Monday Motivation, 04.19.2021

Written by: Mike Goleski

Every Monday, The Rogers-Long Team meets for one of its two weekly meetings. The Monday meeting always ends with “Monday Motivation” in which a few minutes are spent listening to one team member presenting a quote, a quick reading from a book, a scene from a movie, or anything else they find motivating to provide a “spark” to the whole team on a Monday morning.

Hard to believe my little girl will be graduating from ECU in three short weeks. It seems like yesterday she was getting on the school bus for the very first time. I recall Kelly followed the bus to Pearson’s Corner, along with multiple moms to make sure the bus driver knew how to make the five-mile two turn drive. Go figure!

I was speaking with a friend of mine from Syracuse a few years ago that he was so disappointed in his son not going to college. You see the dad had gotten his master’s degree from SU and he expected his son to do the same. As much as we would like to think that kids will do what we want them to do they all seem to find their place in this crazy world. I am living proof. I went to school for a semester. Failed out of school. Enlisted in the US Navy for four years where I earned the rank of second-class petty officer as a Seabee. Finished my Naval career and went to Onondaga community college for two years. Or as we called it “Harvard on the hill!” I played baseball there. Graduated with my associate degree and went onto Syracuse University where I chased the dream of playing D1 college baseball. Unfortunately for me and my baseball career it’s where I heard the term “Title 9”! So, it was part time school, part time club baseball, and part time two jobs. I never finished my degree. The working world called. All of my friends had graduated college when I was in the Navy and life took its course. I felt I needed to join the work force fulltime. Multiple sales jobs took me from Syracuse Ny to Albany NY and eventually to Richmond VA where I have lived for 26 years with my beautiful wife Kelly and my wonderful kids Alex and Jack.

So here I am today with this wonderful group of people (and two strangers) selling real estate. Seeing them go through their journey form some single, some newlyweds, some expecting parents to some new parents and think to myself how did I get hear? I had no plan to become a realtor nor did I ever think I would leave my home state of New York.

So where am I going with this story? You have to do what makes you happy. Now I am not saying don’t go to college right after high school, but I do know a lot of people who are living a very good life and never stepped foot into any type of further education after high school. Young adults today are in a far different world than I went through and children today will go through a much different world in the next few years than most of you went through. Life will give you lots of 3-0 curveballs. (Kaitlyn, I will explain to you later what that means) Encourage them. Let them fall down and be there for them when they get up on their own. As I stated life is not normal for any of us right now. But it will be the new normal tomorrow. Young people do not need answers. They need guidance. They don’t need the latest iphone. They need someone to listen. They don’t need someone with all the answers they just need to know they are loved and heard. It’s a crazy ride but its so amazing to be a part of. Enjoy it! Embrace it! And oh, by the way…. whatever your financial advisor says to set aside for college. DOUBLE IT!!!

You see my little girl chose a college I begged her not to go to. It was out of state. It cost us double what we planned for. We couldn’t be prouder of her decision to go to a school where she wanted to go. She knew no one. She wanted to experience the college life and she got it! Sorority, drama, drinking and a lot more drama. Lots of laughs a little crying and a lots and lots of new friends. So excited and blessed for her next chapter.

GO PIRATES

Mike Goleski, a Realtor with The Rogers-Long Team, started selling real estate in 1999. The RLT was thrilled to welcome Mike to the team in February of 2018 due to his competitive edge and disciplined attitude, which he learned from serving 6 years in the US NAVY as a SeaBee. In his spare time, you can find Mike on the golf course or even behind home plate umpiring an NCAA baseball game.