In the Loop with Andy Andrews

On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question about people who have a different style of communication than yours.

When you get down to the way people communicate, there are so many differences.

• I will never forget the time a friend and his wife were over at our house, and Polly called the boys twice to come greet the guests.
• I lean my head in the room and let them know their mother has called them twice and they need to get up.
• They both look at each other and they’re going, “Dad, she didn’t call us…” I ask the boys to go wash their hands and tell Polly that the boys say she didn’t call them.
• Our friend laughs and says, “That’s just a guy thing.”

There are differences between boys and girls.

• Our friends have two boys and two girls.
• They said all four of them can be watching TV and the girls will hear their mom calling, but unless she gets in front of the TV and gets the boys’ attention, their focus won’t be drawn away.

Tune in to the full episode for further insight on communication gaps, and to hear Andy’s hilarious account of his “genius” brother-in-law trying to explain the latest TV technology to a tech-averse Andy.

Questions for Listeners

Do you have a question? Call in and your question might be featured on the show!

• Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY
• E-Mail: [email protected]
• com/AndyAndrews
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On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question on how you can confidently pursue a deeply satisfying career path.

I have gone through several career phases as an adult, and I wonder if I’m still narrowing down my career path.

• There are some guiding factors for pursuing the right career.
• What would you do every day if money were no object?
• Once you figure that out, the next question is what value does that have for other people?
• It is important to like what you do, but if you’re the only one who likes that thing, you might have a hard time making a living out of it.

In today’s world, you can take what most people would consider a hobby and find value in it for other people.

• A lot of people move to a city like New York and try to break into an industry. They go up there and don’t know how to find an agent or a place to live.
• It occurred to me that I knew someone struggling in this area who had a lot of the answers for these kinds of problems.
• With the ease of creating a website these days, someone like this could sell the answers for these kinds of questions while still on the hunt for more information.

Tune in to the full episode to hear about Andy’s experience performing on cruise ships seven days a week, and how that trained him for what he does today.

Questions for Listeners

Do you have a question? Call in and your question might be featured on the show!

• Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY
• E-Mail: [email protected]
• com/AndyAndrews
• com/AndyAndrews

On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question about creativity and when you should go with your instincts or take others’ advice.

We all have people who we lay our stuff out for.

• There are a handful of people in my life who I will read something to occa
• I thought it was odd to read it out loud, but I’ve started hearing about a lot of authors who have a couple people they read to.
• It’s easier for an author just to read it himself, but when I read it out loud to someone, it lets me read in a different way than if I were alone or proofre
• If I can read it to you and you totally get it, then I know that if you read it, there won’t be any problem at all.

With almost every project there will be a point where I get a little too creative, and I don’t mean that in a good way.

• As a comedian, I wrote a joke that I thought was very funny (and I still think it’s funny).
• I tried it four or five times and it became very obvious that it’s not as good as I thought.
• If one or two out of ten don’t like something and you believe in it, stick to your guns.
• If eight, nine, or sometimes even six out of ten don’t like it, at least consider they may be on to something.

Tune in to the full episode to hear Andy’s “overly creative” joke; Andy’s biggest pet peeve when it comes to writing technique; and why “a good imagination is like a great stallion.”

Questions for Listeners

Do you have a question? Call in and your question might be featured on the show!

• Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY
• E-Mail: [email protected]
• Facebook.com/AndyAndrews
• Twitter.com/AndyAndrews

On this week’s episode, I answer a followup listener question on how Polly and I taught the boys to communicate to adults.

It was a very intentional process.

• Polly and I wanted to raise a boy who would turn into a 15-year-old young man; we wanted people in passing to be blown away by his maturity.
• Some people say “Yes, ma’am” and “Yes, sir” is just a regional thing, but don’t we know people in California who are from Georgia?
• After years of thinking this through, the reason to go through the extra trouble of making children say “Yes, sir” is because everyone who looks at this kid will think he is mature and respectful.

The opportunities for well-mannered kids are endless.

• There is a small percentage of people who think it’s disrespectful not to say, “Yes, sir.”
• People who don’t think it’s necessary won’t be offended by it.
• Why not make sure your children are showing respect to 100% of the people they talk to?
• Remember, manners are money!

We started teaching them to talk this way as soon as they could speak.

• When they would say, “No,” we would say, “No, sir?”
• They may not have been able to say the “Sir” in the beginning, but they eventually picked it up after hearing it whenever they said “Yes” or “”

Tune in to the full episode to learn more secrets to teaching kids good manners, and hear Andy SING! (He lets you in on “the height of a piggy’s ambition, from the day he is born…”)

Questions for Listeners

Do you have a question? Call in and your question might be featured on the show!

• Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY
• E-Mail: [email protected]
• com/AndyAndrews
• com/AndyAndrews

On this week’s show, we’re switching things up a bit and presenting an episode of random questions that will hopefully help us get to know Andy a bit more.

Andy talks a lot about how important laughter should be in people’s lives, so this week we asked him some random questions designed to be fun and funny—but also to really make him think:

• Who is your favorite songwriter right now?
• Who is your favorite author right now?
• What’s the best voice impression that you do?
• If you could have personally witnessed any event, what would you have wanted to see?
• What are three historical characters you considered including in The Traveler’s Gift but they didn’t make it?

Here’s a challenge for our listeners…what is an interesting question you’ve never heard addressed that you want to ask Andy?

Questions for Listeners

Do you have a question? Call in and your question might be featured on the show!

• Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY
• E-Mail: [email protected]
• Facebook.com/AndyAndrews
• Twitter.com/AndyAndrews

On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question on how the boys and I go out of our way to make sure Polly feels respected.

Before we get into some of the specific ways we honor Polly, let me tell you why we think these things are important in the first place.

• We want to provide an advantage for our children when they are adults.
• The way you act in your home and when you let your guard down is the way you will act in critical moments.
• We want to do the same positive things over and over again.
• There are little bitty things you can do to make your home a happier place.

I love asking HR people and CEOs how they narrow down their search for new managers.

• They’ll put the word out for a new position and let’s say you get 400 appli You bump most out immediately and have maybe 30 left.
• You’re now seriously looking at resumes. The next round of 6 to 10 people is personal interviews. Now you’re down to 3 people and they’re all basically the same on paper.
• You would be shocked at how many times their next step is, “I take them to dinner and watch them.” They will see who holds the door, who stands up when anybody comes to the table, how they shake hands, and how they treat the wait staff and each other.
• Everything you do matters.

Since a lot of the time Polly is preparing the food, she is the last one to the table.

• We will stand until she sits down and if she gets up, we will stand up again.
• Also, if we are out to eat and someone comes over to the table, the boys and I stand up whether it’s a man or woman because you are honoring the presence of that person.
• It may be unnecessary but it certainly is respectful.
• We also hold Polly’s chair.
• The boys learned at a very early age that ladies always go through the door

I’ve asked the boys, “How do you want your mom to feel? Do you want her to feel like the queen and that you respect and appreciate her so much?”

Tune in to the full episode to hear how to make sure your mother or wife knows you are thinking about her leading up to birthdays or holidays, and how to prepare your children to notice the kinds of things they should look for in a future spouse.

Questions for Listeners

Do you have a question? Call in and your question might be featured on the show!

• Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY
• E-Mail: [email protected]
• Facebook.com/AndyAndrews
• Twitter.com/AndyAndrews

On this week’s episode, I answer a very emotional listener question from the friend of a football coach who has lost his son.

Everybody has a worst time in his or her life.

• I can’t imagine that it gets any worse than losing a son or daughter.
• I have some understanding of the shock and grief; my parents both passed away at a young age.
• My mom’s passing was long and drawn out, and my dad’s was a call in the middle of the night.
• While your memories and longing will never go away, the awful grief that you feel right now will pass.

Since your friend is a football coach, let’s consider eternity to be the length of a 100-yard football field.

• You were with your son for 19 years.
• Let’s assume that you’re 40 and will live another 40 years.
• That 40 years is not even a blade of grass on the football field of eternity.

This sounds odd to say, but if my parents had lived a normal life span, I wouldn’t have ended up doing what I do.

• Everything that has happened in my life came about after being forced into a position where I had no options.
• I believe you will find so many people and families that will be transformed not only because of your son’s life, but because of your son’s short life.
• You will find a purpose in this.
• You will find a time when you will be oddly grateful that you were allowed the opportunity to deal with and learn from this.

Please tune in to the full episode where Andy references a previous In the Loop about finding peace when dealing with death and mentions some extremely inspirational songs he recommends listening to daily when times are tough.

Questions for Listeners

Do you have a question? Call in and your question might be featured on the show!

• Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY
• E-Mail: [email protected]
• Facebook.com/AndyAndrews
• Twitter.com/AndyAndrews

On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question on how to guide your thinking when beginning with the very best end result in mind.

I really believe that “the best” is an ever-expanding target.

• As your understanding of what is possible expands, your determination of what the best is will also expand.
• When people talk about best practices and industry standards, they’re talking about the way everybody has thought and operated for years.
• Don’t let your methods determine your Determine the destination first and then design the methods that will get you there.

The destination you determine should be the very best you can possibly imagine.

• If you imagine something that someone has done before, you’re shooting too low and need to go back to the drawing board.
• I’m trying to lay out a thought process with a goal so ambitious that I will be forced to come up with methods that will approach it.
• A shift in thinking creates a shift in choices and actions—and eventually results.
• If you want massive results with your family, finances or business, every single thing starts with your thinking.

Tune in to the full episode to hear what Andy considers his own “best” to be, and what promotional tactic he considers more valuable than advertising.

Questions for Listeners

Do you have a question? Call in and your question might be featured on the show!

• Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY
• E-Mail: [email protected]
• com/AndyAndrews
• com/AndyAndrews

On this week’s episode, we have renowned author Jerry Jenkins back with us for more laughs, and to compare notes with Andy on public speaking and how to deal with editors. He also gives us a preview of his latest book.

Andy is at the top of the public speaking game, but Jerry is also a sought-after public speaker.

• Jerry had always heard he should ask for an introduction that sets up what he’d be covering, and that mentioned he would be funny.
• Andy, in contrast, has learned that too big of an introduction before speaking gave the audience unrealistic expectations.
• “Under-promise and overproduce,” therefore, is one of many public speaking pointers Andy goes on to discuss.

Jerry is at the top of the writing game, but Andy is also a successful author and has some good questions for Jerry.

• Jerry’s asked how he comes up with endings, and the “Carol Burnett Show” “Saturday Night Live” approaches to ending sketches are debated.

• Jerry’s also asked if a 21-time New York Times bestselling author like himself still gets pushback from publishers on how to write (and how he deals with it when it does happen).

Jerry also addresses the interesting concept of why “nonfiction has to be unbelievable and fiction has to be believable.”

• Andy and Jerry both rely on detailed research to provide credibility for their stories and characters.
• Andy discusses his approach to writing about pivotal figures in history who are still obscure enough that most people have never heard their stories.
• Jerry, in turn, mentions the fun he’s had grilling experts about the future and getting to dream up things that sound like science fiction but will actually be reality soon.

Tune in to the full episode to hear Jerry’s synopsis of his brand new novel, Empire’s End, and to find out what he’s been doing at JerryJenkins.com that’s breaking down barriers for aspiring authors.

Questions for Listeners

Do you have a question? Call in and your question might be featured on the show!

• Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY
• E-Mail: [email protected]
• Facebook.com/AndyAndrews
• Twitter.com/AndyAndrews

On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question on how I’ve learned more about the Seven Decisions since writing The Traveler’s Gift.

I am kind of shocked that, at some point, most of the stuff I talked about in the Seven Decisions seminars were things I learned after writing The Traveler’s Gift.

• At first I thought of the concept of the principles like a rock, but now I think of it more like an onion.
• You can know how to use a principle, and change the world with it! But there are other layers that can be peeled away to expose new potential.
• It’s not enough to know what works; you have to know why it works.
• When you know why a principle works as it does, you can use it in different areas of your life or business—even when they seem to have no connection to one another.

A hallmark of successful people is that they always want to be better.

• That’s a healthy attitude to have, toward one’s self and one’s work.
• When you want to increase your effectiveness, a lot of it has to do with your mentality.
• Take golf, for example. There is a certain amount of talent that a person has to have to be a successful golfer, but what sets those at the highest level of the sport apart is usually something mental.

I really believe that no matter where you find yourself in life, there is more.

• When I started doing the Seven Decisions seminars, it was a 3-hour event, and I was using that time to explain everything I knew.
• Now, I could do at least an hour and a half on each decision.

Tune in to the full episode to hear how Andy’s golf cart ride with a golfing legend further illustrated to him that mentality can be more powerful than experience or expertise.

Questions for Listeners

Do you have a question? Call in and your question might be featured on the show!

• Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY
• E-Mail: [email protected]
• Facebook.com/AndyAndrews
• Twitter.com/AndyAndrews