Andy’s Blog
3 Lessons We Can Learn from Norman Borlaug
Norman Borlaug has taught me a lot over the years. How much? Well, enough that I’ve talked about him in three of my books (The Butterfly Effect, The Boy Who Changed the World, and The Lost Choice). For those of you who are not familiar with Norman Borlaug,...
The Secrets to Turning an Idea Into a Business
In this video blog, Andy answers a reader question: How do you take a great idea and actually make a business out of it? To start a business from an idea, you have to figure out one thing: what value does that idea have to other people? It’s not necessarily about how...
How Will You Spend Saturday Afternoon?
Saturdays mean different things to different people. For most—not all, but most—Saturday is a day off from work. You might spend the day running some errands, working around the house, doing family activities, etc. It’s a day to catch up on life. But what if it could...
Is It Ever Too Late?
In this video blog, Andy answers a reader question: “What do you say to people over 55 that have lost their jobs and feel like their life is over? David Ponder was 47. My wonderful husband is 57… Is it ever too late?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gupFLYr93g Notes:...
Is Your Sweater Too Small?
It was a struggle. Adam, my 10-year-old son, was twisting, pulling, and pushing without making much progress. I watched from his bedroom door, trying to determine whether it was time for me to intervene or not. After it became absolutely clear that he was not giving...
Actions Speak Louder Than Feelings
Several weeks ago, I was driving my sons, Austin and Adam, to school when I noticed that they were acting a little bit whiny. I quickly devised a way to demonstrate a little perspective and turn things around before we got to school. “Guys,” I said, “Very quickly,...
A True Friend
If you have kids or ever were a kid, you know how concerned parents are with what kind of friends their children have. Why? Well, obviously it’s because kids tend to take on the behavior of their friends. If your child’s friends are constantly getting into trouble,...
Thou Shalt Not Kid Thyself
If you’re reading this, you’ve probably heard the story of Moses and the Ten Commandments. You can probably even rattle off most of the commandments without thinking too hard—don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t covet, don’t kill, don’t commit adultery, etc. But if you have...
Confused? Me Too
It was Sunday afternoon, and there were a lot of things I wanted to do before the new week started. Household chores needed to be done, errands needed to be run, and I also needed to do some editing on a manuscript. But none of those things got completed. Why? Well,...