You Are Responsible for Your Own Awesome

HeroPress is a wonderful site where each week, someone from the community publishes an essay that describes how WordPress changed their life, made them a better person, or gave them a new perspective. Most of the stories have a happy ending and if you’re a regular reader of the site, it’s easy to assume that the WordPress ecosystem is one big happy place. But it’s not and Topher DeRosia explains why in a post titled, The Other Side of WordPress.

In the post, DeRosia reminds us that for a lot of people, the stories don’t always end on a happy note, “Sure, people talk about some hard things sometimes, but it always ends with everything being better and awesome and happy,” DeRosia said.

“I’d like to clarify that it’s not always like that. Sometimes it ends in tears, frustration, and broken relationships. Ever since the beginning of this project I’ve been concerned that someone will read this site and think our community is perfect and the software will save them.”

WordPress is a bunch of code that doesn’t do anything on its own. It’s the people who have success stories, not the software, “The stories on HeroPress are about people,” he said. “They’re about hard work, late nights, reaching out, asking for help, and giving help. They’re about pain, struggle, growth, patience, and love. All of those things summed up are life.

“If you want to have a WordPress success story, and unleash the Hero that is in you, in every one of us, then you must do so much more than download a piece of software.

“WordPress is an excellent tool, and comes with a generally positive community, but never forget that you’re responsible for your own awesome.”

I highly encourage you to read DeRosia’s post at least once, especially the section where he gives advice on how to deal with the ugly side of the community. I also encourage you to read this comment from Saurabh Shukla that is filled with wisdom and provides additional food for thought.