In The Loop With Andy Andrews

On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question on what people should be looking for in a presidential candidate.   Have you ever known something but later found out you were wrong? Is it possible you know what’s best? The best is the truth. Things can be true in a certain context, but not the whole truth. When people find what is true to them, they stop searching and don’t go any farther. You can know the truth and not accomplish the best, but you will never accomplish the best without the truth.   The only time most people ask ‘why’ is when things aren’t working. When they get the answer, they don’t ask anymore. Always keep asking ‘why’—about the things that are working as much as you ask ‘why’ about the things that are not. Only a principle can provide a bottom line or the truth. Principles work every time, whether you know them or not.   A wise person knows when a compromise will be useful or foolish. Wise compromises are made with opinions. You get 100% of the value of the compromise. When you

On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question on balancing between our work lives and family lives.   Sometimes to get a balance in your life, you have to fall out of balance a little bit. You’re going to have to go over to the other side to get it balanced. Don’t be afraid to move swiftly and make things happen quickly. I see just as many families knocked out of balance by little league, basketball, and soccer as I do from Dad working. Answer the question, “What do we want to happen?” Define what you’re after. What do we want it to look like?   When Austin was playing baseball, it was hard for all four of us to get together. A lot of people would say, “Well, are we not going to let them play this? All their friends are playing. Everybody is playing.” Let me remind you what your momma used to say. “You aren’t everybody.” The end result of what everybody is doing can be a pretty average result. If you think that allowing one child to play one sport is worth scattering your family to the edges of the

On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question on beating depression and making the choice to be happy instead.   I think a lot of people have been depressed, and a lot of time for good reason. Even though something is very real, how we deal with it beyond medication is also very effective and real. If you understand that you can make choices that will lead you down a path of disaster, you can also understand that choices can lead you to great places. Choices come from your thinking, and you have been created with a will that is stronger than your emotions.   How you act has great bearing on how you feel. If you don’t believe it, go sit in a chair by yourself, stare at a wall, let your back slump, take shallow breaths for an hour, and see how you feel. There is one thing that I want to make sure my boys are good at before they leave home, and that is for them to understand they can choose how to act—despite how they feel.   Tune in to hear specific ways you can start making yourself feel better fro

On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question on why we push people to succeed when failing is what leads to learning.   Success is your destination, but we should also create value from every part of the journey. My smart-aleck answer is that you push people to succeed because you don’t want to push them to fail. What we want to do is reach a destination defined by a successful conclusion to something.   However, there is value in getting lost along the way. There is no weaker leader than someone who has only succeeded in certain things and has gotten to where they are relatively easily. A strong version of leadership enables a person to say, “I know how you feel because this happened to me, and this is what came about because of that.” The ultimate goal isn’t to focus on the failure but to make sense of it and gain proper perspective.   Most people travel through their lives along the path of least resistance. There is a push for success that can make people fearful of any kind of failure. A ba

On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question on how I come to a decision when there are many different determining factors to consider.   There are three questions that I ask to determine major decisions. Is this something that will be good for God? It cannot be in God’s will for me to do if it’s not good for God. Will this help people who are hurting? My mission in life is to help people live the lives that they would if they only knew how to do so. People who are not living the life they would like to are hurting, frustrated and stressed. Will my take on it be unique enough to make a difference for people?   Smart people can’t help but play a little chess when they are having a conversation or being asked for advice. Most times when I’m seeking wisdom from a person, I don’t ask the question straight out. I ask around it. I want to find out what they think about certain areas and give stories of their experience in ways they’ve used to make decisions like this. Your bottom line is you are seeking

On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question on allowance, tithes, and savings.   You should become a person who studies parenting whether you have kids or not because it has to do with employee/employer relations, sales, and almost every form of society. Parenting is the fulcrum that society tilts upon. If we want our children to achieve great things as an adult, we must be responsible, calm, and able to provide an understanding of how things work.   We don’t give the boys money for anything. They do chores and their reward is they get to live in our house. That is being part of the family. We sometimes give them gifts, but if something is not taken care of, it’s not just about the money, it’s about what the money represents.   God commands us to give. If we look at money as a blessing, giving the first of it is saying we trust there will be enough. I have lived very close to the bone a number of years and I must say that when Polly and I started tithing, it was really at the insistence of Poll

On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question on how to create a life by design based on the talents and gifts you’re given.   This question has an obvious answer that I overlooked for a number of years. Talents and skills are two different things. Josh Groban’s vocal gifts are a God-given talent. My ability to juggle is a skill I developed. It’s important to know the difference. And before you polish your talents or hone your skills…   FIRST look at where you want to go, THEN work with the talents and skills that will get you there. There’s not a single pathway you can take that will work like you want it to if you don’t know where you want to go in the first place! Even when you know where you want to go, the pathway will never take you to that destination in a straight line. We’re most effective when we’re flexible. Life’s pathways shift; you need to build muscle in different areas to prepare for those shifts. Then work with some faith and your end result in mind; once you know where you’re going

On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question on finding the right fit when choosing a school for your kids.   The 7th and 8th grade years are critical It’s when kids are really deciding what they believe and who they think is cool. There is not a more critical time to create a great relationship with your child. We homeschooled Austin in the 7th and 8th grade, and some people might say that homeschooling is not preparing someone for the real world. If you met Austin now, you might think that he seems more mature than some of his peers.   The social aspects of high school seem to be incredibly important to parents who look back on high school as being the best time of their lives. If everything was downhill from high school, you’re probably dying for your kid to go to every party and social event. However, you’re in high school a very short time; the rest of your life should be more important and get better and better. How do you want your kids socialized? Do you want them to adopt different standar

On this week’s episode, we’re switching things up and discussing a few of the “Andy Hacks” I use to save time and money.   Tune in this week to hear about… The correct way to peel a banana. The story of cutting my own hair for the first time—and how and why I continue to do it for myself, the boys, and others. How Austin and Adam figured out how to peel pears with a power drill. How I created a pair of reading glasses when each eye has a different prescription.   We would love to hear some of your life hacks! Send them in an email to InTheLoop@AndyAndrews.com.   Questions for Andy Would you like to run something by Andy? Contact us and your question might be featured on the show! Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY Email: InTheLoop@AndyAndrews.com Facebook.com/AndyAndrews Twitter.com/AndyAndrews

On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question about dating and when it’s time to give your children “the talk.”   This week’s question is from a parent with two boys, so let me start by saying… I don’t think there’s anything more important in relationship-building than to tell those two boys how brothers act. Tell them your house is a laboratory they can use to become the kind of adults who can deal with all kinds of people after navigating through sibling disagreements.   There’s going to be plenty of time for boys to be wild-eyed about girls. 5th grade is not the time to press the dating issue. If your child has a friend of the opposite sex, don’t take them somewhere and tell them they are on a date. In my opinion, you are forcing something into this child’s head before it’s time.   You always want to have an open dialogue with your kids. I urge you to watch them closely, and watch the parents of your kids’ friends closely. Ask questions. Boys are much more comfortable talking while they’re do

On this week's episode, I answer a listener question on how to identify a principle and overcome the doubt of making it work.   A principle is something that works every time. It’s the foundational truth. It’s not just true. It is the truth. Principles work whether you know of them or not. You don’t have to understand or even agree with it, but ignorance of principle is no protection from the consequences of violating that principle.   If you took a blind person who didn’t have any idea what an elephant was and you said, “Here’s an elephant. Make your determinations…” Well, if they are standing in the front and the person touched the trunk, they would say an elephant is kind of like a snake. If they grabbed onto a leg, they might say it’s like a tree trunk. Everything they said is true—it just wouldn’t be the truth. The more wisdom you gain about principles and the more you align with them in your life, the easier your life will become and the easier it will be to have a level of belief about where you’re

On this week’s episode, we’re celebrating the Christmas season by talking about some of my favorite (and not-so-favorite) traditions.   Tune in this week to hear about… Where the Andrews family will be for Christmas Jesus’s birthday party Austin’s and Adam’s letter to Santa Claus My favorite and least favorite Christmas foods Movies that I love (and some I’ve grown tired of) And last but not least, my favorite Christmas books and albums   I also wanted to share one of my favorite Christmas songs this year. It is Kenny Rogers performing the song Children, Go Where I Send Thee with a cappella group Home Free.   Merry Christmas!   Questions for Andy Would you like to run something by Andy? Contact us and your question might be featured on the show! Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY Email: InTheLoop@AndyAndrews.com com/AndyAndrews com/AndyAndrews

On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question about online resources that can help awaken the outdoorsman in you and your kids.   I am not a fly fisherman, but Adam has really become interested in it. He’ll go on YouTube and search for different fly fishing topics and show me what he’s learning. My favorite channel on YouTube is called GrowingDeer.tv If you’re a deer hunter, or really just an outdoorsman, it covers a lot of topics like feeding, nutrition, what to do with your land, predator control, etc. It’s produced by wildlife biologist Dr. Grant Woods and is a great testament to the spirit of entrepreneurship. I see such a great dad and husband in him. There are probably 40 or 50 hunting shows on TV, and GrowingDeer.tv on YouTube is by far better than any of them.   I can’t find anything to do with my sons that has more time attached to it or is more intimate than sitting in a box with nothing to do but talk. Deer hunting is different than fishing or bird hunting—you’ve got to be still and quiet

On this week’s episode, I talk about our family’s Thanksgiving traditions, and why it pays to express your gratefulness.   We almost always have Thanksgiving at our house. We’ve maybe only spent Thanksgiving away once or twice since the boys were born. The parade is always on. We don’t really sit and watch it, but we’re in and out of the room with the cooking and playing outside. I will smoke the turkey on the Kamado Joe and make “Cranberry Whomp.” Polly makes “Green” (which is a Jell-O salad), dressing (not to be confused with stuffing), and cornbread—plus other family members bring treats as well.   Gratefulness is a daily thing to express. Unexpressed gratefulness is not gratefulness. It’s an honorable way to live your life and it also has great benefits, too. People don’t understand that their lives would be so much easier, better, and more filled with opportunity if they just lived their lives expressing grate Learn to look for reasons to express your gratefulness. One of the things I learned when I w

On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question on overcoming faulty thinking, and taking action when someone close to you has pulled you down.   This is one of those things where the first step is clearing the negativity out of your mind and heart. Forgiveness is the reset button you’ve been given to take care of this. I cannot find any book or expert who says that for one person to forgive another person, the person being forgiven has to ask for it, deserve it, or even be aware that it’s happening. God made you with a certain level of skills, abilities, and talents, and for you to deny who you are is to deny the God who made you.   All the stuff that’s keeping you from being who you are isn’t your fault, it’s the fault of the negative people you’re dragging around with you. You truly need to cut them loose, and the only way that will happen is by choosing forgiveness. Remember, it’s about your thinking—and you can choose how you think. Make sure the people you surround yourself with are telling you

  On this week’s episode, I discuss my family mission statement and how to come up with your own for your family or business.    I think it’s very necessary to have a mission statement for your family and business. A mission statement creates boundaries that allow you to play freely, create freely, and deal freely within those boundaries. You can learn where those boundaries are because all your activities and everything you do should fit within the boundaries of the mission statement. Questions to ask: Is this part of who I am, and who I am working to become? Is this part of my mission in life? If it’s not—it’s “outside the fence”—then to me, I don’t even have a decision to make.   Living your life according to a mission statement is a more narrowly focused version of living your life according to principles. A number of years ago when finances were very tight, Robert and I were offered a deal from a very famous beer company to put a sign behind me when performing at college campuses. The offer they made

On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question on how parenting principles translate to respectfully dealing with the negative people in your business or personal life.   I don’t think distancing yourself from negative people is disrespectful. You can remain respectful and honoring of people by telling them the truth. People react negatively to us when we put them off or try to get away from them. I think it’s much more respectful to say, “Thank you so much for the opportunity, but I’m not going to be able to do it.”   Here is a great example that I’ve thought about for years: A friend of mine and I were standing outside of a hotel in Orlando and my friend had on a very cool hat. A kid about 12 years old walks up and says, “Hey, that’s a great hat. Can I have it?” My friend, cool as a cucumber says, “No, but thanks for asking. I appreciate it.” He said no, but I thought that was very respectful.   The things that you have on your priority list are the things that are making you who you are. If you

On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question about how Polly and I determined the names of our boys; we also discuss how incorrect writing can become your style. We all have seen names where we think, “What in the world? Did you not think this through for a second?” I love names, but there are some that should no longer be in use (you don’t see any little Attilas running around anymore). You don’t want to name your kids: Something someone is going to make fun of. A name that has a weird connotation. Something they’ll have to spell out for the rest of their lives.   I told Polly that she can name the boys whatever she wants, but they have to start with an “A.” We always liked “Austin,” and his middle name, Gray, was one of my grandfathers’ names. When Adam was about 9 years old, he asked where his name came from. It just came out of my mouth: “Well buddy, we named you Adam because it must be God’s favorite name.”   The second question I’m answering in this episode is, what advice do you have for

On this week’s episode, I talk about how to cast a vision for your marriage, family, and finances.   Casting a vision is critical. This is a very powerful tool, and if you’re not doing this with your family, you’re missing out. You don’t just stumble your way into greatness and awesome results. I sat down with Austin when he was 13 and asked, “Have you ever noticed how many kids are alike in what they do after graduating school?” There are variations on the theme, but people pretty much do the same (usually average) things and get the same (usually average) results. You must visualize a long-term target to shoot for.   A lot of people say “I’m just doing the best I can” when asked where they’re going in life. Doing the best you can is not a standard. That effort and direction can vary by the hour and does not get you anywhere specific. You want your life to instead be an arrow with kinetic energy that will force its way into places that others would not get into. Whatever you believe your potential to be,

On this week’s episode, I answer a listener question on how I’ve chosen not to focus on being a victim and how you, too, can keep away from this mentality.   There are challenging things happening in all our lives that give us the opportunity to “check out.” However, you can choose what mentality you focus on. There isn’t really a how. You either choose your mentality or you do not.   Society continues to believe that choice is the foundation of everything we do. That is like flipping a coin if you don’t know the foundation of what a good choice is or why choices yield certain results. Your thinking is the foundation. Every choice you’ll ever make is based on it. Because you have free will, you can choose how you think by deciding who you spend time with, what you read or watch, and what you spend time thinking about. Choosing your thinking requires you to act against your instincts.   I have never seen an incredible leader who was not incredible at leading themselves. You have been created with a will t