Reflections…Surviving the Test of Time
“To continue to be important, respected, etc., for a long period of time.”
Reflections
When I retired, er, no longer went to work every day, beginning in October 2019, I was not ready to sit on the porch and yell at the neighborhood kids to stay off the lawn. I wanted to use this fall season in my life to help others, as I have been helped, and to share a little bit of wisdom I have acquired over 42 years in the military, the business world, and as a husband and father. We’ve all heard that experience is the best teacher. There is a term, “artificial maturity.” What this basically means is there is a difference, a big difference, from someone who learns about something, either through formal education or other sources such as YouTube, the internet, or whatever, and those who have experienced the actual events. You will hear more about this in the near future as I intend to dedicate a post to it. Living an experience, versus just writing about it, reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Mark Twain, one I can picture in my mind:
“A man who picks a cat up by the tail learns a lesson he can learn in no other way.”
As I thought about my 42-year working/being married/raising kids/building a life journey, one marked by wild swings of events and experiences, I concluded that the best way to pass along this information was through a course I would develop and teach. So, I developed the course over the next six months or so, drawing on the information and experiences I had gained over the past 35 or 40 years (I was a few years into working before I decided I needed to do something different, hence the difference between my 42 year working journey and “35 or 40” years of figuring it out). I had put together a success plan for myself that, I hoped, would take me from scratching and clawing week to week as a junior military enlisted member to retiring on my own financial terms. Along the way, I expected to work very hard, but I also wanted to enjoy the ride. I matured the plan, and the result was not only that I was able to follow the plan, but I was able to do better than I originally planned. Entering retirement, er, not going to work every day, I found that, even though there were ups and downs, I did enjoy the ride and had a lot of retirement plans I wanted to complete. Now six years into retirement, it’s turning out better than I had anticipated.
I wanted to, and I still want to, help those who don’t have a plan to put one together. So they (this could mean you!) can achieve their dreams and live their best life like we all want to do. And the end result of all this thinking, planning, and doing was the establishment of Afterburner Success Partners in January 2024, weekly blogs started in mid-2024, and my book Achieve Your Dreams: A Complete Guide to Live Your Best Life (Note 3), published in September 2024. Oh, and don’t forget, I wrote and published my cookbook in May 2024, Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us (Note 2).
And so, I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on that journey, self-assess, and ask, “Is the material still relevant and accurate?”
Surviving the test of time
So I’ve been pondering if the material I put together is still accurate and relevant in 2025 when I wrote this post, and now in 2026. The answer is really quite simple because of the philosophy I used as I developed the program:
The course material should be proven accurate and relevant, standing the test of time or having come from expert sources. My own experience would be used only as examples to illustrate the material's validity.
The quote you see at the beginning of this post is from the Merriam-Webster dictionary (Note 1) and a definition of the phrase “stand the test of time.” It’s what I used to answer the question of whether the Afterburner Success Course, book, and blogs have proven themselves over the course of time. The answer is a resounding yes! If anyone chooses to take the course, read the book or blogs, and follow the program, they will, over time and assuming they follow them, see excellent results.
But I have had a nagging second question that I wanted to ponder as well, and it’s this: Because of my age (67 and a Boomer), a lot of the reference material I use could tend to skew a bit older. Because of this, I may struggle to attract younger people, the ones who need this material the most and can gain the most from it, many of whom are attracted to the most recent social media trends and advice of those their own age.
And the answer to that question is: I do struggle to find the younger folks who would benefit most. But then again, when I put all of this together, I knew I was entering a crowded space with a lot of folks offering a lot of advice. My goal, then as now, is to attract the 3% of the population who want to plan their lives through written goals, and then help them become part of the 1% who achieve all they want. I’m not going to be a flashy guy with a big stage presence; my space is just like the title of my book(s). It’s for everyday people like you and me. My book is self-published; I don’t have in-person signings or book tours. It’s all low-key.
But the fact is that it works. For today, for when I put it together in 2019 and over the course of the past and into the future. The material is based upon proven concepts that have stood the test of time. Today’s flashy social media may be attractive, like a shiny object, but it may not be the best.
Let me give you two examples, both directly relevant to what I’m talking about.
In the first example, around the world, school systems are questioning whether laptops and other digital materials that have replaced books have provided students with a better education. Here is what some are finding out about technology:
Screens can be distractions and result in shallow learning due to multitasking with games and social media, hindering deep focus. Books provide sustained attention and allow for better comprehension.
There has been an observance of declines in basic skills in fundamental reading, writing and concentration.
Neurologists suggest excessive screen time, especially with the constant stimulation, can damage the brain’s ability for deep thought, and this is especially prevalent in young children.
Technology costs more. Could that money be better used on books and other physical resources?
Two such countries that have made this switch are Finland and Sweden. The goal is not an elimination of technology but finding a balance to use technology for specific tasks and books for core learning. A second goal is to improve skills such as empathy, focus and critical thinking skills that traditional methods excel at, and at the same time learn digital literacy. Click on the links in Notes 4, 5, and 6 to learn more.
Depending upon where you live, you may be seeing the same thing locally. Here in Oklahoma where I live, they recently banned cell phones in school (with excellent results) and there is broader conversation about the use of technology in school. Click on the link in Note 7 to learn more.
The second example is more personal. Because I spent many years as a quality professional at several organizations, it was my job to ensure that everything we did was not only by the book but also produced high-quality, compliant products or services economically. Periodically, things did not work out, and again, it was my job (typically working with the organization that had the issue) to figure out what happened.
One time, we had an incident. It was not a big one, but one that caused a negative economic impact. Part of the investigation was to interview the employee involved in the incident. During the interview, the employee stated that the incident occurred because he lacked knowledge of the task and was not trained for the one he was performing, so it was not completed satisfactorily. Well, I knew he was trained; his training records indicated he was, and a review of the course plan showed the appropriate material was covered, and the employee successfully completed the end-of-course review. Hmmm…
Here's what I learned. The training course had been transitioned from a stand-up lecture format performed by an instructor to a computer-based training (CBT) format. Essentially, the employee forgot he had been trained and failed to retain the knowledge imparted during the training. Well. Over time, we began seeing the same thing happen in other instances where computer-based training was used instead of stand-up training performed by an instructor. Our conclusion: Computer-based training was not as effective as instructor-led training in teaching the material or having the employee retain the knowledge.
This issue, which the public school systems are just figuring out, goes back, in my estimation, to the early 1980s, probably about 45 years now, when computers first became widely used in business and education. Companies and schools assumed that education could be just as effective when administered by a computer as by a human instructor. It has been my experience that the same is true of technical manuals or material read on a screen rather than in a hard-copy book. People don’t absorb or retain knowledge gained on a screen as they do from books and live instructors. This is my opinion, of course, but I’m pretty sure I’m correct in what I am telling you based upon my experience dealing with it. What’s your experience?
Summary
All I’m saying here is that just because something is new and shiny doesn't mean it is better. The material I present to you during the course, my book, and these weekly blog posts are as relevant today as when they were published. Sure, I read about and use cutting-edge, current material. That is, if and only if it has been proven successful.
So, take the course. Buy the book. Or give either or both to someone you care about. And be confident that following time-tested methods will yield the results you seek. So you can achieve your dreams and live your best life!
That’s all for this week!
Reflections…Surviving the Test of Time
Afterburner Success Partners
http://absuccesspartners.com/
What’s in it for me?
If you want to get ahead in life, you must take meaningful action that follows a proven path. Yes, some people make it in entirely new ways, outside the standard methods. I happen to believe these people are rare, and what seems like something different is really just doing something different in a proven manner. Think about that for a minute and see if you agree. Then, adopt concepts that have been proven to be successful and have stood the test of time! Do it today while you are thinking about it!
Call to Action
Just. Do. Something. Make a decision on what you want or need to do, define the path, and get after it. Do it today.
Recommended Resources
See notes below.
Up Next
Tips to exceed your career aspirations.
Notes
Please note that as an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small commission on the sale of any of these recommended resources.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stand%20the%20test%20of%20time
Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us, by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/437OhVQ
Achieve Your Dreams: A Complete Guide to Live Your Best Life, by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/3IxEFgy
Some Finnish pupils go back to Paper after Tech Push, Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/books-screens-out-some-finnish-pupils-go-back-paper-after-tech-push-2024-09-10/
Get Tech Out of the Classroom Before It’s Too Late, New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/10/opinion/schools-technology.html
Laptops in Classrooms: The Radical Shift Back to Books, Winsolutions: https://www.winssolutions.org/back-to-books-classrooms-laptops/
Listen Frontier: Are Oklahoma Schools Too Wired for Learning?, readfrontier.org: https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/listen-frontier-are-oklahoma-classrooms-too-wired-for-learning/