The original version was written by Mr. Harvey Mackay who is a columnist and author of the New York Times #1 bestseller “Swim With the Sharks without Being Eaten Alive.”

I have journeyed a long way to be where I am today only to find out what is life’s ABCs, so here’s my version:

A is for ability. Entrepreneurs excel at identifying problems and solving them fast. They anticipate obstacles and opportunities.

B is for business plan. A successful entrepreneur must make one before doing anything else.

C is for cash because all entrepreneurs need money. Use it wisely, even when you are rolling in it.

D is for delegate. You know what you do well and what you do poorly. Decide what to outsource and delegate these tasks to others.

E is for ethics. If you have integrity & character, nothing else matters. Always act like God and your mother is watching.

F is for failure. Few people make it the first time they try. If you can survive it to fight again, you haven’t failed.

G is for giving because givers are the biggest gainers. If you truly believe in what you are doing, give it all you’ve got.

H is for humour, as in don’t take things too seriously. I can guarantee that you are going to experience tough times and humour helps pull you through.

I is for interpersonal relationships. Those with good people skills are able to adjust and survive as their business grows.

J is for journal, as in writing down your thoughts and ideas, as well as picking the brains of experts. Review your journal periodically for things you forgot, missed or overlooked.

K is for knowledge. Successful people are constantly studying, updating themselves regarding their visions, products and market.

L is for looking forward. Successful people look ahead, around corners, and as far into the future as possible.

M is for mentor. Find a good mentor in all aspects of your life, preferably someone who’s been around the block.

N is for never giving up. Amend your plans if needed, but keep your eye on your goals and the prize.

O is for opportunities. Whether you see a market that is unfulfilled, or a product that could be improved, or a problem screaming for a solution, you are seeing an opportunity.

P is for passion. When you have passion, you speak with conviction and act with authority.

Q is for quantify. Your goals must be measurable, so it’s necessary to have a standard to hold them to. You can’t keep track of your progress if you don’t know where you want to go.

R is for risk. You must be willing to take risks. Sometimes you have to triple your failure rate to triple your success.

S is for self-examination. Do you really want to do this and for what purpose? For you to succeed, you have to believe in yourself more than you believe in anything else in the world.

T is for target market. For your ideas to succeed, you have to identify a realistic target market, big enough to be profitable yet small enough for you to handle it thoroughly.

U is for unflappable. Beyond the “don’t sweat the small stuff” mentality, you need to keep a level head and an open mind.

V is for veracity. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is what your employees, associates and customers deserve from you. Anything less will earn you a bad reputation.

W is for work hard. And then work harder. And keep working as hard as you can until you get the results you are looking for. And then keep working hard.

X is for exercise regularly. If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t be at your best.

Y is for years; don’t be deceived, you don’t know how many years you may have to work to get your idea off the ground.

Z is for zookeeper. When you’re managing a place, it’s up to you to keep the dangerous things in their cages while bringing the visitors through the gates.

Moral: Being a visionary is a lot like the ABCs – start at the beginning and follow your plan through to the end. Creating greater good requires greater substance and commitment. Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes.

“The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” ~ Vince Lombardi