Have You Heard of Digital Nomads?
What were you guys doing in Portugal? What is this NomadX thing? What are digital nomads, anyway? Hopefully, this post clears it all up. When will you be joining the movement? Sooner than you think...
Back in 1998, I was interviewed by Lynn Lamousin, freelance writer and early-adopter in the tech space, for a magazine called Atlanta Citymag. I had gained some local popularity writing a very wide-open, online diary called phatz.com - this, of course, was back before 'blogging' was a thing. We just called them, "online diaries."
If you want, you can even take a look at the intro for my website back in 1998. Yup, I was a Flash guy. You should get a good laugh out of it.
The point is, throughout my career, I have consistently found myself on the cutting edge of creative ideas and new ways of doing things, usually in an effort to upset the status quo.
Digital Nomads
Screen shot of https://christian.nomadx.com
When I left the 9-5 world of structured days, one-hour lunches, vacation time, and office drama, my goal for Live for a Living was rooted in one, simple idea - "work in the way the suits me best, and I will do my best work."
For me, this means working in spurts, then playing in spurts whether that's riding my beach cruiser for two hours, climbing a rock wall, catching some surf at the pier, land paddling down 3rd street, ...whatever. It can be any number of things, but for me to do my best work, I must focus. To focus, I must be fatigued. That's just me.
Oh, and I don't really like to be nailed down to one office, one city, one state, or even one country while I work. This is a big world and I want to explore it. Furthermore, I have found that travelling actually makes me better educated, more tolerant, and my mind wide open.
There is now a term for this - digital nomads.
NomadX Embraces the Movement
Since returning from Lisbon, Portugal, I have been struggling to explain to people what my experience as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at NomadX was all about. When you are doing something so new and so radical with an institution that most people tend to understand in only one way, it makes for confusing conversation.
But I'm going to try:
NomadX is built on the concept of live/work/play balance, with a built-in flexibility to upset this balance as often as necessary. This new way of living empowers individuals to be better versions of themselves and encourages open sharing, collaboration, idea generation, friendship, mutual respect, and a general sense of well-being and contentment. It's living to your own beat, eliminating the angst of living by others' beats and freeing you to get more enjoyment out of every day of your life.
Like that? I do. But in case you need more, I documented all 15 days of my live/work/play experience with NomadX. Maybe through these posts, it will all begin to make more sense.
15 Days of NomadX
That's Right, I Was Sexually Abused.
My name is Christian Griffith and I was sexually abused by a number of individuals, in a number of disgusting ways, throughout my teens. I am no longer ashamed, embarrassed, nor fearful of this discussion. My goal is to make the taboo, no longer taboo.
It's 3:30 a.m., and my new friend Damien is 30 minutes behind me. My even newer friend, Darren, is within eyesight up ahead of me, but is choosing to be alone, and I totally get it.
Three dudes, suffering through tremendous sunburn shivers, blistered feet, and banged-up bodies, running 130KM around the entire Island province of Phuket, Thailand. Past the elephant babies, tourist beaches, and 10,000 massage parlors. Climbing straight-up mean mountain roads, and pounding down muscle-cramping descents, heat and smog so brutal and stifling there were times I wanted to throw in the towel, only finding hope in the upcoming cooler night temperatures.
Why were we doing this? I dunno. I guess because we could. Because we each had our own individual demons we wanted to challenge.
Doing extreme challenges is nothing new to me, but this was different...
Meet Damien & Darren
Christian Griffith, Darren Sherbain, and Damien Rider, Founder of PACA
I met Australian, Damien Rider, at Survival Run Australia in October 2015. When this beast of man moved past me in the race, both of us struggling with 50+ LB rocks, carrying them uphill for 7 KM, I never knew that we'd soon be connected at the hip. Instant homies for life - despite the fact that he lived halfway across the world from me. Damien is a survivor of tremendous, and I mean TREMENDOUS child abuse; however, wanting to break the cycle of the effects of the growing demons inside, he set out to change. I won't tell Damien's full story, you can see his amazing story in the National Geographic documentary, Heart of the Sea.
When I met Damien in Australia, we connected in this weird sorta way where I knew I had to be part of what this man was doing. He runs an organization called PACA - Paddle Against Child Abuse - and is turning traditional ways of dealing with life PTSD on its ear.
Darren Sherbain was Damien's friend. A hilarious, well-liked, and well-respected personal trainer on the Island of Phuket. I liked him instantly. I think it was the compression socks :) Darren's struggle was substance abuse. I don't know as much about Darren's deeper struggles, but it's sure to come out when we all tell our stories to the world in the second Documentary, RISE ABOVE, launching this year.
Look out for HEART OF THE SEA: RISE ABOVE, in 2016
Stop the taboo. Start talking!
On my flight home from Survival Run Australia, I texted Damien. I sometimes wish I still had the text. Maybe he does, but I just opened up like a faucet. I admitted years and years of sexual abuse in my teens. Sexual abuse that has haunted me for 30 years. HAUNTED. Effects of which playing out in every relationship in my life. Only a very small handful of people knew about this, and even they only found out when it was exposed a bit during my divorce. It was like once I started telling him, though, I couldn't stop. Details. Graphic details. It all flowed with a total lack of fear of outcome, as if it was just hovering there, expanding, forcing itself out and then just exploding.
I felt free. I didn't quite know how all this would manifest itself, but I knew I was moving in a direction of freeing myself from these lifelong shackles of shame, embarrassment, self-blame, low self-esteem, and really just feeling like a sexual freak.
The Challenge that changed my life
It came as a calling. A simple statement from Damien, "Hey bro, why don't you come and run 130 KM around Phuket, Thailand with me?" and that's all it took. Decided in minutes. It wasn't even a question.
The days previous to me hopping a plane to Thailand were pure Hell - I was running from a relationship that was growing toxic for me, and crushing my family. In parallel, I was losing the greatest friendship I ever had in this world in my ex-wife, and lastly, had been scammed by a fake Spanish school, with my next few days including two robberies, one non-violent, and one where a gun was held to my head and the weapon fired at me.
Shockingly (and luckily), he missed. But, barely, 'cuz I felt the dirt kick up where the bullet hit the ground.
I went straight to the airport right then, bought a full-fare, last-minute plane ticket for $1000.50, and flew home, landing in Atlanta, shaken, rattling, and crying in the bedroom of my ex-wife.
"Holy shit, man - I got f*cking shot at! I should be dead."
The universe sent me home with my tail between my legs. Was #LIVEFORALIVING going to be too much for me? Did I bite off more than I could chew? Was I crazy to think this could all work the way I envisioned?
But Damian's challenge saved me.
After so much discussion and sharing and brotherhood, I realized that Damien was me, and I was him; but even more than that came the powerful self-realization that WE WERE NOT ALONE. The way we found each other was expanding - so many admissions being thrown at us from all around our individuals circles. People were hurting. Struggling with deep wounds, and they wanted freedom.
So, back to 3:30 a.m., limping towards the end of the beginning
Making our way through a tropical downpour in Phuket City, about halfway through the challenge.
...so as I watched Darren way up ahead on the dark street, fighting off the many dogs that would try to attack our beaten bodies, a huge smile spread across my face.
I wanted to live for a living, right? Well, when you find yourself halfway around the world, rolling deep in self-administered suffering through the streets of Thailand, in the middle of the pitch-black night, pondering ways to join others in the personal fight for freedom from demons so taboo no one wants to touch them, and you are doing so through extreme physical events designed to get people to pay attention - you are definitely living for a living.
So what's next? Where do we go from here?
That's easy. More exposure. More challenges. More attention to the cause, and most importantly, working on ways to implement real-life programs allowing others to experience alternative ways of exercising their demons in a positive way.
Not therapy. Not just awareness. Instead, we want to teach people to attack the demons. Face them, admit them, then put on the gloves and prepare to go to battle with them. During our next challenge, to be announced very soon, we are opening it up to all-comers. Anyone who wants to fight their demons, or support those who do, is welcome.
We couldn't have done it without Charlie, our crew chief. A man who was inspired by us, but who in turn inspired us more.
It really does take a village
As a worldwide culture, we have to stop making child abuse a taboo subject. It happens everywhere, comes in many flavors, and no one is immune. Past or present, whether you see visions of an angry parent with raised hands, or feel the chills of someone you trust exercising creepy sexual gratification against you, or you're wallowing in a seemingly, never-ending pool of shitty self-esteem because you are told you aren't good enough, pretty enough, or smart enough, fight back. Tell someone.
Your past does not need to define your future
Choose to free yourself from this crap.
Until you do, you will never escape it, and it will be with you, and play out in your relationships for as long as you let it.
My name is Christian Griffith and I was sexually abused by a number of individuals, in a number of disgusting ways, throughout my teens; but I choose to not let these experiences define who I am today, nor into the future.
How about you? Ready to be free?
Survival Run Australia, The Trailer
Check the new trailer for Survival Run Australia, one of the most difficult events I have ever completed in 10 years of extreme events participation...
Survival Run Australia was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Having attempted both the SURVIVAL RUN NICARAGUA, and the Hunter Gatherer survival-type event in Texas, both by FUEGO Y AGUA ENDURANCE, I was frustrated with my inability to complete the grueling events.
Australia was my vindication. My personal victory. My stoke.
Film crews were on location in Australia, capturing all the action, interviewing athletes, and showcasing the drama that unfolded in the jungle. Can't wait to see the entire documentary.
Be watch this Saturday 26th December at 2pm on ONE for Buckleys Chance - Survival Run. (FOXTEL channel 210)See the world's best obstacle racers, sky runners, adventure racers, trail runners, survivalists and military personnel go head-to-head in a battle of mental, physical and emotional endurance.
Posted by Maria Michael on Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Stay tuned...