Forget lions and lambs, when March rolls around, lots of people are thinking “madness”—as in March Madness, the Division 1 College Basketball Championship. Each year, 64 teams compete to determine who is the #1 college team in the country. Starting this week, they go from the opening round to the first and second rounds, then the Sweet 16, the Elite Eight, the Final Four and, finally, the NCAA Championship game.

Now, shooting hoops at this level takes hard work and teamwork. It also takes committed, smart coaching and clever use of God-given skills and talents. And I think we’d all agree that winning a tournament of this scale means achieving outrageous success. These same components—hard work, teamwork, coaching and talent—work in the business world, too. In order to achieve outrageous success in business (and attain rainmaker status) each of these things comes into play.

Over the next two weeks, I’d like to take this ball and run with it, so to speak. I’ll share 10 inspirational ideas to help keep you successfully in the game and on the right path to achieving outrageous success of your own. Here are the first five:

• You gotta dream big—real big. Being outrageously successful (on the court and in the boardroom) takes confidence and means dreaming big. Perhaps Slick Watts said it best: “Believe in yourself. If you believe you can do something, don’t let anybody in the whole world tell you that you can’t.” They’re your dreams; dream them without limits.
• If you’re not getting what you want, don’t make excuses. Take responsibility for what happens to you. If you are not getting the results you want, don’t blame the economy, your company or the team you work with every day. Your success, ultimately, is up to you. Be proactive. If you aren’t happy with your work environment, change it for the better or go somewhere else. But if you leave, make sure you are not running from your own weaknesses, inefficiencies or problems. Elvin Hayes said, “Blame is the coward’s way out.” Remember that.
• Success breeds success. But, if you’re not careful, it also can lead to arrogance, complacency and, ultimately, a lack of success. Outrageous success means striving to be successful every day—even when you are already achieving your goals. Truly successful people continue to stay competitive even as they consider themselves successful. They don’t slack off or back off. They might practice Kaizen, a Japanese strategy for continuous improvement. For sure, they stay competitive by continuing to work their craft. They also find ways to keep the job fresh and energizing by keeping their environment and work habits dynamic and ever changing. Dale Brown said, “Complacency is an ugly monster that sneaks up behind us, trips us and makes us fall short of our goals.” Keep your competitive edge.
• Forget your past; there is no future in it. Yes, do learn from your mistakes, but then move on. As my good friend Grantland Rice III said, “Don’t trip over things behind you.” Focus on today and your future. Focus on what you can do to be successful going forward. Rick Pitino knew what he was talking about when he said: “Live in the precious present.”
• Continually learn, grow and develop your skills, knowledge and expertise. The business game is always changing, and you have to change with it. Today, you have to know more than simply your own job duties—especially if you are involved in the sales process. You’ll need a working knowledge of products (your own and those of your competitors), insight into industry trends, an understanding of the latest technology (and how to use it) and the ability to be a team player. And even that’s not enough. The most successful people I coach are advisors to their clients. And that really takes being on top of things! Bob Lanier said, “It takes education to be successful in the game of life.” Never stop learning. In fact, strive to learn one new thing every day.

March Madness is upon us. If you are a sports fan, enjoy the tournament. Not only is it entertaining, but it also demonstrates the power of performing when it matters. The tournament is a roadmap showing how one team achieves outrageous success. Take a tip from these winners and apply their strategy to your own efforts in business. Think big—real big. Take responsibility for your actions, and do not blame others for problems. Remember, success breeds success. Learn from any mistakes you might make, and use that knowledge as traction to help you move forward. If you lose traction, don’t focus on the setback. And finally, practice and improve. Learn something new every day.