Andrews - The little things: why you really should sweat the small stuff

Praise for The Little Things

In the first year of our relationship with Andy Andrews, Fairway doubled its business volumefrom $5.4 billion to $11.2 billion. Presently, we are ahead of that years pace by 57 percent. Andy proves what he teachesthat there is unimaginable value in the little things most people overlook.

STEVE JACOBSON

FOUNDER AND CEO, FAIRWAY INDEPENDENT

MORTGAGE CORPORATION

I have recommended Andy Andrews to PGA tour members for years. From the Ryder Cup captain to the journeyman pro, Andy notices little things that lower scores, enhancing the games of the best players on the planet. With this, his latest book, he will do the same for your business, your family, and your life.

GILBERT LITTLE

CEO AND MANAGING PARTNER, UNDER PAR LIFE, INC.

At Kamado Joe, we understand that its not enough to have the best grill on the market. There are subtle ways of communicating truth to potential customers that can make them partners in a companys mission. There is one man weve found who can consistently reveal those methods. Since Andy Andrews started working with Kamado Joe, we have increased our sales by 227 percent.

BOBBY BRENNAN

PRESIDENT AND CEO, KAMADO JOE, INC.

Are you stuck? Andy Andrews can get to the heart of your challenge faster than any person alive. Then just as quickly, he can deliver an understandable plan of action that will take you from where you are to where you want to be. His written and spoken words have changed the course of my business... and my life.

CINDY MONROE

FOUNDER, PRESIDENT, AND CEO, THIRTY-ONE GIFTS

Andy Andrews has a reputation for producing results for individuals, families, teams, churches, and corporations. In The Little Things, he finally reveals the secret to all those successful outcomes. Check out the chapter on change. It is groundbreaking.

EMERSON EGGERICHS, PHD

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR, LOVE AND RESPECT SERIES

I met Andy when at Alabama and he worked with our team. He was also a resource for me at Colorado State. As the new head coach of the Florida Gators, one of the first calls I made was to him. Andy Andrewss words are the first I read when I enter my office and the last I read when I leaveevery single day.

JIM MCELWAIN

HEAD FOOTBALL COACH, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA GATORS

Andy Andrews understands the challenges faced in todays world. His astounding ability to identify tiny yet critical components of a larger picture makes him invaluable to any organization struggling through change in a complex environment.

LT. GEN. MARSHALL B. BRAD WEBB

COMMANDER, AIR FORCE SPECIAL OPERATIONS

COMMAND AND NATO SPECIAL OPERATIONS

Andy Andrews has a knack for detecting the little things that are the difference between winning and losing. Frankly, its why Andy has become recognizable to football people. Our officials have studied his material, and coaches listen carefully to what Andy says and direct their players to read his books. As a matter of fact, I keep a personal journal with quotes and passages I first highlighted in The Noticer!

GREG SANKEY

COMMISSIONER, SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE (SEC)

OTHER BOOKS BY ANDY ANDREWS

NOVELS

The Heart Mender

The Lost Choice

The Noticer

The Noticer Returns

The Travelers Gift

The Travelers Summit

NONFICTION

How Do You Kill 11 Million People?

The Seven Decisions

The Travelers Gift Journal

YOUNG ADULT

The Young Travelers Gift

CHILDRENS AND GIFT

Baseball, Boys, and Bad Words

The Butterfly Effect

Henry Hodges Needs a Friend

The Kid Who Changed the World

The Perfect Moment

Socks for Christmas

2017 Andy Andrews

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by W Publishing Group, an imprint of Thomas Nelson.

Thomas Nelson titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

Movie quotations in chapter 10 are from Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown, Bob Clark, A Christmas Story, based on Jean Shepherds novel, In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, dir. Bob Clark (Metro-Goldwyn Mayer, 1983). Quotes transcribed from samples available on MovieWavs.com.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016920748

Epub Edition February 2017 ISBN 9780718089108

ISBN 978-0-7180-7732-7

Printed in the United States of America

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To Maryann and Tyler,

I am forever grateful for your influence and example.

I am about to take a belief you may have held for yearsa common assumption about what is required to reach the top of your chosen profession or to live a successful lifeand turn it upside down.

SOON YOU WILL COME TO UNDERSTAND HOW AND why a simple adjustment in perspective can produce personal and career results far beyond what most people ever imagine.

Interested?

First, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Andy Andrews. I am a Noticer.

It is entirely possible that I am the first professional Noticer youve ever met. Ill admit its an unconventional label, but no other word so perfectly describes what I do. One person may have an amazing voice or is athletically gifted. Another might have a talent for mathematics, fashion, or teaching. Me? I notice things. Or, more to the point, I notice things other people miss.

If you and I are just becoming acquainted, I can imagine your reaction. Seriously? You notice things? Come on! How do you even make a living?

I totally understand the question. It was one I asked myself more than once, and for a long time I wondered if I would make a living! After all, this Noticer thing was not a skill I developed. It was just something I had (was? am?). Anyway, there was a period in my life when I only noticed things that were funny. At least they were funny enough to enable me to make a living... as a comedian.

Its true. For a number of years I worked in Las Vegas, performed on college campuses, went on television talk shows, and toured with some of the biggest names in show business at the timeKenny Rogers, Cher, Garth Brooks, and others. And, get this: I was Joan Riverss opening act for two whole years!

It was the Noticer thing that allowed all that to happen. I saw the same daily events everyone else saw. I heard the same words and phrases everyone else heard. And those words and phrases were all used in the same way. But, for some reason, I saw, heard, and perceived something just a little bit different. For instance:

My mother used to tell me, Dont play with that stick.
Youll poke your eye out! And Id always think, you cant poke your eye out with a stick. You can poke it in.... To poke it out, youd have to run it up through your nose.

See what I mean?

Somewhere along the way I began to wonder if I could do more for an audience than simply make them laugh. The answer turned out to be yes. In fact, whatever I did to produce comedy from ordinary situations is the same ability I use today to discern subtle differences that can be harnessed by individuals, teams, and corporations to separate themselves dramatically from their industries averages.