I workout. I've been working out for a long time. Have I seen some changes in the mirror when I look? Yeah, I have, but this isn't about me. This is about a boy who I saw at the gym.

I had just finished running my two and a half miles on the treadmill and began with my oddly-planned workout. I started with back because back day is my favorite day. I then moved on over to the squat rack. As I was doing my reverse grip bent over rows, a boy and his grandmother walked in. Now, I'm not going to beat around the bush, he was heavy set. He went to change his clothes, and then claim a treadmill for his own.

The boy's grandmother sat near the door waiting for her grandson to be finished. As our workouts went on, I would glance over my shoulder or in the mirror to see how he was doing. He stayed focused. He turned the treadmill up, a light jog. Then he slowed down to his steady walk. I returned to my workout. And still I would glance over to see him going at it. He never gave up even when I was so sure that he could have.

By this time, I was almost to being done with my workout. The kid finally got off the treadmill, and he was ecstatic. I mean, the happiest I had ever seen anyone after getting off the treadmill. He walked over to where his grandma was sitting and out pure joy he exclaimed, "Grandma! I burned 260 calories!"

Damn. I was thoroughly impressed with this kid.

At this point the kid could have claimed his victory and gone home. But he took it one step further. He sat down at the chest press and banged out a couple of reps. And again, after that, he could have stopped, claimed another victory and left. I so badly fought off the temptation to go give him a high-five. Why? I have no idea. I could have easily done it, giving the kid an extra boost of confidence. But I contained myself. He moseyed on over to the ab coaster and started pumping out reps.

I was stunned. Honestly, the drive this kid had was unbelievable.

I've seen plenty of people at the gym. And I commend every single one of those people for being their. It's not easy working out in front of people. But as I was leaving, I smiled at the boys grandmother. She then asked me if I had a good workout. I nodded and said yes I did. But for a split second, I wanted to tell her to let her grandson know that I was happy for him and to encourage him to never give up.

And if there's anything that anyone takes away from this, it's that it takes small victories to win the war.