Over at Testosterone Nation, Matthieu Hertilus asks who you'd want to be your workout partner. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mariusz Pudzianowski, Simona Halep and others with great physiques and athletic accomplishments all would drive you to work harder in their own ways, but maybe the ideal workout partner for you is a fat guy who's always been a complete failure?

Every time Steve tries another diet or workout program, your coworkers say encouraging things to his face but then laugh behind his back. At first, you joined in, appreciating the absurdity of a guy who's doing workouts from Muscle & Fitness one month, learning Tae Bo from some DVDs he bought at a garage sale the next month, and then training for a marathon the month after that.

...

Think back to all the guys who helped you out over the years, guys who shared their time and expertise without any expectation that you'd be able to reciprocate. They did it because they love training, and sensed that you would share that passion once you learned the ropes.

Here's how you pay them back: You take a confused, frustrated newbie under your wing, and teach him the basics. Under your tutelage, it starts to make sense. He learns to make every repetition count, to assign importance to every element of every meal. Week by week, month by month, you see him getting leaner, stronger, more focused in the gym, more confident at work. One day you realize he's pushing you as much as you're pushing him.

That's when you realize that Steve is exactly what you've always wanted in a training partner. Sure, your workouts with him sucked at first, but now that you've brought him up to the intermediate level, Steve is ready and willing to take on any training program you want to try. He can't always keep up with you, but you're inspired by his effort.

It doesn't matter whether you lift weights, swim, run or shoot hoops - this is how taking responsibility for your life allows you to make positive changes in the lives of others. It even works well beyond sports - taking good care of your garden or preparing your own food encourages a few people around you to do the same. When your life is over, it might turn out that these were your most important battles.