Staying motivated is a key factor to having success in the gym. As they say, most people are good starters but poor finishers. This is because it is easy to get fired up and excited about a future goal you want to attain, such as trying to get in shape and build muscle fast, especially when you flip through a bodybuilding magazine or see a role model with a body like the one you want.

For the first couple days, we are all excited and ready to hit the gym and train with more intensity then ever. After the workout, we feel good and can't wait until the next training day. This goes on for a few more days, for some even a few weeks. Then suddenly, our motivation level drops. All of the sudden doing something else like watching T.V. or going out with your buddies to the beach sounds much more appealing. On our next workout day, we're just not that eager to hit the gym hard and punish our bodies. We tend to even think about working out less and less.

Let me just say that at this point, and if you ever experienced this before, your goals for that particular workout are pretty much toast - unless you do something about it fast. Think about it. What got you all pumped up to begin the workout in the first place? What was different about the beginning of the workout that changed later on that kept you from continuing your workouts in the future? One word: Motivation.

What exactly is motivation? The actual definition of motivate is "to provide with a motive or motives." So if motivation is what provides you with a motive, a reason to workout, how do you maintain motivation until your reach your goals? Figure out your reasons why and how to constantly remind yourself on a daily basis. In other words, figure out "what" motivates you and "why" it motivates you and implement them into your daily thoughts and you will always be motivated!

Obviously this is much harder then it sounds, but there is a logical way to go about doing this. My mentor always used to tell me, "when you know your reason why, you will overcome any how." So the first step to keep you motivated throughout your whole workout program until you complete it is to figure out your reason why and make sure it is big enough to compel you to action and keep your desire for its attainment a burning obsession.

Write it out on a piece of paper in one or two sentences and place it somewhere where you will see it every morning and every night. Write it on a smaller note card and carry it around in your pocket everywhere you go to constantly remind yourself of it.

This step is so important that I can't stress it enough. Ask anybody who has had great success in any endeavor and they will tell you that their goal or dream was never two sentences away from their thoughts. They thought about it every minute of every day. They were in the zone. They knew exactly what they wanted and never took their mind off of it until it was achieved. Adapt this kind of thinking and attitude and motivation will follow you like a shadow.

The second approach to maintaining motivation and to keep it habitually in your thoughts is to set yourself up to where you are constantly reminded and fired up about working out. This can and should be done in several ways. The most effective way is to set up a series of ways in which you can be reminded all the time through literary, audio, visual, as well as face-to-face learning and training.

When you are constantly reading new workout material, listening to audio recordings that motivate you, watching videos or movies about working out and bodybuilding, and are associating with other like-minded people with the same or similar goals, you will have a steady and constant flow of motivation.

One of my favorite quotes is, "you will be the same person today in five years except for the books you read and the people whom you most associate with." The truism in this quote cannot be denied. If "birds of a feather flock together," what can you tell about your motivation and results based on the people whom you most hang around? How often are you reading new material on weight training and bodybuilding? These questions can often present the reason why you may be losing motivation every time you start a new workout program.

Begin today before anything else by finding your reason why you workout and ingrain it in your brain until it becomes a burning obsession. Then make sure you are always around information and people that support your goals. By just making a habit of these two things will not only jump start your motivation but also gives it the long lasting vitality and lifeblood it needs to continue to compel you all the way to the finish line.