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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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What You're Made For summary
George Raveling, Ryan Holiday
Powerful Life Lessons from My Career in Sports
18 mins
Brief summary
What You're Made For by George Raveling and Ryan Holiday emphasizes the importance of understanding one's true purpose. It provides insights into aligning actions with core values to lead a fulfilling and impactful life.
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What You're Made For
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From humble beginnings to the Basketball Hall of Fame
George Raveling was born in 1937 to a world of stark inequality. At that time, the life expectancy for a Black male in the United States was just 48 years.
Growing up in Washington, DC – then known as “Chocolate City” due to its 73 percent Black population – his early life was marked by hardship and loss. His father worked caring for the horses of wealthy whites, sometimes spending nights beside the animals in their stables to save money on daily travel. At age nine, Raveling’s father died of a heart attack at just 49 – a devastating loss and early encounter with mortality.
Following his father’s death, Raveling lived with his mother in a small corner apartment with just a kitchen, a living room, and a single shared bedroom. While his mother worked three jobs to support them, Raveling spent hours watching streetcars from his window, methodically recording their numbers and times in a notebook – a small way to create order in his chaotic world. His mother’s stern daily instruction not to leave the building was an attempt to shield him from a world often inhospitable to young Black boys.
At 13, Raveling discovered his mother emptying an expensive bag of sugar down the kitchen drain – an ominous sign of tragedy to come. She began exhibiting increasingly erratic behavior, which eventually led to her commitment to a mental institution where she spent her remaining years.
Yet, against overwhelming odds, Raveling not only survived but thrived. He became the first person in his family to attend college, earning basketball scholarships to Saint Joseph’s College and Villanova University.
Indeed, his life intersected with pivotal moments in American history. He stood alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington. After King delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, he handed his typewritten notes to Raveling, who still holds them as a treasured possession.
Throughout his career as the first Black basketball coach at three separate universities, Raveling’s office door always read, at his insistence: “GEORGE RAVELING. EDUCATOR.”
He coached Olympic gold medal teams, worked alongside Phil Knight in Nike’s early days, and personally mentored Michael Jordan.
Throughout his extraordinary journey – from an orphaned boy in Washington, DC to Basketball Hall of Fame inductee – Raveling developed a philosophical perspective on life’s purpose. Now at 87 years of age, he’s exceeded his statistical life expectancy by nearly four decades. As such, he finds himself continually asking: “Why me? Why was I spared when so many others weren’t?” and asking himself what he should do with the precious extra time he’s been given.
His quest for purpose has transformed him from a coach of athletes into a coach of life. In the following sections, we’ll look at some of the key lessons drawn from his decades of experience.
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What is What You're Made For about?
What You’re Made For? (2025) explores the life lessons of sports legend George Raveling – and his remarkable journey from hardship to influence. It offers a blueprint for discovering purpose, evolving continuously, and living an impactful life.
Who should read What You're Made For?
- Sports enthusiasts interested in the behind-the-scenes wisdom of basketball legends
- Aspiring coaches and leaders seeking to develop leadership skills
- Anyone seeking inspiration to persevere through adversity
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