More Than a Coach: George Raveling’s Lasting Influence on Ryan Holiday

In 2015, bestselling author and modern philosopher Ryan Holiday was introduced to Daily Coach co-founder “Coach” George Raveling. The connection was made by Coach Shaka Smart—now the head basketball coach at Marquette—when he was leading the University of Texas program.

The rest is history.

What started as a simple introduction has grown into a decade-long friendship—one that transcends generations and is rooted in a shared mission: to live uncommonly and make a lasting positive impact on others.

Over the past year, this bond reached new heights as Holiday and Raveling collaborated on What You're Made For: Powerful Life Lessons from My Career in Sports. Released this week, the book is already making waves, inspiring readers with timeless wisdom and timely insights.

Reflecting on their friendship, Holiday recently wrote an article:

"Like most people, I am a product of my mentors. But when I talk about one of the most influential people in my life, everyone usually assumes I am referring to Robert Greene. Robert, of course, taught me so much and I continue to learn from him. Actually… there’s someone else. Someone whose wisdom, generosity, and curiosity have shaped my life, work, and thinking more than almost anyone I’ve met. Someone who has influenced how I approach relationships, how I treat others, and how I try to give back. That someone is George Raveling," Holiday wrote.

He continued:

"I wanted to share some of the many lessons I’ve learned from Coach Raveling over the years and in the process of working on the book with him. His wisdom and example have influenced my life in ways I never could have imagined—I hope these 21 lessons impact you as much as they have impacted me."

For this week’s Saturday Blueprint, we’re highlighting four of these 21 life lessons—principles that have shaped Ryan Holiday’s journey and continue to influence us at The Daily Coach.

🔗 Read the full article here: 21 Powerful Life Lessons From My Mentor George Raveling

…

Practice the art of self-leadership. Coach Raveling once told me, “One of the most underrated aspects of leadership is our ability to lead ourselves.” Before you can lead a team, a company, or a family, you have to be able to lead yourself. And isn’t that what the Stoics say? That no one is fit to rule who is not first ruler of themselves?

Do the most important thing. When Coach Raveling became Nike’s Director of International Basketball at 63, he had no prior corporate experience and was overwhelmed by self-doubt. Until a mentor gave him a simple system: “When you leave the office every day, leave a yellow pad in the middle of the desk, and when you come in the morning, write down the three most important things you gotta get done that day in that order. That day, do not do anything else but the first thing on the pad. And if you get the first one, then you go to the second one.” That structure put order to his day and gave him a sense of purpose. Instead of spinning his wheels or getting lost in distractions, he focused on what mattered most. One thing at a time.

Cultivate relationships. While we were working on the book, Coach Raveling told me, “Often people say, how do you account for what’s happened to you in your life? And the one word I use to capture it all is: relationships. My whole life has been built on relationships. People seeing something in me that I didn’t see in myself.” When I look at my own life, the most pivotal moments, the biggest opportunities—they all came from relationships. From people who believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. Relationships aren’t just about networking; they’re about surrounding yourself with people who see your potential, sometimes before you do.

Live like it’s the 4th quarter. Coach Raveling nearly died in a brutal car crash at 57. When he woke up in the hospital, a police officer told him, “Coach, you don’t know how lucky you are.” He took that to heart—treating every day after as a second chance, an opportunity to do more, learn more, and give more. He went on to have a whole second act, joining Nike, shaping the future of basketball, and achieving things he never imagined. We shouldn’t need a near-death experience to wake us up to what we have. Seneca put it well: Go to bed each night saying, I have lived. If you wake up, treat it as a gift.

…

Recapping four of the 21 powerful life lessons from Ryan Holiday’s article—to help us navigate our journey with greater clarity, deeper connection, and a stronger sense of meaning and purpose.

• Practice the Art of Self-Leadership – Lead yourself before leading others.

• Do the Most Important Thing – Prioritize and execute with focus.

• Cultivate Relationships – Your transformation and discovery is built on the people around you.

• Live Like It’s the 4th Quarter – Treat every day as a gift and as a second chance to grow.

🔗 Read the full article here: 21 Powerful Life Lessons From My Mentor George Raveling

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1  Ryan Holiday, “21 Powerful Life Lessons from My Mentor George Raveling,” RyanHoliday.net