In the Loop with Andy Andrews

Andy offers an encouraging perspective on the approaching presidential election and gives listeners bits of wisdom they can apply in political conversations. He also tackles the all-important question—for whom should we vote?

One thing that everyone agrees with, everyone should be told the truth.

• The next question is, what is the truth? What’s your truth, my truth, his or her truth? There is a variation on the theme of truth.
• There is only one truth, and the truth defines itself. The truth will also define someone who works within those parameters.

The two reasons why most people don’t vote:

• People don’t feel like their one vote will make any difference.
• By the time the election comes around, people have poor opinions on both candidates because the person whom they wanted didn’t receive a nomination.

Things to consider when determining for whom to vote:

• This is not about an election as much as it’s about a direction and where our country is headed.
• Examine what you believe, and measure that against what the candidates believe.
• Knowing the difference between being moral and doing what’s right in action.
• A good leader is much like a good parent. Meaning, you’re not concerned with what the child wants right now more than what’s going to be best for the child long term. They have the ability to look down the road and tell the child what they may not want to hear right now, but what we know is the best decision for their future.

Questions for Listeners

• What factors do you consider when looking at political candidates?

o Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY

o E-Mail: [email protected]

o Facebook.com/AndyAndrews

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This week’s episode is short, but laughter is guaranteed! Hear Andy sing the three “alternate” versions of everyone’s favorite hymn, “Amazing Grace.” This has become something audiences across the country request from him.

Questions for Listeners

• How do you discipline your children when they misbehave? What problems have you encountered?

o Phone: 1-800-726-ANDYo E-Mail: [email protected] Facebook.com/AndyAndrewso Twitter.com/AndyAndrews

What legacy are you leaving? Andy and A.T. discuss this subject as well as some great listener feedback.

Most people never get a standing ovation.

• By helping others and adding value to other people we, in a sense, are giving them a “standing ovation.” The ripple effect of your actions will impact others in ways that you may never know.

How do we create a legacy?

• Know that everyone leaves a legacy, but not every legacy is a good one
• You start right now
• You need to read material that adds value
• Start living your life intentionally
• Catch people doing something right

Build on what you are so:

• Those who come behind you learn from your example
• Others can learn from what you know
• Others know why you make the choices you make
• Others know how you make the choices you make

Write principles that have been important to you down to pass on after you’re gone.

Questions for Listeners

• How are you creating your legacy? What are you doing on purpose to add to it?

o Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY

o E-Mail: [email protected]

o Facebook.com/AndyAndrews

o Twitter.com/AndyAndrews

This week, special guest Dan Miller discusses the bold claims he has made about wisdom, passion, and finances in his new book, Wisdom Meets Passion, with Andy and AT. Dan’s new book is a “different kind of book”• Dan is known as a “career guy,” but this book falls under a different category• This book is about finding your passion and building a career around it• It compares and contrasts Dan’s perspective with his son’s, who lives in KenyaThe crux of the book is wisdom meets passion• They are trying to remind people that we have to have wisdom and passion no matter where we are• One without the other is meaningless• No matter how old you are, you can discover your wisdom and your passion and how to integrate the twoAndy thinks that the greatest book or product or song that somebody puts out is one where you don’t even have to know who the author or artist is to like it• He thinks Ken’s book is one of those cases• The book would work extremely well for companies across the country to give to their employees• Companies need to understand that the younger generation wants to do something that is close to their heart and is something that they truly care about• They don’t necessarily care as much about having a Mercedes in the drivewayDan and his son, Jared, have very different lifestyles, but they believe in exactly the same things• That’s how we need to be as people• We don’t need to be at odds with people of different generations, denominations, countries, and cultures• If we understand each other’s hearts we will see that we want a lot of the same things, but we let a few ancillary things divide usThe book makes some bold claims, like “never get a job with benefits” and “hourly pay will make you poor”• A friend of Ken’s who plays guitar professionally was told by his father to never get a job with benefits• The meaning behind it was that safety nets will keep you from really pursuing your passion with everything you have• In regard to hourly pay making you poor, Dan says that we shouldn’t listen to the conventional way of thinking that says you get paid a set amount one time every time you fulfill a task• Instead, we should look for things that have no ceiling, unlimited upside• We should look for something that we can do once and then get paid 10,000 times for it—there are ways to leverage your expertise that open the door to financial benefits most people never even think aboutDan’s book will be released in stores everywhere on August 28. You can pre-order the book now by clicking here. At 48Days.com, they will be introducing some special offers that you can also get. Questions for Listeners• Are you living your passion? If you are, how are you able to do so? o Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY o E-Mail: [email protected] o Facebook.com/AndyAndrews o Twitter.com/AndyAndrews

This week, AT shares some good news and asks Andy to answer the most difficult listener question they’ve ever received.

Andy and AT share some good news:

• You can get seven free letters from Andy’s previously unavailable Storms of Perfection book by signing up for the free e-mail list on AndyAndrews.com.

AT shares what he calls the “toughest question ever asked on the podcast.” Rebecca writes:

• Andy, the area of parenting I have trouble with the most is making more quality time with my children. I’m a mother of two and since the first day my child was born I have wanted to quit my job and become the manager of my home.
• The problem is my student loans. I’m a lawyer, and my education cost a lot of money. It does not seem feasible to quit my job until the student loans are paid off. Even with aggressive payments, the loans won’t be paid off for another three and a half years. By then, my children will be in school, so there will be no point in staying at home.
• Right now, I struggle with how to make the most of the time I have with my children. It’s hard not to become bitter about the decision I made about my education 10 years ago. Any insight you could provide would be appreciated.

In a way, this is a problem Andy is struggling with right at this very minute, though he certainly isn’t comparing their situations.

• In two weeks, the summer is over and school will start for his two boys, who are 10 and 12. Unfortunately, Andy is past his deadline on the book he is writing.
• He’s getting up at 3:30 AM and going somewhere else away from his house to write so that he isn’t tempted to spend time with his family instead of writing.
• He’s coming home for dinner every night exhausted. He’s very aware that he’s going to be writing for the rest of Austin’s last summer before he becomes a teenager.

Right now, he’s thinking things like:

• It’s never going to be like this again.
• I could have gotten this done earlier.
• I’ve screwed up with how I’ve spent my time.

However, we live in the present and we have to deal with the choices we’ve made in the past. Andy’s not trying to compare what he’s going through to the seriousness of her situation, but he wants to give Rebecca some “straight talk,” what Jones would call “perspective.”

• We can’t do anything about the decisions we have already made. We just have to live with them. We’re not made with the ability to make right decisions all the time. We don’t know what the future consequences of our choices will be. Once we make choices, it’s part of our duty to go about making those choices right.
• The two things she’s not lacking are the money to pay the loans off and a time frame in which to pay them. All she is lacking is an idea. One idea changes everything.

The perspective Andy wants her to have is the same kind of perspective that he and Polly had after Hurricane Ivan destroyed their home.

• It was going to take two years just to even get back inside the house. Two years just to get a certificate of occupancy.
• Three weeks after the hurricane, Polly had a miscarriage. They had a four-year-old and a two-year-old. They moved to three different rental houses during the time. It was a bad time.

During that time, they thought things like:

• I can’t believe we have to put our kids through this.
• I can’t believe they have to spend all this time moving and uprooting our family instead of doing “kid stuff.”

But there was another way to look at this “bad” time:

• At least it happened while the kids were young, because everything was an adventure to them.
• Even the new bathtub in a rental house was amazing to them because they could race their cars in it.
• This would not be the case had they been teenagers.

The point is that Rebecca’s situation is probably bothering her a lot more than it’s bothering the children.

• Since her real concern is with them and not with herself, she can afford to lighten up on herself a little bit.
• Understand that she can find quality experiences that will trump any amount of “regular” time a lot of parents spend with their kids.
• A lot of parents are home at 5 o’clock in the afternoon and they’re home all night long. But all they do is sit in their chair, tell everyone to be quiet, watch the news.
• Lots of families don’t even eat dinner together.

There are things you can do to make ordinary experiences extraordinary, especially for little kids.

• Right now, Andy is writing in one of those houses they rented after the hurricane. So, last night, they came to visit him before they went to bed and the boys were running around and talking about all the memories from the old house.
• They had those good memories because, during the awful time when Andy and Polly were worried about everything, they didn’t let the kids see that. They still made sure to create extraordinary moments for the kids during that time.

Andy asks Rebecca: What will your kids remember about this tough time in your life?

• Her kids are going to remember that they had a mom who worked hard when they were little so that when they were older she could really be there for them.

Questions for Listeners

• What is an example of an extraordinary moment you created for a child or a parent created for you when you were a child?

o Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY

o E-Mail: [email protected]

o Facebook.com/AndyAndrews

o Twitter.com/AndyAndrews

After listening to the Father’s Day podcast a reader responded with an idea she does with her children:

• She writes letters to her kids each year that will be given to them at a later date.
• It’s a way of adding value to children before they are aware of anything being done.
• Knowing that they will go through tough times in the future, having a way to say, "I love you and I have always loved you," can have a lasting impact.

Another listener question: What makes you (Andy) most satisfied in life?

• Personally, knowing that he's done what he can that day and that God is proud of him.
• That he provided for his family and added value to them.
• Professionally, creating value for other people through writing & speaking.
• Hearing how what he's done has impacted others gives him satisfaction.

Reading The Perfect Moment:

• His intention with writing the eBook was to help people become aware of those moments in life that all too often slip past us.

After the Father’s Day podcast, a listener wrote in with a personal story. Andy's thoughts in response:

• Great perspective on life in tough times.
• Having reminders of joy to look at to help get through those tough times.
• The pictures that we love the most are often not posed, but rather moments that were captured.
• You have to laugh because life will be hard. You still have to lead your family.
• Everyone acts right when things are going well, but what your family will remember will be the way you acted during a tough time.
• All the defining stories about great leaders come from the tough times they encountered and how they handled themselves and got through them.
• We know that there are going to be crises, but when they come we can know how we're going to act, think, and respond to those crises. It can all be decided. It's a choice.

After the interview with Michael Hyatt, a listener commented that the podcasts are an on-going value, "It's the gift that keeps giving if you go back and listen again and again." Andy responds:

• It's great hearing how these interviews are impacting others.
• If you (the listener) are receiving value, then please pass it on to others who may benefit as well.

A listener who read The Noticer and found value in learning from what other great people have written asks Andy what books he recommends people to read

· You can find Andy’s recommended reading list by clicking here.

Questions for Listeners

• For all the parents out there, what challenges do you struggle with as a parent?

o Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY

o E-Mail: [email protected]

o Facebook.com/AndyAndrews

o Twitter.com/AndyAndrews

This week, Andy highlights the lessons we can take away from the Olympics and apply to our own lives.

Why are we so compelled to watch the Olympics?

· They give us more than normal sports do the rest of the other four years.

· They mark times in our lives. Everyone has memories connected to the Olympics.

· The Olympics give us a glimpse into the private lives of those who have amazing discipline.

Nothing great happens without discipline.

· Business

· Raising children

· Sports

· Writing

· Anytime you see anyone who has accomplished anything great, you find that they have great amounts of discipline.

Why watch the Olympics?

· You will find a "hero," someone who will be highlighted everywhere. Someone you will admire.

· To see real life examples of people who went out and created success without anyone else paying them to do what they were gifted to do. In spite of challenges, they still succeeded.

While having a conversation with his son after his son’s guitar lessons, Andy illustrated the challenges that one might face as they pursue something they are passionate about.

· The fear of not being any good.

· There is already so much out there, why should anyone want what I have?

· More than just passion, you need to have something that offers value to others and helps them.

· Once you have success, it can be hard to get out there and push yourself again to be better.

· Once you learn the process of being successful in one area of life, you can then apply that to every other area of life when you encounter hard situations.

· Once you've accomplished something great, the world will see it because there are not a lot of other people doing it.

Few people do something great with their lives because when things get hard they think:

· That it's just not for them.

· This is God telling me that I should do something else.

· This is hard, so it must not be something that I can do.

Most people will not ever have success because:

· They avoid challenges.

· They don't push themselves.

· They don't like conflict.

· They make excuses.

The Olympics gives you the example of people who fought through all the excuses to arrive where they are today. It also gives parents the opportunity to teach their kids what it takes to be successful in life.

Questions for Listeners

· What would you like to hear on future episodes of In the Loop? Let us know!

o Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY

o E-Mail: [email protected]

o Facebook.com/AndyAndrews

o Twitter.com/AndyAndrews

This week’s special guest, Melinda Leake, is a middle school English teacher from Tennessee who has integrated Andy’s books into her classroom. She discusses the potential that the books can unlock in young people.

Three summers ago, Melinda had an emergency appendectomy and was hospitalized for 10 days.

· Around day seven, she was in a state of depression.

· She was looking out a window and realized that her perspective was totally wrong. She saw all the people in the hospital who were worse off, and realized she had many amazing things in her life.

· When she got out of the hospital, she and her family went on vacation to the gulf.

· While in a local bookstore in Seaside, she saw The Noticer and decided to pick it up, especially once she noticed the subtitle—“Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective.”

· That book is what caused her to fall in love with Andy’s writing.

She realized there were lessons that, not only adults, but also kids could take away from The Noticer.

· She used it in her classroom and the kids absolutely loved it.

· They shared the book with their parents and friends and grandparents.

· She has gone on to teach The Young Traveler’s Gift, The Traveler’s Gift, The Heart Mender, and How Do You Kill 11 Million People?

· Teaching is a lot different now. It used to be about just pouring knowledge in. Now, it’s about preparing kids to enter a society that doesn’t really want to know everything they know…they want to know what the kids can actually do with what they know. And Andy’s books show kids how they can actually do things.

Andy asks, “What do you actually do with the books in your class?”

· She sets the stage for what the students are about to read.

· With The Heart Mender, they learn a lot about WWII and what the country and world was like during the time in which the book is set.

· They explore the books’ characters.

· Then, they simply start going through the book together.

· The quotes from the books that can be applied to the kids’ lives are huge for her.

A lot of the concepts in Andy’s books are things that all adults wish they had known when they were younger.

· The books can set teenagers up to make better choices as they get older.

· Wisdom, worry, and the love dialects are all huge concepts that Melinda’s students have latched onto when they read The Noticer.

There are free curriculums on AndyAndrews.com/Education that teachers can use to plan or supplement lessons about each book. There are also large quantity discounts available for educators.

Questions for Listeners

· Have you seen Andy’s books have a positive impact on a young person’s life? Tell us about it!

o Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY

o E-Mail: [email protected]

o Facebook.com/AndyAndrews

o Twitter.com/AndyAndrews

In honor of Andy Griffith’s passing, Andy and A.T. discuss The Andy Griffith Show and what it can teach modern families.

How did The Andy Griffith Show have an impact on Andy growing up?

· He watched the show with his family. They would laugh and be entertained and have a good time while they watched.

· At the end of the show, Andy’s dad would always say, “Now what was the moral of that show?”

· There was always a bit of wisdom or a lesson in every episode, and those lessons still hold up to this day.

· Andy thinks the first 5 years of The Andy Griffith Show was the best programming in the history of television.

· To this day, Andy and his family will still quote lines from the show to each other.

· The show was still the number one show in the nation when Andy Griffith left it after eight years.

The show had a very natural sense of comedy.

· Opie was funny in the way kids in real life are actually funny.

· That’s not what kids on modern sitcoms are like. Now, they try to make the kids seem smarter than the adults and wittier than actual comedians.

Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers) talked about the responsibility that people on television have for what they produce.

· A.T. is finding that it’s harder and harder to find quality programming for his children on TV, especially because of what is shown on commercials now.

· The Andy Griffith Show is a great alternative that families can still enjoy on TV.

· The atmosphere and sense of community on the show is something that Andy and Polly are trying to create for the environment in which their boys grow up.

· Andy really encourages moms and dads to get this show to watch with their family.

· Season four is the best, and season three is awesome too.

Andy’s Top 10 episodes of all time:

· “Citizen’s Arrest”

· “The Pickle Story”

· “Man in the Middle”

· “Barney and the Governor”

· “The Loaded Goat”

· “Opie the Birdman” (one of the best father/son discipline moments of all time)

· “Ernest T. Joins the Army”

· “Mountain Wedding”

· “Haunted House”

· “A Black Day for Mayberry”

Questions for Listeners

· Do you have an idea for a future show, or just a question you’d like Andy to answer? Let us know!

o Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY

o E-Mail: [email protected]

o Facebook.com/AndyAndrews

o Twitter.com/AndyAndrews

Pierce Marrs, the voiceover for In the Loop, is the guest on this week’s podcast. Pierce is a big part of what has made this podcast successful.

Pierce met Dan Miller (who has also been a guest on the podcast) about four years ago. He met A.T. through Dan.

· Pierce is the person who first introduced A.T. to Andy’s books.

· He told A.T. he had to get The Traveler’s Gift.

Pierce has been pretty much on his own since the age of 16 when his parents divorced.

· Throughout his life, he has encountered “Jones”-like mentors who taught him to make good decisions.

· Pierce has spent the last few years teaching people sales techniques and how to serve people.

· He thinks serving people is becoming a lost art in our country.

· Most people miss the idea that service is the key to success and leadership. It seems like a contradiction to most, but it’s not.

· We are all in sales, regardless of our profession. We are all trying to get people to buy into something.

Sometimes our worst times become our best times.

· The pits of our lives exist to make us become something better.

· If you read about the lives of great people, you will discover that their greatness was born from situations in life they never would have chosen.

“Sales” isn’t about getting someone to buy something.

· It’s about communicating a thought process to someone.

· The goal is to put value into people’s lives, regardless of whether money is involved or not.

Pierce has started a new podcast about the television show Shark Tank.

· The podcast came out of conversations Pierce was having with a high school friend after watching each episode of the show.

· They discuss communication, sales, and leadership skills based on the concepts from the show.

· This podcast is a great example of starting a business basically from nothing.

You can find Pierce at MarrsCoaching.com and VoiceFromMarrs.com. Check him out!

Questions for Listeners

· What are you trying to “sell” to others? What techniques have proven successful?

o Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY

o E-Mail: [email protected]

o Facebook.com/AndyAndrews

o Twitter.com/AndyAndrews