Imagine two scenarios:
In the first one, you make a $10 bet with a friend. You lose. The next day, fortune smiles on you as you walk down the street. You see a $10 bill lying on the sidewalk.
In the second scenario, nothing happens. You neither enter into any bet with anyone, nor do you find any money lying on the street.
In both scenarios, your net gain is $0.
Would both of these scenarios affect you the same psychologically? Or would one have a greater emotional impact than the other? Which scenario would you choose?
If you picked the second scenario, you made the right choice.