We’re in the middle of “the giving season” and there’s nothing like receiving a gift and wondering what’s inside. Some gifts go beyond your wildest expectations. The WordCamp giveaway that Bluehost chose to send me to was one of those. This life-changing event started with some extraordinary people.

I wish I could introduce you to everyone at Bluehost. Their team was energetic, fun, kind, and genuine. From hugs-at-first-meeting to side-splitting laughs on the way to the after party (at the amazing Science Adventure Center) I felt like family with the crew, and I couldn’t be more thankful for them.

WordCamp itself: incredible. The Music City Center was as unique as it was grand. Over 1,000 people with different specialties, passions, and skills came together for the WordPress global community event. I met so many individuals committed to sharing their strengths to make WordPress the exceptional organization that it is.

 

 

 

My catch-phrase for the weekend: “I’m new.” I didn’t go to school for website development. I’ve loved blogging on WordPress, but I’m not a techie guru. I had a lot of questions, and not one of them was met with an eye-roll or deep sigh. People were not only excited share their expertise and opinion, many of them wanted to keep in touch. One girl explained to me (after an awesome Nashville hot chicken lunch with her group) that it’s “the WordPress way.”

 

The speakers and variety of topics covered at WordCamp were so vast, I really don’t know how to narrow down the focus. I learned about how to run a successful online business, create a financial forecast, use great tools and plug-ins, about Gutenberg and many of the things developers troubleshoot and innovate to make everything run well. It’s an intense amount of work! Another cool thing was…

 

 

 

Everyone could help. The final day of the conference was “Contributor’s Day.” Anyone could go, join a team, pitch in if you wanted to. I sat with a team to learn the ropes, and I found a typo! I know it’s a small contribution, but I enjoyed being a part of making something great even better.

 

I was thinking about my original post tonight; about why I wanted Bluehost to send me to WordCamp. I wanted to take a new step – the next step with inventing my story. And I wanted to encourage others to do the same. On my trip, I discovered through talking with people about their stories that I am not alone.

 

The Bluehost team, every Uber driver I met in Nashville, real techie gurus, moms, dads, authors, speakers, CEO’s, and even a nurse practitioner dedicated to ending cancer – there are many people in the world with stories full of hope and invention. When we grow & work together, amazing things truly happen every day. Thank you, Bluehost for the gift of a lifetime.

 

My challenge to you this week is give the gift of a listening ear to someone else’s story – then encourage them on their way! And check out Bluehost if you are looking for an awesome web hosting company. They partner with WordPress, and they have made a huge difference in my life story.