when I knew that the topic of this
evening was connectivity I knew that it
was a good opportunity for me to come
and talk to you about the two gifts that
connectivity gave me and these are the
gifts of freedom and friendship the
first one I’m going to talk about today
is the gift of freedom so when I was a
child many years ago I had a mobile
phone now it looked like this it’s about
the size of a house brick with an
antenna coming out the top of it there
was no apps no Facebook no email it
couldn’t even take photograph all I
could do with this brick was make text
messages send make phone calls very
basic things fast forward two decades
showing ways that and the device I have
in my hand is more powerful than the
computer that sent men into space from
this I can conduct an international
business I can access information just
with the click of a button I can also
engage in vibrant online communities and
better than that I can share any moments
of my existence with anyone that I want
at any time here’s an example smile the
image I’ve just taken can be posted on
Instagram and shared with 1 billion
people globally just with a click that’s
now with connectivity I run an
international business I’m what’s known
as a digital Nomad now that means I
write for clients all over the world
I write for websites in America I do
social media for a company in South
Africa and I do travel PR for an agency
in Melbourne now have I ever met any of
these clients before nope not one I’ve
never had to because with connectivity I
can use email Facebook Skype Instagram
whatsapp slack asana you name it I don’t
have to speak with them at all it can
all be done via connectivity my business
is conducted in pixels and code payments
can be made on the blockchain or via a
wallet and my office is wherever I
choose it to be but how did I become a
digital nomad why did I give up the
security of a nine-to-five job of having
a salary sick pay holiday pay office
parties why did I decide to give all of
that up and go it alone now the answers
might surprise you now this is the first
time I’ve said this publicly especially
in front of so many people so excuse me
if my voice shakes a bit 15 percent of
adults who suffer from depression at
some point in their life and I am one of
those people but that doesn’t make me a
bad person it doesn’t mean I’m incapable
of doing my own people look not doing my
job properly it doesn’t mean that I’m
crazy sometimes I’m a bit grumpy but
that’s about it it means I experience
all emotions with much more intensity
it also means that when it comes to my
work I need a bit more flexibility if
I’m not feeling very good I’m no use to
anybody but when I have the motivation
and when I’m feeling good I’m more
efficient than three of you put together
maybe Tim in a heart I don’t know
so I spent 10 years working in law firms
corporate service providers
consultancies and it nearly killed me it
was a daily struggle to get out of bed
to put up with all the drama and the
pressure that comes with working a
nine-to-five job and I remember thinking
sitting on the bus one day going to work
looking outside at the rain thinking is
this what the next 35 years of my life
is going to be like now I’m sure some of
you have probably had that feeling
before am i right yes but the difference
is when you suffer with depression or
anxiety or something like that the
burden is a lot heavier I felt like I
was failing in things at times when I
knew I could do better the nine-to-five
structure it didn’t work for me dealing
with angry mean bosses commuting office
small talk oh how was your weekend and
really not caring about the person’s
response cheap instant coffee being
exhausted and spending all of my time
waiting and waiting for the holidays
that would come so I could sleep off
food the stress this was not what I
wanted to do with my life so I thought
well how am I going to change this what
can I do and I thought and I thought and
I asked a friend of mine a mentor and I
said what am I gonna do how am I going
to break this cycle and he said to me
find something you love doing and go and
make money from doing it it was that
simple
I quit my job I packed up my desk and I
walked out now
everyone thought I was mental I was like
I’m gonna be a freelance writer yeah I’m
gonna be so successful and they were
like she’s lost it that’s it
to be fair they were right I didn’t have
my next month’s rent in my bank account
and I wrote 35,000 words that first
month on an iPad with a broken screen
because I didn’t have enough money to
buy a computer but I did it I worked and
I worked when I wasn’t writing on my
broken iPad I was hustling harassing
people give me some work come on you
know and I did it and at the end of that
first month I made more than I did in my
salaried room and I didn’t look back and
people say oh Alice oh I wish I could do
that where’d you find the confidence for
more oh I wish I had the confidence like
you and I’m like I didn’t have
confidence I just wanted to do something
better I was unhappy and I wanted
something more I it’s for me it was
about attitude I was like I’m not happy
so I’m gonna get up and I’m going to do
something about it there was never an
issue of confidence it was an issue of
survival in a way I just did it I
thought about the who the what the why
and the how
afterwards I became a digital nomad and
this brings me on to the second part of
my talk which is friendship this is the
second gift the connectivity has given
me today as I was free to work where I
wanted go where I choose as long as I
have my laptop I came to Tirana for a
three-day holiday that turned into three
months it’s nearly a year now and I put
all of my possessions and my two cats
I love Albania and I love Tirana and
when I talk about it I feel like I’m
sort of describing a love affair so you
know when you meet someone new and
you’re like taking pictures together and
you’re telling all your friends oh it’s
so wonderful he’s so lovely you know
yeah so that’s what I was like with
Albania taking pictures writing love
letters to and about this place that I
was calling home so then I was getting a
lot of questions from my friends and
family outside of our BAE Nia
hello sir what’s up baby I like oh
you’re staying you know baking it really
looks like yes yes it’s lovely place
they’re they’re nice people and I got
fed up who’ve answering this question so
I thought why don’t I start publishing a
bit more about my experiences sharing it
so people stop asking me the same thing
all the time
so I set up a blog one night I was at
home took me two hours to design a basic
website set up Instagram and Facebook I
then wrote my first post in about 20
minutes I shared it and I went for a
drink with my friends I didn’t think
much more about this blog at the time
then the next morning when I went with
my coffee opened the laptop ready to
work and I thought anyone’s looked I had
2000 hits and I thought I think I’m on
to something here so six months of
passed and I’m about to hit 130 thousand
which I’m pretty proud of I must say so
by creating stories about my experiences
of living in Albania by taking photos of
my walk to the coffee shop in the
morning and sharing them on the digital
platforms Instagram and Facebook and my
blog I’ve been able to connect this
place and myself with thousands of
people worldwide I get people messaging
me all the time you get the odd strange
message every so often but that’s part
of being a woman on the Internet
normally they’re along the lines of
thank you for making me see my country
through new eyes or thank you for
inspiring me to visit Albania the
thought that I could somehow inspire
these people just by writing about my
experiences is incredibly powerful and
it shocks me still everyday now because
of my blog I’ve made friends all over
the world I have email pen pals in
Canada and Australia I connect with
people from pretty much every every
continent and according to the
statistics my website I’ve got some
hardcore fans in Mozambique so I’m very
happy about that so I live in Tirana I
work wherever I choose connectivity has
allowed me to be a part of something
very special
I’ve inadvertently created this online
community where people from all over the
world learning about this place and what
it’s really like was through my eyes
anyway but it’s not me that’s special
the special parts of this is
connectivity that allows me to share
what I think and what I see and what I
feel with thousands and thousands of
people I’m just telling the truth
but apart from freedom and friendship
connectivity has given me some extra
gifts as well
oh it’s made me a better person so my
mother tells me it’s broadened my
horizons opened my mind I’ve learned so
much I’ve met wonderful people I’ve made
I hope a few changes to some people’s
life I’ve discovered amazing places I’ve
started writing a book all of these
things would not have been possible if
it wasn’t for connectivity but most of
all I am the master of my own destiny I
am complete control of what I do when I
do it and how I do it
my success and my path in life is chosen
by myself not anybody else but this is
something that anyone can do if you have
the right attitude you’re no longer
constrained by geographical boundaries
when it comes to work
every single person has something
they’re good at and thanks to
connectivity there is someone somewhere
in the world who will want to pay you
for that you don’t have to think just
inside your country you could look pick
a country on the map and you can start
making business that way I no longer
need to do a job just for the money and
neither do you
now thanks to connectivity I have met
the most amazing people I’ve been to the
most amazing places
thanks to connectivity I’ve had the most
incredible experiences I’ve done things
like this for example I would have never
imagined before
and thanks to connectivity I have been
able to share some of my story with you
today follow me
[Applause] [Music]
evening was connectivity I knew that it
was a good opportunity for me to come
and talk to you about the two gifts that
connectivity gave me and these are the
gifts of freedom and friendship the
first one I’m going to talk about today
is the gift of freedom so when I was a
child many years ago I had a mobile
phone now it looked like this it’s about
the size of a house brick with an
antenna coming out the top of it there
was no apps no Facebook no email it
couldn’t even take photograph all I
could do with this brick was make text
messages send make phone calls very
basic things fast forward two decades
showing ways that and the device I have
in my hand is more powerful than the
computer that sent men into space from
this I can conduct an international
business I can access information just
with the click of a button I can also
engage in vibrant online communities and
better than that I can share any moments
of my existence with anyone that I want
at any time here’s an example smile the
image I’ve just taken can be posted on
Instagram and shared with 1 billion
people globally just with a click that’s
now with connectivity I run an
international business I’m what’s known
as a digital Nomad now that means I
write for clients all over the world
I write for websites in America I do
social media for a company in South
Africa and I do travel PR for an agency
in Melbourne now have I ever met any of
these clients before nope not one I’ve
never had to because with connectivity I
can use email Facebook Skype Instagram
whatsapp slack asana you name it I don’t
have to speak with them at all it can
all be done via connectivity my business
is conducted in pixels and code payments
can be made on the blockchain or via a
wallet and my office is wherever I
choose it to be but how did I become a
digital nomad why did I give up the
security of a nine-to-five job of having
a salary sick pay holiday pay office
parties why did I decide to give all of
that up and go it alone now the answers
might surprise you now this is the first
time I’ve said this publicly especially
in front of so many people so excuse me
if my voice shakes a bit 15 percent of
adults who suffer from depression at
some point in their life and I am one of
those people but that doesn’t make me a
bad person it doesn’t mean I’m incapable
of doing my own people look not doing my
job properly it doesn’t mean that I’m
crazy sometimes I’m a bit grumpy but
that’s about it it means I experience
all emotions with much more intensity
it also means that when it comes to my
work I need a bit more flexibility if
I’m not feeling very good I’m no use to
anybody but when I have the motivation
and when I’m feeling good I’m more
efficient than three of you put together
maybe Tim in a heart I don’t know
so I spent 10 years working in law firms
corporate service providers
consultancies and it nearly killed me it
was a daily struggle to get out of bed
to put up with all the drama and the
pressure that comes with working a
nine-to-five job and I remember thinking
sitting on the bus one day going to work
looking outside at the rain thinking is
this what the next 35 years of my life
is going to be like now I’m sure some of
you have probably had that feeling
before am i right yes but the difference
is when you suffer with depression or
anxiety or something like that the
burden is a lot heavier I felt like I
was failing in things at times when I
knew I could do better the nine-to-five
structure it didn’t work for me dealing
with angry mean bosses commuting office
small talk oh how was your weekend and
really not caring about the person’s
response cheap instant coffee being
exhausted and spending all of my time
waiting and waiting for the holidays
that would come so I could sleep off
food the stress this was not what I
wanted to do with my life so I thought
well how am I going to change this what
can I do and I thought and I thought and
I asked a friend of mine a mentor and I
said what am I gonna do how am I going
to break this cycle and he said to me
find something you love doing and go and
make money from doing it it was that
simple
I quit my job I packed up my desk and I
walked out now
everyone thought I was mental I was like
I’m gonna be a freelance writer yeah I’m
gonna be so successful and they were
like she’s lost it that’s it
to be fair they were right I didn’t have
my next month’s rent in my bank account
and I wrote 35,000 words that first
month on an iPad with a broken screen
because I didn’t have enough money to
buy a computer but I did it I worked and
I worked when I wasn’t writing on my
broken iPad I was hustling harassing
people give me some work come on you
know and I did it and at the end of that
first month I made more than I did in my
salaried room and I didn’t look back and
people say oh Alice oh I wish I could do
that where’d you find the confidence for
more oh I wish I had the confidence like
you and I’m like I didn’t have
confidence I just wanted to do something
better I was unhappy and I wanted
something more I it’s for me it was
about attitude I was like I’m not happy
so I’m gonna get up and I’m going to do
something about it there was never an
issue of confidence it was an issue of
survival in a way I just did it I
thought about the who the what the why
and the how
afterwards I became a digital nomad and
this brings me on to the second part of
my talk which is friendship this is the
second gift the connectivity has given
me today as I was free to work where I
wanted go where I choose as long as I
have my laptop I came to Tirana for a
three-day holiday that turned into three
months it’s nearly a year now and I put
all of my possessions and my two cats
I love Albania and I love Tirana and
when I talk about it I feel like I’m
sort of describing a love affair so you
know when you meet someone new and
you’re like taking pictures together and
you’re telling all your friends oh it’s
so wonderful he’s so lovely you know
yeah so that’s what I was like with
Albania taking pictures writing love
letters to and about this place that I
was calling home so then I was getting a
lot of questions from my friends and
family outside of our BAE Nia
hello sir what’s up baby I like oh
you’re staying you know baking it really
looks like yes yes it’s lovely place
they’re they’re nice people and I got
fed up who’ve answering this question so
I thought why don’t I start publishing a
bit more about my experiences sharing it
so people stop asking me the same thing
all the time
so I set up a blog one night I was at
home took me two hours to design a basic
website set up Instagram and Facebook I
then wrote my first post in about 20
minutes I shared it and I went for a
drink with my friends I didn’t think
much more about this blog at the time
then the next morning when I went with
my coffee opened the laptop ready to
work and I thought anyone’s looked I had
2000 hits and I thought I think I’m on
to something here so six months of
passed and I’m about to hit 130 thousand
which I’m pretty proud of I must say so
by creating stories about my experiences
of living in Albania by taking photos of
my walk to the coffee shop in the
morning and sharing them on the digital
platforms Instagram and Facebook and my
blog I’ve been able to connect this
place and myself with thousands of
people worldwide I get people messaging
me all the time you get the odd strange
message every so often but that’s part
of being a woman on the Internet
normally they’re along the lines of
thank you for making me see my country
through new eyes or thank you for
inspiring me to visit Albania the
thought that I could somehow inspire
these people just by writing about my
experiences is incredibly powerful and
it shocks me still everyday now because
of my blog I’ve made friends all over
the world I have email pen pals in
Canada and Australia I connect with
people from pretty much every every
continent and according to the
statistics my website I’ve got some
hardcore fans in Mozambique so I’m very
happy about that so I live in Tirana I
work wherever I choose connectivity has
allowed me to be a part of something
very special
I’ve inadvertently created this online
community where people from all over the
world learning about this place and what
it’s really like was through my eyes
anyway but it’s not me that’s special
the special parts of this is
connectivity that allows me to share
what I think and what I see and what I
feel with thousands and thousands of
people I’m just telling the truth
but apart from freedom and friendship
connectivity has given me some extra
gifts as well
oh it’s made me a better person so my
mother tells me it’s broadened my
horizons opened my mind I’ve learned so
much I’ve met wonderful people I’ve made
I hope a few changes to some people’s
life I’ve discovered amazing places I’ve
started writing a book all of these
things would not have been possible if
it wasn’t for connectivity but most of
all I am the master of my own destiny I
am complete control of what I do when I
do it and how I do it
my success and my path in life is chosen
by myself not anybody else but this is
something that anyone can do if you have
the right attitude you’re no longer
constrained by geographical boundaries
when it comes to work
every single person has something
they’re good at and thanks to
connectivity there is someone somewhere
in the world who will want to pay you
for that you don’t have to think just
inside your country you could look pick
a country on the map and you can start
making business that way I no longer
need to do a job just for the money and
neither do you
now thanks to connectivity I have met
the most amazing people I’ve been to the
most amazing places
thanks to connectivity I’ve had the most
incredible experiences I’ve done things
like this for example I would have never
imagined before
and thanks to connectivity I have been
able to share some of my story with you
today follow me
[Applause] [Music]
Please follow and like us: