Bet on Yourself
By CoWano Stanley
When we usually hear about betting, we think of gambling casinos, horse racing, dog racing, the lottery, and the like. But what about when it comes to betting on yourself in life? This is the soul-searching question CoWano Stanley addresses in her book Bet on Yourself: 5 Approaches to Winning.
In her opening introduction, Stanley states, “When it comes of betting on yourself in life, I think about taking a chance on deciding, taking a risk and having faith to accomplish goals and dreams that your heart desires to do. This can be in areas of your career, business, health, finances, spiritually, or even mentally. But to do that, you must get rid of the fears, doubt, and excuses that keep you bound from moving forward. You can’t take a chance on yourself, if you allow those things to stop you.”
Indeed, the vast majority of the time it is we ourselves standing in our own way, and betting on yourself to win in life has a mental and a spiritual component, listening to and trusting God in the process. Stanley outlines this in a five-step process—1) winning, 2) taking a leap of faith, 3) taking a risk, 4) the 3 P’s (patience, persistence, and perseverance), and 5) staying focus. In addition, it is important to invest in one’s mind and physical health. What are we feeding our mind and spirit on a daily basis? What are we doing to keep our bodies healthy?
Bet on Yourself is an interactive book, where Stanley invites the reader to respond to questions she asks during each chapter. All five steps are crucial to win in life. I liked her observation that “God can’t bless us with specific blessings (that are for you) because our way of thinking has not changed.” Likewise, her chapter on “The 3 P’s” resonates powerfully. So many want instant gratification and microwave results, forgetting that great things take time and work, and results operate on God’s time, not ours.
Born in El Dorado, Arkansas, CoWano Stanley grew up in Minneapolis. She is the recipient of two undergraduate and two master’s degrees. In 2018, she left the corporate world to become an entrepreneur. Her mission: “to help inspire and encourage others that can accomplish any goal or dream they desire and to bet on yourself.” Bet on Yourself is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and through her website, cowanostanley.com.
Thank you, CoWano, for living and exemplifying the hallmarks of a winner and the reminder of trusting God as we follow the process of becoming one.
W.D. Foster-Graham
W.D. Foster-Graham is a native son of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received a B.A. in psychology from Luther College, and he was an original member of the multi-Grammy-Award-winning ensemble, Sounds of Blackness. He has also been recognized by the International Society of Poets as one of its “Best New Poets of 2003,” is a guest writer for journalist/author/entertainer Wyatt O’Brian Evans.
