Longevity & Finality in WordPress  I want to talk about WordPress longevity and maybe you share the same thoughts or have an opinion on it. It's going to be a pretty deep discussion. I'm trying to keep it away from any kind of like morbid tone. The other day I was extremely lucky to interview Miriam Schwab and Remis Dere and it had me thinking what else do I need to gain from this exercise in publishing for WordPress and even going beyond that right supporting WordPress. What else do I need? What else is there for me to achieve? I have become great friends with folks like Miriam, which by the way, I was on a panel with her, I don't know, 15 years ago, talking about agency stuff. She had a very successful uh uh enterprise agency back then, and it might have even been the start of when she started to build her hosting, which eventually got sold to Elementor, where she's at now. And I remember that imposter syndrome, sitting on that panel with her going, "What the hell am I doing here?" Like, "This place is not for me." She is way too smart, way too successful for for me to be injecting, you know, my my thoughts and opinions as a small agency owner and somebody who was new probably to WordPress back then. But it was the first lesson in well quite frankly like getting over that hump because I think we all should get over that imposttor syndrome. You're there for a reason. People invited you there and you know you speak to your abilities and that's the best that you can do. So that's a lesson in, you know, dealing with imposter syndrome. But beyond that, it was the entry point to to understand that the community is welcoming and folks like Miriam are welcoming and that they understand not everyone is, you know, maybe at the level or, you know, at the pace that they're at and they welcome you into the community and the and the good members of the community do that. That doesn't mean that they agree with you. That doesn't mean they're going to give you free stuff. It's not they're not just going to hand over everything for you, but they're welcoming. They establish you and they help guide you along the way. Same thing for Remis. He is somebody that has organized word camps. He is somebody that is well regarded in the community. A lot of people have respect for the work that he's done and the education that he continues to put out. And it left me thinking like I like what else what else do I need? And let let me just put this in in the context in the lens that I look at this in because there's a few threads of thought here. There's like the business side and then there's the personal side. And maybe you resonate with this. I don't know. You tell me. I am always seek seeking a finality to this. Right. as a creator, as an artist, dare I say, I want the artwork to end, which then hopefully opens up the doors to something else. And you know, you've seen this with with this very podcast itself. It used this used to be the podcast where I interviewed folks in the WordPress space and the Matt report was the vehicle for me to, you know, get into into the community. Now that's more professionally done at the WP Minute. There was a finality to the Matt report and it has that door has shut and now it is over at the WP Minute. And that's just a small example. But then when I listen to folks and talk to other folks who might give me like healthy feedback and criticism of the WP Minute, they say things like, "Well, it's not just you anymore, so I don't listen to every episode. Eric's great, but I'd rather have you. The Agency Action podcast, I didn't even know about it. It's with, you know, Kervon and Toby Grinds, by the way. Agency Action podcast. Search for it. It's fantastic. Really happy with how that show has come out. So, the people say like, why don't you do it anymore? It's because there needs to be finality to me. I cannot grow a brand with just me with the mission of supporting WordPress. And through supporting WordPress, I'm supporting freelancers, agency owners, WordPress professionals. It needs to go beyond me because eventually somebody says, "Well, I'm sick of Matt's viewpoint or I'm sick of hearing from Matt. I'm gonna, you know, move on anyway." The same thing is going to happen regardless. So what I want to do is build something that sustains without me. It's a bit of closure, but not really. It's about operating a business and making those just choices to have a healthy, you know, running business. But it's also looking at it from the like the more personal side is I don't want it to be just me. Surely people want to hear from other people. And surely we can build something that sustains and continues to educate and move WordPress forward because WordPress will change. There will be a new chapter of WordPress. And I think this is where I start to, you know, tie these threads of thought together is we know that there's finality in all of the seasons of our life, personally and professionally with the stuff that you're making, whether it's a podcast, a YouTube channel, a blog, blog platform, newsletter, it will surely will end. and I want to end it while I have control of it, if that makes sense. And I don't know why the why it triggered in my head when I had these discussions with the WordPress royalty, like I said, Miriam and and Remiss, but it sort of hit me like I have achieved great friendship in WordPress in the WordPress community. I don't want to forget that, right? Like I don't want the pressures of running a a publication and running a business and just constantly like coming up with new content ideas and what do I like what am I covering next? Who's the next sponsor? No, no, no. Like I don't want that to drown out the real human value that I have I've been able to achieve over the you know whatever 18 20 years of being in this space. And that's my sort of like finality in that. How do I appreciate that now before it's forgotten? Because the work has just continued. And the work has just continued that has passed by. And I we're on to a whole new chapter of WordPress. And we look around, we go, WordPress isn't even WordPress anymore. I mean, we are making those strides right now with the integration of AI and and trying to push this thing forward. Surely WordPress is going to look supremely different in two, three, five years. Will everyone that we know be around in that time? I don't know. Will your version of the thing you're working on now be like that in be as it is in two to three, five years? Probably not. So, how do we control this finality? How can you and I'm not even saying end it. I'm just saying appreciate it, right? To look back and go, I I achieve this or we achieve this. This is satisfying. I am successful. Right? And that doesn't mean you stop. It just means you slow down to reflect. I don't know if this makes sense, but that's what longevity looks like to me. It's it's it's for me to not get caught up in, you know, why isn't it just your podcast or why aren't you podcasting more or, you know, you should be covering other platforms across the web? Why why don't you do more AI stuff? Why don't you launch another course? I'm trying to do it sustainably and I'm trying to figure out a way that achieves some kind of moral personal success and not just for me, for the folks that help me. I leave you with this question. Number one, does that make sense? Number two, how do you evaluate your successes, achievements, connections in the WordPress space, whether you whether you've only been here for a year or you've been here for 21 years, what does that look like to you? Let me know. Leave a comment if you're um listening slashwatching this on YouTube, which is just a frozen cover art image. There's nothing to watch. Or if this is in your podcast app, just tweet at me, Matt Maderas on Twitter or LinkedIn or Blue Sky or Mastadon or email me mattthewpm, Longevity & Finality in WordPress, YouTube, 01kcc98k53wswk3hf5bf6d81dr.