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
A Morning with My People
Lastly, driving to the airport I was filled with visions of the kid who came up to the desk I was sitting on, and just plopped down right next to me without saying a single word. After I finished my answer to another student, I looked at him and said, "well, hello, what's up?"
"I just like you," he said.
“They’re great kids, but there are some deep, dark stories there.
”
Hanging on his every word, I took a sip from my 7th cup of coffee, both intrigued and a little nervous.
"Just be prepared," he warned me. "they're great kids, but there are some deep, dark stories there."
He looked down at the breakfast he had barely touched, and continued, "They may not even pay attention to you, you just never know..."
Here I am, fresh off my big, fancy TV show finish, and a couple of episodes into the series already airing on A&E's History Channel. It's only my second speaking thing. I'm so new, and as of this writing, still so new, that I don't even know what to call what I'm doing.
"Speaker?"
"Motivational speaker?"
"Public speaker?"
It all sounds so pompous. It sounds like authority, and authority never sits well with me.
Speaking to the students in my usual way, sitting on top of things.
Disruption Is What I Do
Personally, I've been completely turned off by most of the "professional speakers" I've ever heard. Canned speeches of exaggerated truth from some seemingly wealthy, self-proclaimed public figure, all designed to drive home a weak message on how to live your life.
Through my own experiences, I have always been amazed at how poorly a public speaker can maintain a "freestyle" conversation, continuing to communicate in simple sound bites and crafted responses. Big, fake smiles attached to an even faker one-on-one communication style.
I never want that to be me. I will never "can" a speech. Nope. And I am adamant about it. I would rather not be part of this speaking thing if it means I have to do it like everyone else. My entire life has been steered with a desire to be different, to do things differently, to shake up the status quo and challenge stale ideas, seemingly illogical practices, and traditions followed simply because "that's the way it has always been."
I guess, in a way, #liveforaliving is me trying to disrupt under the disguise of a business. Don't tell anyone...
My People
The first thing I noticed about the school was the authenticity of the staff. Every single person I met was clearly there for the kids. Top to bottom. A seemingly uncontrollable, unapologetic need to care. Not the bitter, hardened staff that is sometimes associated with schooling so-called challenging youth. I know. I was a member of the challenging youth clan, and I'm here to tell you that you can never count us out.
In fact, I have a Facebook friend, once my 6th-grade math teacher, Mr. Lothrop, who in 1982 made me take back a Swiss Army knife I had stolen from a sporting goods store during a 3-week school trip to Colorado. He saw promise in me, despite my poor decision-making; and instead of dropping me in the dunce bucket, writing me off as simply a bad seed, he took an interest in me, started teaching me how to use computers, after school, and on the very first Radio Shack TRS-80 personal computer. I never looked back. My entire career is now based on technology and I am good at what I do.
This was a school of "Mr. Lothrops", full of a number of diamonds in the rough who were certainly going to benefit from these love leaders.
I may not have infinite wisdom, but I have infinite stories to share.
Oh Crap, I Actually Have to Speak
This is always the most awkward part for me.
Once I get started, you have to send in bouncers to shut me up, but not unlike the first speech I ever did, at a jail in Sonoma, California, I froze at the beginning. I found myself just staring at the room full of kids and wondering, "why should they listen to anything my dumbass has to say?"
Then it came to me.
Raising my own hand in solidarity, I asked, "how many of you feel like you get in trouble a lot?"
Now, you may not know this, but getting in trouble can be a form of identity, a way for some kids to get attention when there was previously very little. Trust me, I know. It's sad, but it's real. Some kids wear it like a badge of honor. I did.
A nice collection of hands raised up high accompanied by big ol' mischievous grins.
"Awesome," I said, "I'm with my people."
Bam! It was at that moment that I could feel the comfort settle in. With one silly little statement, I had established that I was one of them. Every nerve, worry, concern, fear, just disappeared.
The Message
So what did I talk about?
I dunno. Nothing ground-breaking. I talked about celebrating diversity and celebrating your individual uniquenesses. I talked about self-esteem and believing in yourself even if your friends, parents, teachers, and the general public sometimes don't.
I told stories of youthful mistakes and overcoming them. I told stories of terrible things that happened to me as a kid, outside of my control, but how I blamed no one, and instead have suited up to be the best version of myself I can be.
I told stories of fighting for what you want and what you believe. I told stories of fighting for others who may not be as strong. I encouraged standing up for the underdog. I told stories of finding the joy in doing for others.
And, most importantly, I did it my way. Sitting on the desk, hands a'flyin, and none of it in the traditional vibe of, "now eat your vegetables kids and make sure to listen to your parents."
I asked them questions, kept it interactive and flowing and made an attempt to connect with every single one of them.
What I Learned
Pretty sure it's the first time I have had a picture drawn for me.
I like to end these stories with some key takeaways, things I learned that really stood out to me and continue to drive me to build on this speaking thing.
The most evident observation was how much you can touch people if you just bare you soul. You never know who, and to what degree, you can inspire until you try. As the last of the kids left the room, I found myself engaged in conversation with one of the teachers who literally broke down in tears - not just in relation to being touched by my delivery to the kids, but clearly rustling up some of her own demons in the process.
Both the director and my contact expressed how impressed they were with the behavior and positive engagement displayed by the students. I just don't think it would have gone the same way had I not established a connection right out of the gates.
Lastly, driving to the airport I was filled with visions of the kid who came up to the desk I was sitting on, and just plopped down right next to me without saying a single word. After I finished my answer to another student, I looked at him and said, "well, hello, what's up?"
"I just like you," he said.
There is no greater validation in the world.
Or, the chatty li'l girl who walked up to the desk and handed me a picture she had been drawing for me while I talked. Hopefully, laying in bed at night, or alone on the playground, or shoots even buried in the frustrations of family life, she will think of some of the things I said and she will act accordingly.
One can only hope.
So, yea, full speed ahead. I'll continue to carry a message of positivity, strength, individualism, and fight to as many people as will listen to it. I especially like speaking to the kids. They need it the most, and I believe I have a rare gift to connect with them on a different level than most adults, parents, and authority figures.
It would be a crime not to use it. Challenge me.
Going To Jail For Good
I’m sweating bullets.
Intimidated? Oh hell yea. Sitting on top of a desk in a classroom of 30, tough-looking, tattooed inmates, all looking at me, has a way of breeding intimidation. I could only imagine what they might be thinking, “who is this dude?” or “what kind of sunshine crap are they going to feed us this time…?”
I’m sweating bullets.
Intimidated? Oh hell yea. Sitting on top of a desk in a classroom of 30, tough-looking, tattooed inmates, all looking at me, has a way of breeding intimidation. I could only imagine what they might be thinking, “who is this dude?” or “what kind of sunshine crap are they going to feed us this time…?”
And, for a split second I felt overwhelmed, like I didn’t deserve to be there, and just wanting to run out the room and never look back; but then I looked to the back of the room for Lindsay - my rock, my watcher, my believer - and I calmed down.
Lindsay believes in me. Chris Throp, the guard who reached out to me to come speak, also believes in me. My clients, friends, fellow athletes, and even my ex-wife-best-friend, all seem to believe in me. If I can’t believe in me, all that is nothing.
Lindsay, Director of Ops, makes sure I do everything right.
Taking a deep breath, I begin to speak…
“My name is Christian Griffith and I live for a living.”
Believe in Yourself
My message is not a blueprint for success nor a path to guaranteed happiness.
I don’t pretend to have some secret formula for a successful life. I don’t even pretend to know what “successful life” means, and instead believe it to be unique to each and every person.
I won’t tell you what God to follow or where to find a significant other or how to manage your money.
My message is a simple one - Believe in yourself.
Take chances. Risks. Follow your passions, meet as many people as you can, see as many cities, states, and countries as you can. Experience different cultures. Love, hurt, cry, laugh, test yourself physically, mentally, emotionally. Take the long way home. Introduce yourself to the homeless. Share a cup of coffee with a stranger. Strike up a conversation with that interesting person you see every day, but have no idea what to say.
Why? Why do these things? Because the result of which will enrich your life in ways you never thought possible. You will experience a wealth of personal emotions - excitement, entertainment, happiness, intrigue. You may learn things you never knew. You may become inspired to act in a way you never saw coming, or did see coming and just needed that nudge off the fence. You may find someone to train with, work with, be creative with …or even, fall in love with.
The underlying sentiment here is to put people and experiences above the collection of material things and money. A good friend once told me as I obnoxiously rolled around in my six-figure lifestyle, “He who dies with the most toys, still dies.”
He was right then, and it’s true now.
What Does this Mean for Inmates?
““How many people out there have emotional bars, fences, guards, and a lack of freedom?””
What is jail? For these guys, it’s physical bars and fences and guards and a lack of freedom; but how many people out there have emotional bars, fences, guards, and a lack of freedom?
Let’s be real - almost everyone reading this can reflect back on a time where your decisions could have landed you in some serious trouble. Or, perhaps you did get in some serious trouble but were lucky enough to have family or connections that saved you.
Not all crooks have been caught. Not all those who have been caught are crooks.
My goal for speaking with these inmates is clear - I simply want to offer a nugget of alternative thinking. If I can inspire one guy, one thinker, one dreamer, to look inside, discover a passion or a drive or an intention so powerful that it begins to shape how he thinks about the next version of himself, well then, I achieved what I came to do.
The Only Way to Win is to Fight
Why should anyone care what I have to say? Because I have always been a fighter, and chasing your dreams requires a willingness to relentlessly fight for what you believe.
I’m nothing exceptional, but I have had always had a knack for finding ways to persevere, and sometimes excel, in the face of really crappy circumstances. It’s important to me that people see that I’m no “golden child,” but instead, fight for what I believe and want out of this life.
I can’t tell people what to do, but I can tell stories.
I can tell stories of being a teenager who gravitated towards skateboarding as a way to disassociate from a dysfunctional home life, diving so deep into it, and fighting so hard to make my way that I eventually scored sponsorships and traveled the country as punk-ass 16-year-old kid.
I can tell stories of being a fat, overworked, unhealthy Internet startup jockey who finally decided enough is enough, setting out on a quest to learn what I am truly made of through extreme endurance events and intense challenges.
I can tell stories of laying in a hospital bed, standing at death’s door and watching the faces of family and friends as the possibility of leaving this earth loomed as honest reality; but refusing to accept it. Refusing to believe it. Fighting for another chance, and eventually emerging better, stronger, faster, smarter, happier and healthier.
And lastly, I can tell stories of staring safety, security, and stability straight in the eyes, and not blinking, walking away from the “American Dream” lifestyle for what I believe to be a much greater calling. A more rich life full of people and experiences.
Doing what I Came to Do
So I did it.
I got through the speech, and I did it my way; but best of all, I touched people.
People asked me questions, even questioning my methods at times, and later shook hands and engaged with me on a level I never expected.
I met a man who became inspired to follow his dreams as a chef.
I met a man who is driven to become American Ninja Warrior’s oldest competitor.
I met a man who wants to expose his children to a more rich, cultured life through travel.
I want to do more of this. More inspiring, storytelling and speaker engagement. I said earlier that I don’t really know what makes a “successful life,” but for me, it seems clear that I am living it.
I am truly living for a living.