Betting to live

I've heard it said that in order to win big when gambling, you have to bet enough that it will hurt if you lose. I've mostly lived my life that way...taking chances on people, places, actions, and I believe that could be my mantra. 'Bet enough that it will hurt'. I'm not saying that I always win, but that if you're not going to put your whole heart into whatever it is...why bother?