In this episode, we discuss a listener’s question regarding how to inspire kids to think outside the box and dream big. Kids need to be comfortable being different. Everyone wants different results, but no one wants to be different. Teach them how to deal with problems. Problems are a great way of connecting your kids with the things they want in life. We want our kids to be people who glide over the surface of the sea of troubles. Help them start thinking of problems as opportunities. Figure ou...
Mar 25, 2017•25 min
In this episode, we discuss a listener’s question regarding giving advice to his college-aged son. Children are in a lot of danger because of this. There’s a big difference between teaching how to think and what to think. The danger starts in elementary school. Kids need a lot of time with their parents. You can teach them how to think. It’s important to know what they think now and how they came to that conclusion. Tune in to hear about a conversation Andy had with his son’s principal. You can ...
Mar 18, 2017•28 min
In this episode, we discuss two listener questions regarding how to identify a reliable source and how to speak without notes. How to Find a Credible and Reputable Source Examine the “leaves” people drop. In The Noticer , Jones talks about how much you can learn about a tree from one of its leaves. The same is true for people. Look at someone’s actions long-term. Be in a constant state of thought and prayer. Hone your instincts so you can trust them when looking for truth. No one is always right...
Mar 11, 2017•30 min
In this episode, we discuss a listener’s question about helping two family members with different personality types get along and appreciate each other. When you don’t understand the different personality types, you tend to have trouble getting along with certain people. That makes it hard to be grateful for personality differences. Have conversations with them (but not to tell them what they’ve done wrong). Let them know how much you love and appreciate them. 2 things must be present for them t...
Mar 04, 2017•25 min
In this episode, we discuss a listener’s question about moving forward from a horrific childhood and mending broken relationships. Sometimes when you feel like something is holding you back—it’s actually you. This is good news, though, because you have control. There’s always someone out there who had it worse. Your past made you who you are today. You can use your story to give valuable perspective to others. God can take horrible situations and make great things out of them. Look for things to...
Feb 25, 2017•41 min
In this episode, we discuss a listener’s question about overcoming the pain of being homeless. Do you ever lose the pain of being homeless? You can lose the pain, but that doesn’t mean you’ll lose the memories. You can choose to focus on the good parts of a situation. People with a “glass-half-full” mindset naturally get more opportunities. Others think they are a joy to be around. Great things come out of times of hardship. You can choose to think about things that affected your life in a posit...
Feb 19, 2017•21 min
In this episode, we discuss a listener’s question on preparing girls to deal with boys who don’t treat them well. Prepare girls to be self-reliant. There’s a lot to be said for the teenager who doesn’t always have to be with a pack of kids. They should compare other boys to their father and how he treats their mother. This should be the minimum standard. Girls need to get good at politely turning down boys who don’t meet these standards. The perfect person is worth the wait. Don’t bow to the pre...
Feb 11, 2017•17 min
In this episode, we discuss a listener’s question about recognition and participation trophies. This participation thing is harmful to kids. There is a whole generation of people out there who don’t know what they’re good at or what they want to do. We don’t just want to raise great kids—we want to raise kids who become great adults. When you get to adulthood, it matters whether you win or lose. No one has ever been great at everything. God gives everyone a gift—and making people think they are ...
Feb 04, 2017•19 min
In this episode, we discuss a listener’s follow-up question to last week’s episode about being offended. Make sure no one in your family is easily offended. If you want to raise kids who become great adults, teach them not to take offense. You can never have the best for your family without knowing the truth. Easily offended people are often unwilling to have conversations about it or look at any other side. The truth is only one thing. Something can be true, but not the truth. The quality of yo...
Jan 28, 2017•27 min
In this episode, we discuss the impact one seemingly small thing has on our ability to move forward in our careers. Taking offense can keep you from success. When we take offense, it only produces a feeling. You ultimately choose whether you take offense to something or brush it off. Offended people often feed off their offense and their anger builds over time—and no one likes to be around angry people. This is a societal problem on a lot of fronts. We live in a world that is increasingly obsess...
Jan 21, 2017•29 min
In this week’s episode, a listener asks for Andy’s best advice for a first-time dad. People will tell you they’ll grow up fast…and that’s true. • As an older dad, Andy paid attention to every moment he could—and his boys still grew up fast. “Discipline them while they're young, or you’ll ruin their lives.” – King Solomon • Be harder on your children when they’re little so they know to follow your first request. • This will strengthen your relationship with them as they grow older. • They’ll lear...
Jan 14, 2017•25 min
On this week's episode, we discuss a listener's question on discerning when to persist and when God is closing a door. Persisting without exception means when there isn’t a way, you find a way. The Traveler’s Gift was turned down 51 times before it was finally published. Sometimes all you need is an idea, but you can’t get one if you quit. The quality of your questions determines the quality of your answers. Most people default to 3 main excuses when they hit a wall: money, time, and leadership....
Jan 07, 2017•32 min
In this week’s episode, we discuss the questions we’ve always wondered if there were answers for. Tune in this week to hear Andy’s take on questions like: • Why are there no B batteries? • Why aren’t there E’s on report cards? • Why does the Easter Bunny carry eggs? • And so much more! You can also hear more from Andy by subscribing to his new podcast, The Professional Noticer. Just go to AndyAndrews.com/podcast for details. Do you have a question for Andy? Call in and your questions might be fe...
Dec 24, 2016•26 min
In this episode, we discuss our favorite Christmas memories as children. Tune in this week to hear about… • When Andy’s family opens presents • Andy’s favorite gift and the story behind it • The role football plays in his holidays • How Andy’s parents did Christmas • Andy’s favorite Christmas movie and why • How different things were when Andy was a child Listen to the end to hear Andy’s favorite Christmas song! Merry Christmas! You can also hear more from Andy by subscribing to his new podcast,...
Dec 17, 2016•45 min
In this episode, we discuss the reason Andy wrote an article regarding the anniversary of Pearl Harbor. We study history to learn from our mistakes. It’s vital to see, as a country, what we did right so we can keep doing it—and what we did wrong so we can avoid it. It’s important to teach U.S. History to avoid an undercurrent of misinformation going throughout the country. Imagine the paths people would go down if they were learning from a lie, rather than learning from the truth. Most of our hi...
Dec 10, 2016•38 min
This week, I answer a listener’s question on what they should say to their nephew who has been in prison for a decade. Most people in prison think so much about getting out, they don’t know what to do when they finally are. • This leads to a huge amount of people who end up back in prison. • You can help them plan how they will achieve the life they want. • Let them know the opportunity they have to plan now, before they come back into society. Offer to be their life coach. • Let them know you’r...
Dec 03, 2016•25 min
In this episode, I answer a listener’s question on working with people on tenure who no longer do a good job. For the future of our country, we have to convince people there’s no free lunch. • Imagine if everyone had a checkmark beside their name so they couldn’t be fired—regardless of their performance. • Some people feel like they shouldn’t have to prove themselves year in and year out, but that’s what everyone else has to do. • While job security and comfort are nice, pressure is where we do ...
Nov 19, 2016•27 min
In this episode, our special guest, Cindy Monroe, reveals the secrets behind her massive entrepreneurial success. Cindy came up with her idea 13 years ago in Hixson, TN. • She saw boutiques popping up all over her town, but noticed they all closed at 6pm—right when women got off work. • She decided to create 31 Gifts, a direct sales company that sells handbags, jewelry, and other gifts for women. She grew her company and built raving fans by communicating her core values. • She wanted to help he...
Nov 12, 2016•28 min
In this episode, we discuss the best way to deal with people who are bitter. It’s important to understand the difference between a choice and a mistake. • A mistake is something like turning right at a stop sign when you were supposed to turn left, causing you to arrive late to a meeting. You can apologize for this. • A choice is something that was deliberately done, knowing it was wrong. You can’t apologize for this—you can only ask for forgiveness. After doing all you can do, the best way to d...
Nov 05, 2016•27 min
In this episode, I give advice to a listener who has a business meeting with a big-time buyer. Most people approach this situation by preparing to talk about themselves or their product. • Whoever you are meeting with already knows a lot about you or your product—otherwise you wouldn’t be meeting with them in the first place. • The person you are meeting with likely has 10 other meetings with people like you every week. People say yes to their friends. • You need to prepare for big meetings by l...
Oct 29, 2016•21 min
In this episode, we discuss when to challenge conventional wisdom and why it’s not always correct. Be careful believing something just because it’s said a lot. There is never really a time where you don’t want to challenge conventional wisdom, especially if it has been around a long time. There are several examples of conventional wisdom being incorrect. A popular belief is that someone will forget what you said and did, but will never forget how you made them feel. This isn’t true—people WILL r...
Oct 22, 2016•24 min
On this week's episode, we discuss how to ask for a raise the right way and whether you should use another job opportunity as leverage. Most people ask for a raise because they’ve been at the company for a long time. • This isn’t why you want to ask—it can make everyone uncomfortable. If you plan on using another job opportunity as leverage, you need to decide if it’s a real or potential opportunity—there is a huge difference. • Using a potential job offer as leverage has a lot of “pot holes” th...
Oct 15, 2016•18 min
On this week’s episode, we discuss how to overcome obstacles, make your own history, and leave behind a legacy of your own choosing. George Washington Carver accomplished an unbelievable amount during his lifetime—while living in one of the hardest times in history for African-Americans. • He discovered 266 uses for the peanut that we still use today, even though he was born into slavery. • Congress asked him to appear before them to discuss his work with peanuts—which was unheard of for an Afri...
Oct 08, 2016•29 min
On this week’s episode, we discuss how to vote even when you don’t like either of the candidates. This election is not about who you will see on TV—it’s about the Supreme Court. The next president, without a doubt, will choose at least 2 (if not 5) Supreme Court Justices because of the ages of these people. How do you feel about abortion or guns? Your stance should decide how you vote. It doesn’t really matter what the candidates say about immigration or taxes because they can’t do that much wit...
Oct 01, 2016•35 min
On this week’s episode, we discuss the proper way to deal with employees who bad-mouth a client and why it’s so important to do it quickly. SO much time and money is lost by people who are too patient with bad apples. Bad apples don’t become good just because they rub up against good ones—just the opposite is true. The client (or customer) is the #1 priority—there is no excuse for employees who complain about, are annoyed with, or bad-mouth them. If it were me, I’d get rid of the bad apples as f...
Sep 24, 2016•22 min
On this week's episode, I discuss the importance of the type of things we "feed" our mind. What we listen to and watch could potentially be damaging. If something is going to be in your mind anyway, why not choose what goes in? Some people don't want to learn—they just want to know what they already know. If life was a stream, you could go upstream, downstream, or tread water. If you aren't going upstream, you actually are going downstream (whether you are aware of it or not). We want to be the ...
Sep 17, 2016•35 min
On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question on how to be successful in sales situations. I want to go to ground-zero with you. If you’re in sales, you have been told by your sales manager that if you build a relationship, you will make a sale. You know it’s true, but you should ask yourself why it’s true. If you build a relationship with someone and they become your best friend, not only are they never going to do business with anybody else, they’re going to talk about you in glowing te...
Sep 10, 2016•37 min
On this week’s episode, a long time listener asks for my thoughts on giving kids an allowance. It is VERY important to give your children a great foundation in finances. • Most people that I see (but not everyone) give their kids a regular allowance because they are a kid and that’s just what kids get. • Some people say that an allowance is for doing chores, but my thought is that my kids are going to do chores because they get to live here. That’s just part of being a member of the family. What...
Aug 27, 2016•29 min
On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question regarding the infamous dead-end job and whether or not it is worth it to take a pay cut for a “white-collar” job. Times have changed, but people are still stuck in the old way of thinking. Decades of old thinking has made people think they are worth way less than they actually are. People still aspire to have a college education and a desk job, even if it doesn’t turn out to be as profitable as other alternatives. If money wasn’t an object, wh...
Aug 20, 2016•20 min
On this week’s episode, a recently retired teacher and principal asks what to do when you’ve lost your purpose. She spends time with her kids and grandchildren, but after 45 years in education no longer feels needed. By understanding the butterfly effect, you could make a case that an afternoon with a grandchild could make as much difference long-term as an hour with a stadium full of people. Time spent with a grandchild is precious—not just for them, but for all of us. You are shaping the world...
Aug 13, 2016•22 min
