4 questions to ask yourself before the new year

It’s that time again, the moment between the years when people start making good resolutions and setting intentions. But what if, instead of following statements, we let questions take the lead? In that vein, we might look to the work of Audre Lorde, who described herself as a “black, lesbian, feminist, warrior, poet.” She was also a lyrical badass who was committed to art and activism and believed that asking yourself questions could be a radical act.

Lorde, an American writer and professor, wrote what has become known as a “Questionnaire to Self” as part of an essay that appears in her book. Cancer magazines. Although these questions arose from contemplation during illness, they can be used at any time. As an alternative to the end-of-year resolutions that imply that we must improve ourselves, her questions help us better know and understand who we are. When we decide to make changes, they come from a completely different energy. In fact, thinking about her questionnaire can be a form of it study, the Sanskrit term for self-study. It also ties in with the fourth niyama, or the ethical principle of yoga, set forth in that of Patanjali The Yoga Sutras.

“Our feelings are our most authentic path to knowledge,” Lorde said in a 1982 interview. “They are chaotic, sometimes painful, sometimes contradictory, but they come from deep within. And we need to tap into those feelings… for new ways to understand our experiences.”

Just as practicing yoga helps us know ourselves better and become more steadfast, her questions help us understand that when we are clear about who we are, we can become even more steadfast.

So as a brave (and less restrictive!) alternative to traditional resolutions, try journaling your answers to Lorde’s questions below. Perhaps through you you will discover a new truth that is ready to exist.

4 End-of-year reflection questions to ask yourself

Challenge yourself to write without any form of self-control. Your inner editor can slow you down and cause you to stumble. This is about self-expression, not about getting your grammar right. No one will read this but you, so be honest. Only from your deepest knowledge can you change how you move outwardly in the world.

Freewriting style, set your timer for 5-10 minutes per question.

1. What don’t you have words for yet?

2. What should you say? Mention as many things as necessary.

3. “What are the tyrannies that you swallow day after day and try to master, until you get sick of them and die from them, still in silence?” Name as many as necessary. Then write a new list tomorrow. And the day after.

4. Assume that you have been “socialized to respect fear more than our own need for language and definition.” Ask yourself, “What is the worst thing that could happen to me if I tell this truth?” Answer this today. And every day again.

As for what Lorde herself learned from those questions, she wrote about the urgency of doing her own “work,” or her dharma. In her insightful way that transcends time, she left us with one more question: Are you doing your job?

Consider returning to these questions throughout the year and making them a regular practice self-study or self-study. It’s less important to have answers to all the questions than it is to nurture and celebrate your curiosity. Your own state of openness will guide you – and there is power in that. Over time, you will find yourself closer to what is real and good for you, living in a way that is both gentle and powerful, like yoga practice itself.

Here’s to a year of living in authenticity, courage and joy!

Want to know more about Lorde? The following books can help you explore the world through her lens:

The Fire Within: The Dharma of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde by Rima Vesely-Flad, Ph.D. (North Atlantic Books, February 2026)

The collected poems of Audre Lorde (Norton, 2020)

The Cancer Journals by Audre Lorde (Penguin Classics, 2020)