The athlete in all of us

There is an athlete in everyone! So many times we hear people say, "I'm not an athlete." These people come into a gym or an athletic setting and automatically count themselves out. WHY? What are the requirements of being an athlete? Natural talent and strength may be helpful attributes, however, these qualities do not entirely make-up an athlete. An athlete is full of passion for LIFE, welcomes a challenge, and never backs down. An athlete has an exceptional work ethic on and off the court/field/floor. An athlete is all about the team and less about "I." Athletes take defeat or criticism as a learning experience and walk away better for it. An athlete gives 100% at all times and leaves their personal life in the personal life. Athletes keep their integrity intact and are positive role models to others. An athlete is hungry; hungry for competition, they are warriors, hungry for the game, the challenge, the pain, sweat, and tears, the sights and sounds, all the aspects that make up athletic activity. A true athlete possesses these qualities and more. There are those of you who may not have a great deal of natural ability in a sport, but will OUTWORK anyone. YOU are a true athlete. There are those of you that grow and learn with every chance you get on the field. YOU are a true athlete. There are those of you who give 100% and always encourage others to do their best. YOU are a true athlete. To those of you who are lucky enough to inherit natural talent and strength in athletics, make the most of what you have been given. You can possess natural talent and strength and NOT be a true athlete. Being an athlete requires much more than what can be seen on a scoreboard. Find the TRUE ATHLETE within yourself, dig deep, its there! Work hard, DOMINATE, never back down.

Domination Begins.

-cepedabrand21 surf co.

New T-shirt design available!

We are announcing the arrival of our third shirt! Contact us for details! (Leave a comment, and we will get back to you!)

Domination begins.

-cepedabrand21 surf co.

Motivation

Motivation is the driving force to success. Discovering what drives us allows us to harness the energy it brings to us. We use it to push ourselves harder and further towards our goals. Motivation has a positive domino effect on our lives. We set goals and use our motivation to reach them. Along the way, as we inch closer to attaining our goals, side goals and eventually higher goals can be set which often creates new motivation! True motivation never dies. It grows and develops into new challenges and motivation towards our evolving goals.

Motivation creates action. Knowledge of what needs to be done is never enough. Without motivation, we will never have accomplishment. Motivation will drive us to succeed. Dominate with motivation!

Domination begins.

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Infection

Negativity can infect and poison the fabric of our minds. It feeds on and absorbs more negativity, growing stronger and multiplying until it overtakes us...if we let it. Do not succumb to negativity in your life. Our minds are amazing pieces of equipment. We can dominate negativity by not allowing it to invade and overcome us. There are times in our lives when we look around and see nothing but chaos all around us. Choose to rise above the chaos, dominate it with a positive outlook. We CHOOSE the attitudes and general outlook that we portray in our lives. You may find yourself in a spot where negativity has taken over, you are thinking of your present life situation and see that negativity has its grasp on you. Choose to dominate. Find one positive thing in your life. There is ALWAYS one thing, and that one thing, leads to another thing to be thankful for in your life. It may be as simple as having air in your lungs or a beating heart. It could be one person, a beloved pet, or your faith in God. It could be a total stranger that sent you a smile this morning, someone who held the door for you as you were walking out, the sun in the sky, the rain in the clouds, etc... There is always something to dominate the negativity in your life and the good news is that optimism is just as infectious! Infect your life with positive domination!

Domination begins.

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Heroes

There are heroes among us. Heroes who have done big, amazing things and those who have done small, amazing things. There are people who see a chance to dominate and do so without thinking of themselves, jumping into action when situations call them to act. Selfless acts of service can be as small as lending a listening ear to someone who needs a friend, or as huge as wading into chest deep, raging flood waters to save a complete stranger, using a set of kayak straps you just happen to have in your vehicle as an anchor, saving his life. Completely different scenarios, none without tremendous impact. What does it take to be a hero? Courage, selflessness, ingenuity, resourcefulness, integrity, moral uprightness, mental toughness, decisiveness, confidence, heart, self-discipline, and self-control...just to name a few. There are so many different qualities that make up a hero. Some situations may require physical strength, however, utilizing resourcefulness and intelligence can sometimes make up for lack of physical strength. In other situations, a simple act of kindness or acknowledgement may be all that is needed. Anyone can be a hero, but not everyone is willing to dominate. Whether you are in the right place at the right time, or in a career that calls you to be a hero every single day, be prepared to act. Dominate. Be willing to step out for someone in need. Dominate for someone else, you just may be their hero!

Domination begins.

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Influences in our lives

The world is full of people of all sorts. In our lives we interact with people everyday of varying integrity and energy. Surround yourself with people who will build you up; people who challenge you daily and hold you to a higher standard. There are people who maintain a positive outlook through the mountains and valleys of life. They persevere in hard times and handle them with grace. These are the people who will help you remain positive through the ups and downs of your own life and are the best to have near when life is joyful. Look at your own circle of friends, co-workers, and acquaintances. Do these people bring out the best in you? Don't be afraid to re-evaluate the relationships in your life. We are highly influenced by the people who infiltrate our days. Dominate the influences you allow into your life. Ensure that the people who carry the most influence in your life, encourage you, challenge you, and inspire you to be the best individual possible.

Domination Begins.

-cepedabrand21 surf co.

Lemonade

"When life hands you lemons, make lemonade." We hear this expression everyday. What can we learn from it? Everyone experiences difficulty and disappointment in their lives. Life is full of unexpected events. We think we are headed in one direction, something occurs, and we have to turn and go a different way. Sometimes these are simply detours and others we may need to carve out a path to an entirely different destination. It happens all the time. The methods by which we handle these turns of events determines our path. The path on the left, is the path where we wallow in self pity, thinking about how horrible our lives are and accept it the way it seems. Negativity is carried on our shoulders and we usually like everyone to experience negativity with us. We will call this the lemons path. The path to the right, is where we harness what we are experiencing, or have previously experienced and use it to make us better and stronger. The more experiences we have, the more wisdom we can gain. Even the hardest things in life can be dominated and even used for good if we carry a positive attitude and try to make the best of every situation. Keep our heads held high. If we try, we can always find joy, even in the hardest of times. We will call this the lemonade path. There will be times in our lives when we are experiencing lemons, possibly even right now. Which path will you choose? Why not dominate the lemons and make lemonade?

Domination Begins.

-cepedabrand21 surf co.

Appreciate Today

Today is a simple word containing 24 hours. It means the present day. Now. What are you doing to enjoy your present day? So much can happen in a day. Events that happen in one 24 hour period can have an impact lasting the rest of your life. Many of us spend countless hours preparing for the future, ours and our children's. Some of us are stuck on what happened yesterday, last week, last month, last year, etc... We need to take time to appreciate today. Some things happen today that you may never again have the chance to experience. Some people, you may never get the chance to see again. Open your eyes. Make the most of the todays we have! Think about the future, but never neglect today. Experience, feel, love, be passionate, fearless, kind, thoughtful, giving, spontaneous, accepting, forgiving...live! Live every moment of your life, never taking anything or anyone for granted. Appreciate all that can happen in one 24 hour block of time and take advantage of it!

Domination Begins.

-cepedabrand21 surf co.

Our Revolution

Take a step toward creating a revolution in your own life. What is it you are wanting to do and have been putting off? What is preventing you from reaching your goal? We believe that if you want something bad enough, you can make it happen, whatever it is. This is the start of the Domination Begins revolution. If you are in an unfulfilling job, waiting for the chance to make a move towards getting a better one, trying to earn an athletic scholarship, reaching high for the chance to become a professional fighter, get in shape, earn a degree, whatever goals you may have, we believe you can achieve them! Believe in yourself and take the steps to attain success! Our company started as a dream with a goal. We want to preserve our island culture and spread the positive message of dominating your dreams and facilitating your goals. This is our revolution.

Domination Begins.

-cepedabrand21 surf co.

Balance

Family
Friends
Church
Work
School
Athletics
Hobbies
Money

The above list is a random compilation of the priorities a lot of us have. The order each of us lists our priorities is different. What do you hold most dear to you? Are you willing to let a couple of these lag behind in order push yourself forward in another area of your life? Is this the right decision? Think about the decisions you make everyday. Are you putting the right things first in your life? Do you have your priorities straight? If you were to lose one of these priorities because of an oversight, is it worth it? Dominate the balance of your life. Never put the things you hold most dear to you on a shelf. Give sufficient attention to each of the aspects of your priority list. Love what you do; be yourself. Balance God and family; work and pleasure.

Domination Begins.

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Patience

Domination, moving forward, climbing ladders, barrelling forward towards the finish line, the final goal...there comes a time when we must exercise patience. Learning when to push forward and when to take a breath and wait is a skill we must all develop. Never stop reaching for the sky, but know when to slow down and let things happen. Getting what you think you want right now is not always the correct path. Occasionally, you will find that waiting will produce a better result than you originally planned for. If you find yourself going down a path that seems more difficult than it should be, perhaps this is the time for you to watch your endeavors in motion. Exercise patience; see if another path is opened up to you.

Domination Begins.

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Time is an enemy that none of us can conquer. Things happen everyday that we may never get to experience again. Tomorrow may not come for some of us; go for it and experience today! Think about how you want to live your life, and live it to the fullest. Dominate your time on this earth. Our company was based on the whole premise of "Domination begins." Dominate whatever it is. Life, school, relationships, and...time. Dominate it. We appreciate you reading our blogs and gaining an understanding of why we do what we do everyday. The shirts are an extension of a culture, we as company, want to create, grow, and spread. It is our dream to see our shirts on those of you that purchase it and support our concept of "Domination begins."

Seemingly, time is always working against us. We always try to conquer time. Is that the actual goal? Do we really want to conquer time? Possibly the way to conquer time is to dominate it. Making the most of every moment. Make time to create, grow, and spread domination in your life.

Domination begins.


-cepedabrand21 surf co.

Perception of others

7/23/2010

Continue to be positive when things are not exactly as you have planned or wished. If you plan according to the trends and what the mass populace thinks, then it is no wonder you are in the situation you are in now. All plans that are made out of circumstance will never go accordingly. All plans made out of passion and vision will be bigger than what you expected. Envision the future as a plan. Dig deep inside for the passion. Finally, look around for your vision.

The tools have always been there you just need to know how to use them. Never use the past as a measuring stick, you will always come up short. Positive is not a word or a cliche'. It is a thought of something greater. The thought of future endeavors. The thought of 'what if?' The thought of 'why not?'

Do you see the plan forming right now. Then the next step is to... Dominate it.


Domination begins....now.
-cepedabrand21 surf co.

If you take a look around you and notice that the year is half over. Consider the fact that July will be over next week. Also consider that in August school will start for those of you that have children and for those that don't maybe your own academic pursuits. And for those of us that have full time lives and jobs the summer isn't the same as it was when you were 9. Summer will end but your personal drive must continue on.

This is why we started the company and why we pursue to live and breathe our island culture no matter where we are. When we sat down and talked about what we want to stand for we knew exactly what we wanted to create. There is nothing better than starting something and seeing it all the way through. Whatever you start finish it through. Academic pursuits, new jobs, new relationships, a new outlook for your personal life, just finish it.

Even though your summers may never be the same as it once was, it will be finished. Then for some of us again maybe a new job, new relationships, new academic pursuits or a new personal outlook will occur during the fall. See your personal pursuits all the way through. Don't stop. Now just don't finish it, Dominate it.


-cepedabrand21 surf co.
Domination begins.

7/21/2010

And here we go... These are remarkable words considering how we came to start all this. Actually, then again not, because I'm not surprised. We are cepedabrand21. To be honest with it is a family run and owned business that we intend to cultivate and grow to send our nieces, nephews, and kids to college. But don't think we are not a business. We are. And we promote a culture that many of you may have seen but have not lived. More on that later. I thank you for reading if this is your first time and I hope that we are interesting enough for you to spend time with. We are a work in progress but like our motto we have started and now..."Domination begins."