Robert Ringer, best-selling author of Action! Nothing Happens Until Something Moves and Winning Through Intimidation, created the "Leap Frog Theory" of success. This theory says that, "No one has an obligation, moral or otherwise, to 'work his way up through the ranks.' Every human possesses an inalienable right to make a unilateral decision to redirect his career and begin operating on a higher level at any time he believes he is prepared to do so."



How many times have heard the phrase, "climb the ladder of success?" If you have automatically accepted this idea as reality in the past, then I hope this article challenges your thinking because Ringer is right. Who decided that it is essential to "start at the bottom and work your way up?" With a burning desire, commitment, confidence, and massive action anything is possible. Here's a true story to illustrate this point:

It was September of 2006. I was 28 years old and a broke bus boy working for an Italian-chain restaurant. In the previous four years I had launched 6 different business ventures, each ending in varying degrees of moderate success and failure and costing me thousands to tens of thousands of dollars that I really did not have to lose.

The tension over finances in my otherwise perfect relationship with my fiance was beginning to take its toll. We were one missed mortgage payment away from losing our home and I was scared that my fiance was one day away from deciding she had had enough. I knew that I had to take massive action fast.

Having been a direct response marketing student for a couple of years, I had the knowledge, but previously lacked the confidence and strength of self-image to effectively implement what I knew. Now, the pressing circumstances created within me a burning desire to take action. But, at that moment I didn't have the stomach to start another business

So, I decided - for the first time since I chose to pursue entrepreneurship in the Fall of 2002 - that I would seek employment; preferably working closely with someone that could not only pay me a salary to solve my short-term financial crisis, but someone that could also be a mentor. I recalled a special report I had received from one of my marketing mentors.

It was just several pages of simple advice about how to use the principles of direct marketing to write a cover letter and resume that would stand out, and, how to use rented mailing lists to get your information directly into the hands of the decision makers allowing you to bypass traditional gatekeepers. I followed the instructions in this report to the letter and bought a mailing list filtered using criteria for the ideal kind of company I might like to work for.

This gave me a targeted list of approximately 1,000 records of key decision makers for companies within a short drive from my home. I began hand addressing and stamping "blind" business envelopes addressed not to the company or human resources department, but directly to executive level decision makers.

I sent out 50 in the first week. No response. I sent out 100 in the next week and initially received a few leads that were interesting but not what I was looking for financially, so I held out. Then, a truly life changing phone call came in! The executive assistant to one of the richest and most prominent businessmen - a self-made software magnate turned real estate developer - called me with incredible news.

This businessman wanted to interview me. He had undoubtedly been impressed by my creative approach and my entrepreneurial drive discussed in the contents of my cover letter and resume. After two scheduled interviews where this businessman intentionally did not show up, undoubtedly to test my persistence and level of desire, I finally met with him. And, at the end of 90-minutes of intense, probing psychological questions, I was offered an executive level position with a starting salary equivalent to more than I had made in the past 3 years combined.

Most importantly, I was in a position to leverage the mentorship of a seasoned business veteran, a self-made millionaire having sold his first company at the age of 19 and built and sold several public companies thereafter. In less than 2 years I became this entrepreneur's business partner and have elevated my own entrepreneurial knowledge and skill dramatically because of this relationship.

You see, I could not have done any of this had I been of the traditional mindset of climbing the ladder of success. Now you must ask yourself: "What false beliefs or past mental programming have been holding me back from achieving a higher station or more success faster in life?" Make a promise to yourself right now to take more courageous, massive action regardless of any beliefs you may have about how things are supposed to be.