Imagine living your life 30 years to the future, but in between that great span of time, there’s that gnawing question of what could be the things that you’ll achieve before reaching that point, or if will you even reach that point at all. Hence the title, “My Next Thirty Years” by Tim McGraw which hits its 20th year anniversary since release marking July 17, 1999.
20 Years of Rank, Glory, and Lessons
“My Next Thirty Years” was composed and recorded by Phil Vassar, an American country artist and hailed as Country Songwriter of the Year in 1999 by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). His composition was then sent to Tim McGraw to be the 5th track in his 1999 album “A Place in the Sun” and later ranked top 24 in Billboard’s Country Music Charts.
Critiques gave the piece positive reviews and ranked it as an A-grade song. Country Universe’s Kevin John Coyne states that “the track captures the feeling of settling into who you’re going to be and the growing confidence that you’re really an adult and that you’ve somewhat established yourself.”
From the Listeners’ Standpoint
Among many listeners and admirers, their interpretation of the song is unanimous. It portrays the artist’s mind traveling back into the past and thinking how his life could have had better outcomes if he’d made good decisions. Realizing that he could not change his life from the past, he sets to look 30 years forward. Having an ideal picture of life in mind, he does everything he can to attain his goals.
Like Tim McGraw’s song, in order to fully establish ourselves and realize our unending potential in the future, we cannot simply just linger on the past. But what we can do is to ponder on it, think of the lessons learned, then using that stockpile of mishaps that pulled you back several times, go grab that great goal that you’ve been dreaming of.
But as Tim McGraw’s album celebrates his album’s 20th anniversary, what could he be doing to reach his 30-year vision? That we don’t really know, but what we do know is that he has put up an effort in rigorous training and exercise.
A few years after his 1999 record release, his mental and physical health was severely affected due to over-fatigue. As a father of three, he then decided to not only focus on his music career but also invest in his mental and physical health. Now we see him as an influencer and a bodybuilder, but at the same time, he published a book “Grit and Grace”. By being a legendary country artist and an influencer, he can easily persuade people to put effort into their mental health through his personal testimonies.