---
title: "looking back: 7 questions for 2017 — alex laughnan"
description: "i gained inspiration for this post on the questions/answers from the on being blog post by courtney martin. what are some of your answers?"
url: "https://alexlaughnan.com/blog/looking-back-7-questions-for-2017/"
---

[← blog](https://alexlaughnan.com/blog)

# looking back: 7 questions for 2017

december 29, 2017

_photo credit from [nordwood themes on unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/zNS6oFkwlG4)_

i gained inspiration for this post on the questions/answers from the [on being blog post by courtney martin](https://onbeing.org/blog/courtney-martin-seven-questions-to-end-2017-with-clarity-and-start-2018-with-intention/). _what are some of your answers?_

**1\. what was one of the moments i was most proud of this year? what does that tell me about what i want to spend my energy/time/money on next year?**

i accepted a job at [box](https://www.box.com/home) working closely with their marketing team to build sites on drupal. i think it affirms that i want to be more engaged with the open source community and specifically looking to support and grow the diversity initiatives within drupal.

**2\. who really enriched my life this year in a big way? who is someone i am wanting to get to know better in the year ahead?**

lots of people have been influential to me this year. great thinkers in the twitterverse, my new team at box and my former team at verizon. i am looking forward to getting to know and grow with my current team and role.

**3\. it was a year of resistance for many people. what did i resist most effectively? what did i surrender to?**

i really enjoyed the women’s march movement and watching the online community rise up in favor of net neutrality. i think the biggest piece that i continue to work on surrendering to is our current president and the pushback against some core beliefs that i desire of a society.

**4\. who did i feel most jealous of this year? what is that person up to that i want to bring more of into my own life?**

there are several people that i have been jealous of — kudos to your incredible instagram pictures — but the theme is the same: _connection_. while working not to sound trite, i want to focus more on connecting with my day-to-day community/life and finding balance at home.

**5\. when was i most physically joyful in 2017? how can i get there more in 2018?**

in the most non-physical way, it has been those moments of downtime. i have been keeping busy this past year: work, freelance, travel, social events, etc. i feel very fortunate for each of these experiences and look forward to the quieter moments: coffee, sunshine, books, organizing little folders and drawers.

i believe that there needs to be a component of self-care. i am hoping to connect with that side of myself a bit more this year and prioritize these moments of calm.

**6\. what is one question that you found yourself asking over and over again this year? what version of an answer are you living your way into?**

_is it possible to be caught up on everything?_ i have been pondering this for some time. as an adult we have a series of commitments: work, friends, errands, bills, improvement, organization, digital lives, etc. etc. etc. i tend to wrap myself into other people’s portrayals and wonder if it is possible to get everything done.

my current answer: make little goals and accomplish them. revel in the completeness of what you committed to and then make another little goal.

**7\. what makes me despair and what gives me hope right now?**

our current political climate is a disaster. that is pretty disappointing (understatement of 2017). i feel hopeful that our country is waking up and pushing back. it has been satisfying seeing people of various walks of life support each other.

also, watching [sarah mei’s enjoyment](https://twitter.com/sarahmei/status/946347142012051456) from simon & schuster’s rebuttal to milo’s lawsuit was quite amazing.