In 1994, at age 57, George Raveling's life changed forever. Driving through Los Angeles on roads he'd traveled hundreds of times, he approached an intersection, checked both ways, and proceeded. In an instant, another car slammed into his vehicle, flipping it end over end and throwing his car into the front yard of a nearby house.
When George regained consciousness, he writes in What You're Made For: Powerful Life Lessons from My Career in Sports (grab signed copies at the Painted Porch!), a police officer told him, "Coach, you don't know how lucky you are. Ninety-five percent of the time, when I get to a scene like this, the person is dead." George had survived—but just barely. With a broken pelvis, nine broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and internal bleeding, he spent weeks immobilized and in pain at the hospital. Stuck there, staring at the ceiling, a question came to him: Why was I spared? What will I do with this second chance?
From that point on, he treated every day like bonus time—a gift he wasn't owed but was determined to make the most of. At 62, Nike named him Director of Grassroots Basketball and later Director of International Basketball. As one of their highest-ranking executives, he changed the game of basketball by discovering and bringing global stars like Yao Ming and Dirk Nowitzki to the NBA. It was his second time revolutionizing the sport with the company, as he had previously played a crucial role in convincing Michael Jordan to sign a shoe deal with Nike, which led to the creation of the iconic Air Jordan brand (MJ wrote the foreword to George's book, by the way). He also achieved awards and honors he never dreamed of after his near-fatal accident, including inductions into both the Pro and College Basketball Halls of Fame. It was like George got to experience this whole second act to his life.
We should not need a car crash to wake us up to the preciousness of our existence. In fact, as we go to bed each night, Seneca reminds us, we should say to ourselves, 'I have lived.' This way, when (or rather if) we wake up, we can experience the clarity and exhilaration that George got. We can understand that we are living on borrowed time.
We must begin each day with the quiet acknowledgment that we have been spared. What will we do with that gift? That's the question. "Life is like a game in its final quarter," George writes. "The clock is ticking, and we have no idea when the buzzer will sound."
Every day for each of us is a bonus. None of us is guaranteed tomorrow. The shot clock is clicking down. Let's make every second count.
P.S. George Raveling is a dear friend and mentor of mine (hey, it's Ryan here), and I feel fortunate that I got to play a small part in the publication of his new book What You're Made For.
The book isn't just about his incredible life, but a powerful and practical guide on how to make every moment of your life count, just like George did after his near-fatal accident.
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