No. 172



The first time I met Ray I was impressed with his intelligence, energy level and commanding presence. Although he was just in his early thirties he was moving up the management ladder of a large company like a rocket. One evening when my wife and I were in his city, we made arrangements to have dinner with Ray and his wife Laurie at a well known restaurant. We had a pleasant evening but I was surprised at the amount of alcohol Ray consumed during dinner. When he told us he had recently been promoted to Senior Vice-President, I figured he was just celebrating a bit.

Laurie was a lovely person. She and Ray had one child, a son who was an outstanding football player at a major university. Tim was a blue-chip athlete, sure to be named All-American that year. Ray was excited about the prospects of his son going early in the NFL draft the following spring. As it turned out, Tim was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round and Ray called me long distance to relay the good news. If there was one thing I learned about Ray over the years, it was that only two subjects made him sit up and take notice. One was his son's football career. The other was money. At the time he was made Senior Vice-President, he confided in me that his net worth was already close to three million.

Ray was flying high, but little did he know that he was headed for a crash. The downward spiral began when the President of Ray's company announced he planned to retire later that year. Most of the employees felt that Ray or the other Senior Vice-President would move into the corner office when that happened. Top management insiders believed that Ray had the edge. Between the President's announcement and his actual retirement however, the pressure began to eat Ray alive. His drinking inreased and two or three martinis with lunch were the norm. Another change took place in his life as his former relaxed management style changed to a more dictitorial and demanding one.

When the President finally retired, few in the company were surprised when the other Senior Vice-President got the job. When Ray was informed of the decision he angrily resigned. After his resignation I lost contact with Ray but I learned that he had taken a job with a company in another state. He commuted back and forth but his drinking continued until Laurie moved out. She told him that she still loved him but he had to stop drinking. Some time later I ran into Ben, who was a mutual friend, and he told me that he had called Ray to have dinner so he could cheer him up. They were to meet at 7 O'clock but Ray never showed. Later he learned that around 6 O'clock Ray had put the barrel of a gun into his mouth and pulled the trigger. He was forty-five years old.

Here was a man who had everything to live for. He was wealthy, had a beautiful wife who loved him and a son who had fullfilled his dreams by becoming a professional football player. By most standards, he was successful. He had position, power and money, however he lacked some things that were even more important: peace of mind, happiness and contentment.

I believe you will agree this true story really puts SUCCESS into pespective. It can be found in the first chapter of a powerful and life changing book titled "ULTIMATE SUCCESS" written by Frank R. Baudine who lives in Dallas, Texas. Frank Baudine is the CEO of a major executive recruting firm and has had the opportunity to dig deeply into the lives and careers of top executives for many years. The book "ULTIMATE SUCCESS" is the best book on success that I have ever read. It's available at your local book store and is published by Tyndale House Publishers. (Jim Davidson is a motivational speaker and syndicated columnist. You may contact him at 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)