The first horse race I ever bet on I won $50 on a $2 bet! That may not sound like big winnings to you, but it wasn’t a bad start to my “gambling” career.

I went to Ruidoso, N.M. some 35 years ago to the horse track with my family. Never having bet on a horse, or even attended a horse race before, I had no clue on how to choose a winner.

So, I carefully evaluated the field of horses, studied my program, and did what most seasoned bettors do. I put my money on the brown horse because that was my favorite color.

The odds for the brown horse to win were pretty astronomical, but it crossed the finish line first! He was a longshot. Nobody believed he could win. I got lucky.

My strategy began to fail quickly as my winnings dwindled down to a couple of bucks. I soon learned that the color of a horse has no correlation to how fast they run.

I heard a coach tell her team one time, “you have to be willing to bet on yourself to get the job done.”

You bet on something or someone that you believe is going to win. I often ask myself this question, “Am I willing to bet on me? And if so, how much am I willing to wager?”

Nobody bets on a horse they believe is going to lose. You bet on a winner based on what you can see, hear, and feel. What a great question to ask yourself, would you bet on yourself to get the job done?

Are you willing to wager that you will land that job, reach your health goals, write that book, own that business, visit that country, buy that house, run that marathon, etc.? Would you bet cash on it? If so, how much?

I’m not encouraging you to start gambling, but it’s a good question to ponder. I’d assume the amount you decide to wager would be in direct correlation to the amount of belief you have in yourself.

It is easier at times to bet on someone else rather than myself. I have learned when I doubt myself, I am less willing to throw my chips on the table and go all in.

I won $50 that day because I got lucky, and my luck did not last. I don’t depend on luck or even hope for that matter. Luck and hope only work out with a plan of action. I can’t just hope things will change, I have to be willing “ante up” and make the changes. Maybe not monetarily, but with my most precious commodity, time.

Some folks may not be willing to bet on you because they don’t believe you’ll win, and that’s ok. You may be a long shot, but as long as you are willing to bet on yourself, their wager doesn’t matter.

I still have plenty of things I want to accomplish and places I want to visit.

You don’t have to bet on me, but don’t bet against me.

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Todd Howey is a columnist for BrownwoodNews.com whose articles appear on Fridays.