Dream Big, Live Big

I remember the days when I would hear my friends and family share their dreams—all the things they wanted to accomplish and become. Very few actually lived out those dreams though.

So many of them had amazing potential and incredible gifts and talents. The problem was that very few actually had the encouragement and motivation from someone in their lives to realize their potential. Most have turned down a different path and strayed from their vision of what they truly wanted to become—but it’s never too late. You can accomplish your dreams and live out your vision no matter what your situation.

It feels like yesterday that I was in the gym working out and noticed that a lot of were people standing around and talking, watching TV, gazing out the window, texting or talking on the phone—anything and everything but what they were there to do: work out! Most of us are too easily distracted, and the distractions are many. At one point they said, “I don’t like the direction I’m going with my body and my health, so I’m going to change it.” They took action and joined a gym. Unfortunately, too many lose focus because of lack of encouragement, motivation or inspiration.

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I recalled that at one point I’d had a dream and a vision of a clothing line, but I’d gotten too distracted. I decided to head down to Venice, California, on the Fourth of July for an event at Muscle Beach. There I was surrounded by many people who clearly had remained focused, encouraged and motivated—not only the competitors but the sponsors, the promoters and the photographers. I became inspired.

Git Swole Clothing would become a reality, I decided. The word git represents the pursuit, the journey, the chase. Swole represents greatness—dominant, massive, beyond huge. So “git swole” means to chase after greatness. To reach our goals, we must perform the necessary actions required to accomplish them. We must fulfill what is demanded for success.

Imagine how great this world would be if we encouraged and inspired each other more. Just imagine. I did. And that’s when the incredible happened. I decided to produce a small quantity of shirts with Git Swole Clothing printed on the front and a bodybuilder image on the back. With the support of my wife and a few friends I put them into a cardboard box and walked around Venice Beach during a competition at Muscle Beach. I passed out all of those shirts free of charge. I took pictures of people wearing Git Swole shirts—and then I began receiving shirt orders. People were e-mailing me, wanting to know more about Git Swole Clothing.

I went from printing a few shirts in a garage to mass printing through a silkscreen company. My clothing line has been featured in several newspapers and has rapidly expanded. We are now the proud sponsor of the Memorial Day Muscle Beach event at Venice Beach, promoted by Joe Wheatley Productions.

The message: Dream Big. Live Big. Git Swole.

—Marcel Daniels

 

Editor’s note: For more information, visit www.IAmSwole.com.