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Hard work is the greatest route to success, and when working hard for your passion, the result can be a remarkable Rise story. That was the case of Marc Fitt, a Canadian fitness model and entrepreneur who's created a successful fitness brand through online training/motivational videos.
Marc has always been a lover of sports. When he began going to the gym, he realized that while both activities required a lot of physical strength, gyming makes you rely only on yourself more. You learn more about yourself in the process and the hard work you need to put in to get the desired results.
Due to his passion for fitness, he always harbored the thought of becoming a professional model. However, there was no clear path to achieving it. Growing up in Montreal, Quebec, Marc only spoke French. So, from his almost inexistent knowledge of English at the time to the shallow demand for fitness in Canada, several obstacles made it seem impossible.
"I had in the back of my head that I wanted to become a professional fitness model, but I didn't know that | could do it. lt's hard to pull off, especially being from Montreal, speaking french only. Fitness in Canada wasn't that big. I was seeing everyone all around the world doing crazy things, but it wasn't like that where I was from."
He had settled for the average life, but fate would not have it, and an unfortunate event would push Marc to do what he was born to do.
The Switch in Perception
One never hopes for tragedy, but sometimes tragedy is what prompts you to make the hard decisions. In Marc's case, this would be a car accident that left his little sister with a broken hip, and from which it had been unclear if she would survive.
"The doctors came to me and said that they didn't know if she would live. Trying to put all the pieces together of what happened, and just seeing my sister all broken down after the first surgery, wasn't a really nice image to see. It just kind of froze me for, I would say, a good month. I just couldn't picture that was reality."
Naturally, this took a toll on Marc, who admitted he couldn't bring himself to see her for a month. Chances were slim of her walking again, but within a few months, he began taking a step a day with her.
This ordeal was a wake-up call for Marc, who began looking at life from a different perspective.
"This event taught me that life is really precious.....you never know what can happen; you got to do something truly meaningful to you."
Living the Passion to the Fullest
So began his journey to becoming one of the most recognizable names in the fitness industry. It wasn't easy. His initial fears had come into play, and for his first 50 to 60 videos, he was still struggling with English. So it was difficult interacting with his audience. However, his experience with his sister's car accident remained a great source of motivation.
"I felt that I needed to perform at my best because she couldn't."
His first videos were filmed with a small-sized 360p camera that he bought for $180, an accumulation of his savings. Thanks to that little device, his followership grew, with many tuning in to watch his YouTube videos.
"I wasn't able to speak in English. It was really hard for me to try to interact. I remember when I first started making videos | wasn't even able to order food in English. Can you imagine how bad I was?"
At the time he did his first Expo in Germany, he had about 500,000 followers. It was hard for him to picture that number of people, so Marc was pleasantly overwhelmed at being greeted by thousands of fans waiting to meet him. The positive effect of his work on those who look up to him fueled the drive even more.
Success and the Rise Campaign
Living his passion and helping people who need the motivation he provides has been a dream come true, and moving forward, Marc wishes to continue sharing more and inspiring others to do the same. To Marc, the Rise Never Stop Dreaming campaign represents his past of having wanted to give up his dream and finding the determination once more, even though through tragic circumstances.
"Never stop dreaming for me means just always going for it and always giving everything that you have to do what you truly want to do."
Connecting with other Rise athletes who share a similar mindset has been amazing for Marc, who says it's been an empowering experience traveling the world, living the passion, meeting people, and giving back. Mare is an inspiration to people and living proof that hard work and dedication to your passion truly pay. Even with all his success, Marc continuously attempts to set the bar higher. He is determined to achieve anything he wants, taking risks and making his best effort every day.
