The interesting thing is that when it comes to gaining muscle mass, the secret to motivation is no different than in any other endeavor in your life. Not everything in our lives will be exciting, especially when it is something long term. There usually comes a point in time when it becomes very difficult to "show up".

To understand what it takes for you to be motivate I think you need to look back at events in your life where maybe the odds were against you but somehow you managed to make something happen. Now it doesn't have to be something major, just a case where you had it made up in your mind that it was going to happen and it did.

Let me give you an example. Have you ever craved food from a specific restaurant so much that it completely consumed your thoughts all day, if not most if it? And later that day, when it finally came time to eat, you and your friend or relative tried to decide what or where to eat and you immediately came up with the idea to go out to get the delicious food you had been drooling over. However, they weren't as excited about the place or food as you were and tried to persuade you to go somewhere else. But your desire for that food was so strong you convinced them to go by offering to pay for their food or gas, or anything else for that matter.

Has that ever happened to you? What came over you when this happened? What was it that made you push so hard to get what you wanted? Most importantly, how can you create this desire inside yourself to show up to the gym?

It's quite simple really. You see, in the beginning you simply had an idea. The idea was to get a specific meal at a specific place. Throughout the day you continued to think about that idea until eventually it became a strong emotional desire. The more you thought about it, the more emotional it became until it consumed your thoughts and behavior. At that point you were going to do whatever it took to get that meal.

So let's apply that process to help you gain muscle mass. Determine why you want to build muscle mass. What is it that you are trying to achieve? Now "to have a nice body" isn't enough. Dig deeper. Why do you want a nice body? What will having a nice body do for you? The deeper you dig, the closer you get to that emotional desire that will push you every day. Think about it every day; especially when you are struggling to get to the gym.

Having a clear picture of what it is you ultimately are trying to achieve will not only give you goals, but major motivation. Motivation can be the difference between showing up every day and gaining that muscle mass your looking for or quitting just a tad too early.