Hey podcasters really excited for our show today because we're featuring another great conversation in our how they got their series today best selling author and speaker Andy Andrews is my guest.

He has been hailed by the New York Times as someone who has quietly become one of the most influential people in America.

He is the author of multiple New York Times bestsellers including the Traveler's Gift and the Noticer.

He has a fascinating life story from being homeless after both of his parents died to the unbelievable success and influence that he has today.

The conversation starts right now.

Well this is exciting my dear friend Andy Andrews back in studio and and you know we've not done this conversation I've interviewed so many times but I don't know that I've ever done a fun dive on how you got.

Where you are now and let's just talk about what that is folks we're talking about a guy who is spoken at the White House many times council presidents we're talking about.

Some of the big name coaches in the world they call you for advice we're not even talking yet about fortune 100 companies and captains of industry that ask you for advice and ask you to speak to their company so that all sounds amazing people go well gosh can you got one other one of your big high flute and Dave Ramsey friends on their thing.

Well no because you weren't always that you started out where I don't think most people realize you started out under a bridge is what I'm going to take us to and I want them to understand.

Where you started the journey because this is where you decided I'm going to make more of myself and it was in that moment that this entire journey begins take us there.

My parents died when I was 16 I mean 19 19 at mom died of cancer dead killed in the car accident same year and it was a crazy time and I made some bad moves not you know not using drugs or alcohol but I just.

I wasn't financially aware you know I got twenty five hundred dollars when my dad died to use the entire thing for a trailer right never even occurred to me that I'd have to pay somebody to move it.

And so I was behind the a ball right away and before long actually you know I was living on the beach I sleep in under a peer and I don't people's garage is.

And you know this was before the internet before cell phones really or anything and so there were people.

That years later found out about it and goes why didn't you call me well part of it is I was embarrassed I quit school and you know these people tell me you're going to ruin your life and just so here I am living under a peer and I have ruined my life so I'm not going to call.

And and so I spent a couple of years that way oh man came into my life and really kind of changed me by telling me the truth and getting me started reading yeah well I love this because now we're talking about the proximity principle starts to introduce itself to you because we talk about this you don't have to have tea or lunch or coffee with all these well known women who are successful you open up a book and that's where you begin and this revolutionized your life.

I got in the pages of biographies that's right and what became the theme in your head after you sort of reading all these biographies when I started reading them I began to think what you know these people just born this way yes or is there something they can do is is something you can what can you do did they do something what they do now long to take him to do it because I knew if I figured out they were born and I would I kind of read for a while with a sense of dread because I was.

Because I was afraid if if I find out these people were born this way I'm out of luck right that's right and so but reading those you know the old man put something in my head that's very important because I never really liked reading biographies that was kind of a field and stream sports illustrated parts and books were not you know but but when I said because I specifically hated biography since school I don't know why really I guess I just seem boring I guess I had to do that.

I had to read a couple of boring ones you know and so but I asked the old man said these biographies because there were three was Winston Churchill George Washington Carver and Will Rogers I said biographies and he put this in my head this is very curious can he said no no these are adventure stories is mysteries and romances and thrillers interesting and they're all true well as I began to read them I would see places not going there's a romance oh there's the mystery there's a mystery

and I was vaguely aware that I was thinking this because he had said this but then I became aware even though he said that I really am thinking this I'm seeing these this way and so they became my way to be around successful people and understand that these people had had horrible things happen in their lives and you read how they've overcome them what they felt like and what they did and who they looked to or

didn't look to you know which way they chose to go and so it's almost like because I eventually read 200 of them and it's almost like I had this board of directors most of them are already dead that were feeding me yeah and really that that happened way before I ever met anybody other than the old man right that I so let's

fast forward so this old man helps you you start diving in and digesting the stuff in a light bulb I've heard you tell the story so I'll fast forward sure light bulb comes on for you you go wait a second I get this with all these pages you read you you said okay I see it I see the patterns I see all the things

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