What can we learn from a GOAT?
“A dream is a gift you give yourself.”
An off schedule post
This is an off-schedule post. That means something different or interesting is going on that warrants paying attention to. So, my friends, read on to find out more!
Wait! What? That was powerful!
It’s Friday, August 1, 2025. Last night, as I usually do, I was sitting in my recliner and reading. We often have the TV on in the evening after a full day. Even though we are both retired, er, “not going to work every day,” we are pretty busy with various activities. I like it that way. I want to spend my time writing, teaching, and helping others whenever possible. Diane is often helping someone and she has a special group of friends she likes spending time with. For me, having the TV on in the evening is mostly background noise, except that I do enjoy watching news programs if a lot has happened that day. Diane likes movies, so typically either of those is on the TV. Or, we both like football, so we do typically watch football if it’s on.
Like Kilroy, I occasionally peek my head over my newspaper (The Wall Street Journal, of course!, a magazine, usually about cooking or the airline or aerospace industry, or a book) when I hear something interesting. Oh, you’ve never heard of Kilroy? Click on the link in Note 1 to learn more about this interesting character.
. Because we can keep up with the news in almost real-time on our devices, I don’t see much on the news that I haven't already heard. I occasionally get interested in one of the movies Diane is watching. That will disrupt my entire evening as I try to concentrate on reading. To put it another way, there isn't much on TV that gets me excited or really piques my interest. Certainly, nothing that stops me in my tracks and makes me take note. Except last night.
We were watching the Los Angeles Chargers play the Detroit Lions in the preseason Hall of Fame game on NBC. It was a bit of a quiet moment in the game, and Melissa Stark was interviewing Sterling Sharp. I noted his big smile, how happy and positive he was, only saying good things, and about how blessed he has been. That alone was enough to catch my attention. And then he said something that made me stop in my tracks. Few things do this to me, but it was so profound that I just had to take note, write it down, and listen intently to the rest of the interview. Here’s what he said:
“A dream is a gift you give yourself”
What is a GOAT?
Now I’m going to be honest with you. Until last night, I had never heard of Sterling Sharp. When I was a kid and until I moved to Oklahoma, I watched a lot of professional football. It was hard being a Washington Redskins, er, Commanders, fan for many years, except in the 1980s when they had a good run. Living in Tulsa, besides college football (Oklahoma State Cowboys and Oklahoma Sooners, “Go Pokes! Go Sooners!”), if you want to be a pro football fan and select a home team, it’s either the Dallas Cowboys or the Kansas City Chiefs. Because a person can’t be a Washington fan and also like the Cowboys, two longtime NFC East Division rivals, it has to be the Chiefs for us. And, as you probably know, it’s been a good few years to be a Chiefs fan. But back to Sterline Sharpe. Sharpe played for the Green Bay Packers, a favorite team of mine as a receiver, for only seven years, from 1988 to 1994, before he suffered an injury that ended his playing career. OK, well, this happens regularly in this game. It takes a toll on a person. But this guy is not your regular pro football player. Far from it.
By the time you read this, on August 2, 2025, Sharpe will have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In a July 31, 2025, New York Times article, one of Sharpe's former teammates, LeRoy Butler, mentioned that had Sharpe not had his career shortened by an injury, he would have gone on to be the greatest receiver ever. The GOAT, The Greatest Of All Time (See Note 1 for complete article). And when you think of the greats who have played that position, that’s saying something. Someone as accomplished as Sterling Sharpe is worth listening to and learning from.
Now, when you think about the term GOAT in professional sports, that’s a pretty elite group. Think of Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Babe Ruth, Tom Brady, Lionel Messi, Michael Phelps, Serena Williams, and Muhammad Ali. There are others, but you get the idea. These are folks who, through hard work over many years, studying the sport and their competition, and just sheer grit, have risen to the top. Now, someone dares to mention that Sterling Sharpe may be in that group? I don’t know about you, but these are the folks I want to observe and learn from. These are the individuals whose habits, if we mimic them, can help us improve ourselves. Make ourselves better. Be the best we can be. Rise to the top. Excel in all we do. If we all are not observing and learning from these superstars, then we should be.
Dave, really, where are you going with this?
OK, OK, I’ll get to the point! Sheesh…When I hear Sterling make that comment about a dream being a gift to yourself, I immediately think of my book, Achieve Your Dreams: A Complete Guide to Living Your Best Life (due out in mid-2025, currently in final editing!), and the course with the same name.
You see, we all have dreams, but few of us, when we consider the total population, are willing to put in the effort to make those dreams a reality. Many don’t know what to do or how to do it. And that’s where Afterburner Success Partners comes in. We can teach you. Visit the website, click on the various tabs, and enroll in the modestly priced course today. Buy the book when it’s released. You may not be the GOAT in whatever profession or trade you are in, but you can certainly learn to achieve your dreams and live your best life. You can be the best you can be. Who knows, maybe you will be a GOAT!
The answer to the question
So let’s answer the question directly: What can we learn from a GOAT? I think it’s basically two things: One, GOATs have dreams, just like you and I do, and in that regard, they are like us. The second thing, and the thing that sets GOATs apart from the average person, is that they not only act on their dream, but they are relentless until they fulfill it. Let me give you a few examples. Sterling Sharpe was curling 100 pound weights while others curled 20. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. After locking himself in his room and crying, he came out and worked harder than ever. Instead of giving up, he used the rejection as a catalyst to improve his skills. Lionel Messi was told he was too small to play soccer (just like a local Tulsa favorite, Steve Largent, who was told he was too small. Steve played football at the University of Tulsa and went on to have a stellar career with the Seattle Seahawks). Babe Ruth struck out many times, often leading the league in strikeouts. GOATs never give up. They have a passion for their dream. They have persistence, drive, and grit. They never quit until they make their dream a reality. Why? So they can achieve their dreams and live their best lives!
That’s all for this week!
Kilroy
What’s in it for Me
We all want to be the best we can be. Afterburner Success Partners can help get you on the path to achieving your dreams and living your best life.
Call to Action
Visit the Afterburner Success Partners website today. Purchase the very modestly priced course. View and purchase any of the many resources listed under the More/Books & Resources tab. Forward this email to any family members or friends who may benefit from it.
Recommended Resources
Be on the lookout for my book, soon to be published. Achieve Your Dreams: A Complete Guide to Live Your Best Life by David Giustozzi. It will be available on Amazon or my website.
Up Next
Back to regular posting schedule.
Notes
Please note that as an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small commission on the sale of any of these recommended resources.
Kilroy was here: https://www.nps.gov/rori/learn/historyculture/kilroy-was-here.htm
Sterling Sharpe could have been the GOAT — he steps into HOF despite a short career: The New York Times, July 31, 2025: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6517173/2025/07/31/sterling-sharpe-pro-football-hall-of-fame-packers/