There are no solutions. There are only trade-offs.

I came across a quote from economist Thomas Sowell that made me really think: "There are no solutions. There are only trade-offs."

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For example...

You take the promotion, and you get the bigger paycheck but it means lots of travel away from the family. 

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You buy the bigger house, and you get more space plus the bigger mortgage and a whole lot more to clean.

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You decide to work from home, and you skip the commute but you lose the connection with people. 

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You start your own business, and you get the freedom along with the sleepless nights in moments of stress (ask me how I know). 

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None of those are bad choices, they just all come with trade-offs. And the gym is no different.

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Everyone wants the solution. They want the program that gets results without the early alarm or the nutrition plan that drops 15 pounds and still includes wine every night and pizza three days a week or the schedule where they train five days a week and never have to miss social engagements. 

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It doesn't exist.

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Want to get stronger? That's time in the gym that could be spent somewhere else, like on your couch. 

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Want to lose body fat? That means saying no to some of the foods you love, at least for a while. 

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Want to make the 5:00 a.m. class? That means going to bed when everyone else is bingeing another episode.

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People get stuck because they want the result but aren’t ready for the trade-offs. You can’t keep everything and change something at the same time.

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So stop asking "What's the solution?" and start asking "What am I willing to trade?"