On the drive home yesterday from WCLAX Day 3 (contribution day) a sense of calm washed over me. I got a strange chill. A mixture of feelings, from happy that it’s over, as I am tired and my voice is hoarse, to sadness since I want more. More time learning. More time sharing. More time laughing.
If you were a 1st time attendee to WordCamp LA or been to WordCamps many times, your head may be spinning on what to do next. I understand how you feel. We have all been there. Heck I am there right now.
Maybe you picked up one of those little notebooks from a sponsor, and you filled it with copious notes. Things to try, implement or change, yet you have no idea what to do with them now.
The next few days can be hard, since we’ve all gone back to or “normal” lives. Perhaps, you have a day job not related to content production, or code, as WordPress isn’t your full-time pursuit, yet.
My suggestion is to take a minute. Take a breath. Take a day or two. Let the experience wash over you and just think about the event. Then do some follow-up with the people you met. See if they made it home okay. Continue to build on the friendships. It matters.
Then make a plan. Look at your notes and list out 1 or 2 things that you learned and want to implement, and do it. Don’t go overboard. Don’t stress yourself out. Use that excited feeling that you had when something clicked during a session and run with it. Fight the fear on not knowing enough CSS or PHP or anything else for that matter.
Finally, I just wanted to say to the WCLAX organizers, sponsors and all attendees, a heartfelt thank you. Here is to the continued success to everyone who dives into WordPress. It doesn’t matter if you are a developer (7 years old!), designers, bloggers, trainer, or business owner, I want nothing but the best for you. I really love the community. Simple as that.
I had a great time, I hope you did as well.
Thanks again.
-Adam
(For the record – I considered recording this for my podcast in audio and or video but I got a little too emotional in that attempt. I admit it, I’m a sap. Also the beard is sticking around a bit longer!)
