What are your source(s) of motivation? How do you keep the motivation level to work hard in the gym?

My source of motivation is a picture of myself. I look so out of shape (round is a shape however), and I look like I feel miserable.

To keep motivation, I read blogs of people who have succeeded, but I also read a ton of motivational and inspirational quotes.

Let me know what your motivation is and how you keep up the motivation!

Visualization.
Results.
Music.
Women.

I simply enjoy working out. And of course, I like noticing the results.

For starters, I love this thread / question.

What motivates me vary from day to day.

1) If I am upset and angry, I just put on my headphone and avoid people as much as I can while lifting. All that I focus on is form and breathing and it helps clear my mind and de-stresses me. After I am done, I am too tired to be pissy and feel much better.

2) I've actually achieve to the point where other people look and admire my phsyique when I am pumped up. Usually, I just like the attention, it feeds into my ego. One time, I had a girl stared at me for soo long that another gal on the step machine had to look and then check me out as well. Yes, my head is big but yoga puts it back in place. Trust me, muscle is NOT your friend in yoga.

3) The way how my clothes fit me. I've always said that "The man makes the clothes, the clothes does not make the men." That and being about to fit into high school clothes again from 10+ years ago is nice.

4) How healthy I feel when I do anything. I can help friends move or hike for 3 hrs and not get super tired.

5) Watching new kids at the gym now try to workout with my weights and throw their form to heck.

6) Seeing big men who looks like they weigh easily over 200 lbs are using the same weight that I use.

When I used to do cardio, it was the Scale and watching the # drop every week. Sometimes, I weigh myself before I start and afterward. I know it's a lot of water weight but one time, I drop 7 lbs or was it 5... My tape measure was fun to watch my waist line go down every month.

As you can see, I have parameters that I use to encourage me every day, week, and month. Weight pre vs post workout daily; weigh in weekly for overall lost; and body measurements for monthly assestment.

Stay the close and stick to that diet!!! For me diet is 60% of excercising and working out is only 25% and the last 15% is resting.

Set a baseline in term of :weight, bodyfat %, and body dimensions, and pictures and notice the change.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I find it very easy to get motivation to get going, but hard to keep the motivation level up.

Once I am in the gym, I am in a zone. The routine take care of itself and the endorphines are flowing and I feel GREAT. Getting to the gym is the tough part especially at 7 am sometimes to do my workout and yoga class.

Btw, check yourself out in the mirror sometimes at home before you shower and flex. Note the improvement, give yourself a pat on the back. Sound vain and retarded BUT admire your hard work and ACKNOWLEDGE it. You have made a lot of sacrifices and effort to get where you are and need to continue to get to where you want to go.