2021, my first public year in review, was bittersweet.
What did I celebrate?
I became even more active in the WordPress community and one of the Make Training Team Representatives. I’m so excited about some of the plans that we have for making WordPress training more accessible.
I met so many people. Now I know that is weird considering we were still in lockdown (at least here in the UK) for a lot of it but I met so many people online and from all over the world.
I became an organiser for WordFest Live January and WordFest Live July. WordFest Live is a global 24-hour virtual celebration of everything WordPress. It is free to attend and if you want to learn more about how to use WordPress or just network then this is the place to be.
Shortly after that, I became a Board Member for Big Orange Heart Foundation. I’m a remote worker and having an organisation in the WordPress community that is dedicated to supporting my well-being and mental health all for free is truly a blessing.
I was a speaker at WCEU and WCUS, 2 of the biggest WordCamps in the world.
I was also featured on a few other podcasts, Unplug Tech and WP Watercooler. I also have an ongoing segment on the WP Minute which delivers weekly WordPress news in under 5 minutes. I do it monthly and talk about all the things we are doing in the Make WordPress.org Training team and Learn WordPress, my segment is called the Learn WP Minute.
I was featured on guest articles and posts including an award for the Yoast Care Fund and a feature post on HeroPress.
I launched 2 new WordPress services:
- Drop-in clinic for quick fixes on your site.
- Power Hour for when you need that dedicated one-to-one guidance.
It wasn’t all rosy though.
What were the challenges?
Despite all the wins, this year has also been my most challenging ever.
I am actually surprised at what I managed to achieve especially when 5 people very dear to me passed away this year. I view grief very differently now and I think that goes for anyone who experiences it for the first time. We all know someone who has died but when it someone very close to you, it changes your perspective. I wasn’t prepared for that, no one is.
Time! We all say that but I really struggled to manage my time this year and all because of everything that had happened. It meant a lot of things had to be put on the back burner.
Planning with so much uncertainty in the world. Especially given that we were all still dealing with the impact of restrictions as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
What have I learnt?
Have a plan in place for when you are gone. This is something that we don’t think about and certainly don’t talk about it. However, if you are a small business owner what plans have you put in place for when you’re gone? Does your family know your wishes? Write it all down, you don’t want your family or staff to be picking up the pieces when you are no more.
Not to be responsible for other people’s decisions. I can give them the information they need to make an informed decision but ultimately the decision is theirs, not mine!
Sometimes your plans get derailed and you have to pivot. It is ok to pivot and it is ok to let go!
Conclusion
In the midst of trials, I can survive and come out stronger!