August 30^th is a special day. Each year on this date, I have the unique opportunity to reflect on a life changing meeting I had seven years ago. In a way, it feels like it was yesterday. As I read through my notes and the accompanying journal experience, the nerve racking and inspiring thoughts and feelings I had that day come back to life. What if I told you a face-to-face meeting with a Hall of Fame basketball coach started on a weekday evening in my grandma’s basement? Seems odd, I know. Give me a couple paragraphs to explain.

After being treated to dinner by my grandpa and grandma as a college student, along with my brother and sister-in-law, we began rummaging through my grandma’s basement looking for a game to play. My brother found one of Coach Rav’s camp notebooks from the 1970’s, during his time as the Head Coach at Washington State University. I messaged coach on Twitter, and quickly received a reply about his interest in receiving this camp booklet from me. If you know anything about Coach, you’ll know why he wanted this gem! I agreed to send it his way, in exchange for a phone conversation. That one phone call turned into the meeting of a lifetime.

This seemingly random find and unique journey eventually led me to the office of Hall of Fame Basketball Coach, George Raveling. Now I just call him Coach. He’s my friend, my mentor and an educator. He’s my reference, my pen pal and my teacher. He inspired the development of Coach To Lead, which has been up and running for 4.5 years now. He inspired my choice to accept my coaching calling. Ironically, it was made official on this special day, I was named Assistant Coach at Benedictine University Mesa. I’m entering my seventh year of fulfilling what I refer to as my burden, which is, to serve others through basketball. Coach has inspired me to become a better leader of myself and of those around me.

Coach Rav asked me what my 5-year plan was that day. I took time to carefully pencil out my plan for the upcoming five years and how I was going to achieve it. Being 7 years removed from the conversation, I’ve enjoyed looking back at how that plan has worked, failed, and been amplified into more than I ever thought all at the same time. This comes from a place of gratitude. I’ve also had the chance to dive into planning my next 5-years.

As I begin to create new coaching relationships with the players at Benedictine University Mesa, I ask a lot of questions and try to listen as much as I can to the dreams, desires, fears and concerns of these young men. As I have these conversations, I’m constantly reminded of a conversation I had with Coach Rav. He said, “we spend more time planning trips than we do planning our lives.” Imagine if we had the amount of detail in planning our life as we do when taking a trip. One thing I have learned from another mentor, Phil Beckner, is that “high clarity = high performance.” Be clear. Be concise. Determine what you really want and tell people about it. I was recently challenged by Phil in our mentorship meeting to tell people what I want. That has led to life changing opportunities, some of which have come, and some of which I believe are still to come.

I’ve shared these in the past, but I think they are worth re-sharing again. 

Here are some thought provoking and inspiring questions Coach Rav asked me. I encourage you to ask yourself the same questions.

• What’s most important to me right now?
• What do you really want to do with your life?
• What are you willing to sacrifice?
• How do I get above average?
• Who can help me see what I don’t see?
• What do I need to know? What don’t I know?
• How will I acquire unique knowledge to set myself apart?
• Who do I listen to?
• Where, when, and how do I want to get there?
• Is success material to me?

Here’s some advice Coach Rav shared. He taught me to continually pursue and acquire knowledge, particularly through books. Coach gifted me a handful of books that day, and encouraged me to always bring a book to give away during a meeting, which is something I have always tried to remember to do.

• Secure transferrable skills (communication, leadership, problem solving) – pick a skill and study everything you can about it for a year
• Create a 5-year plan and take smart risks to make it happen
• Make adjustments to your plan, just like you would if coaching a game
• Be simplistic and realistic
• Never take a job for the money, take it for the opportunity
• If you’re as good as you think you are, you’ll get paid
• Growth habits leads you to a destination
• Be committed and disciplined to your plan
• Once you commit, walk the walk
• Surround yourself with amazingly intelligent people
• Build good habits to grow – They’ll compete against your other interests
• Commit to growth and success – acquire and master skills
• Be authentic because you’ll be more relatable
• Sustain success, learn lessons, fortify experience
• Hold yourself accountable to the responsibility you have to be yourself
• Lead yourself – If you can’t lead yourself you can’t lead someone else
• Control what you can control, particularly how you think
• Take charge of your life and you’ll be more productive
• Validate yourself or you won’t be who you really are

I had decided to make Coach Rav a mentor of mine before I met him. When I was able to meet him face to face, he made the comment that he had mentors that he had never met in person. Coach inspired me that day like he’s inspired so many before me. My hope is you’ll leave feeling inspired as well.

“If there’s going to be a positive difference in my life, I have to initiate it.” Coach George Raveling