but really think about how you feel the next time you hold a door for someone or a door is held for you. You might be surprised.

“Let yourself feel the pride, but always stay humble and kind.”

Any time I would do well in something for the first time, I always kept in my head “Act like you’ve done it before,” a phrase I had heard many times growing up. That doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate or be happy about it, but to not take your success in something and throw it out for all to witness. Be happy for yourself, celebrate a success, and remember that others have done well too. Even if someone else rubs their success in yours or another’s face, “stay humble and kind.” Just take it in stride.

“...Don’t expect a free ride from no one, don’t hold a grudge or chip and here’s why: bitterness keeps you from flying...”

The next line I really like reminds people that working for something has its own rewards, and that holding a grudge is not a healthy thing to do. Hard work has its own payoff. Going to bed tired from a long day’s work really is a good feeling. Going to bed without a grudge or poor feeling toward someone is another thing that has really good benefits. I’ve always been told that life is too short to hold a grudge. The past is the past; remember it, learn from it, but don’t hold on to it. Keep moving forward.

“...I love you ain’t no pick up line, so, always stay humble and kind...”

So often today you see people of my era together: dating, getting married, having kids. I’ve heard, first-hand, new couples beginning to say “I love you” to each other two weeks after they start dating. How would someone know that already? Only on rare occasions do people actually “love” each other that early on in a relationship. That’s why I never really understood how people could so easily say those three words that hold so much meaning to us on an emotional level. It really isn’t a pick up line, and I think that the phrase is quite overused in the beginning of many relationships.

This song really just speaks to the simple rules I grew up with, and I feel the same rules that many others were raised with too. It hits home to me, and the fact that its message is simple and said straight to the listener implies the simplicity the song is meant to impress upon you. I can’t express how much I like this song, and I feel kind of like a broken record, repeating how much I like this song. But, instead of just reading about how much I like it, you can view the official video by clicking this link:

Enjoy!