My “fancy” bike for the past three weeks. I bought it a few year ago for my family to travel around our place. However, it seems not used that much; not so much as my expectation.

Last year, I decided to bike to work in the summer when the kids were off school. Well, good intention, no execution.

This year, I biked to work. It is about 12km from my home to my office. With traffic in Hồ Chí Minh city, it takes me about 55 minutes.

When I drove a motorbike, it took 40 - 45 minutes depending on the traffic.

So the delta is 15 minutes. With both ways, It costs me 30 minutes per day when I come to the office. I wondered, "Did I waste 15 minutes?" It raises an interesting question of "lost" vs "gain."

From the pure time and math perspectives, it is. It costs me more. However, the cost is nothing if we do not know the consequences. Does it cause any bad consequences? Well, No. To be honest, I am not the kind of person that 15 minutes is a lot or cause dead or alive within 15 minutes. I am a normal dude.

However, the feeling of "losing 15 minutes" is significant. It is "lost aversion" from The Paradox of Choice book.

Now, if I turn the coin, what do I see on the other side? I gain 55 minutes biking training. It is a fantastic aerobic training. It keeps me calm. I have to be patient. I can only be fast as my body allows. There is no other way except pedaling more efficient. I have 55 minutes listening to podcasts.

The ugly truth? the feeling of "gain" is subtle, unrecognizable. It brings less joy than the lost bringing more pain.

It is all a matter of perspective. And perspective is personalized. I gain the benefits of 55 minutes with the cost of 15 minutes. A big gain.