The true art of deceiving oneself lies in not over-analyzing the situation

"I lie to myself all the time, but I never believe me." - S.E. Hinton

"I'm fine" is probably the biggest lie I tell myself.  Back in January of 2012, I fell and hit my Dad's storage chest.  My ribs hurt.  I told myself and everyone else I was fine for three months.  By then, I developed pneumonia.  When I saw my doctor, he did a chest X-ray.  I broke three ribs.  He wasn't happy with me.  I broke three ribs the preceding year on the other side of my chest.  I was fine then as well.

Why do we lie to ourselves?  It's not intentional.  It's a reflex or a reaction.  It's something you do without thinking about it.  Admitting certain things bother us is a sign of weakness.  It says there is something in this world you can't handle on your own.  Your mind goes into defensive mode.  In this case this was odd for me, since I'm neither afraid of doctors or hospitals.  I just don't think of myself as weak.  It bothers me.  If I would've given myself the opportunity to think about it, I'd know I wasn't fine.  However, the true art of deceiving oneself lies in not over-analyzing the situation.

Avoidance is another reason to lie to yourself.  If you have a dreaded meeting you're trying to avoid and your mind tells you it's Wednesday instead of Thursday so you miss the meeting.  You've effectively lied to yourself to avoid an uncomfortable situation.  In truth, you most likely only postponed it.  However, your stress level decreases as you reschedule for a much later date.  In truth, if you would've thought about it, glanced at the calendar on your phone or in your planner, you'd know the day and date.  The art of avoidance through deception didn't allow it.  Your mind likely told you that you were too busy.

Intentionally deceiving others is unconscionable.  Deceiving oneself isn't possible without the suspension of disbelief.  I lie to myself all the time.  "No.  I won't be late."  If I hit traffic, this is a less than comforting lie.  I have however successfully deceived myself.  On those occasions my mind found an ulterior motive on it's own.  I broke my ribs in January after my Dad passed away.  I was needed at home.  After everyone returned to their homes, I started feeling ill.  I went to the doctor.  Apparently, I broke three ribs and developed pneumonia because it went untreated.

I would agree the quote is true unless your will is strong.  There are many ways to successfully deceive yourself.  There are many positive reasons to do so, for example:  convincing yourself the room is empty or contains one person so you aren't nervous during a speech.  The key is to identify whether or not it's necessary.  If it's not necessary you won't believe yourself anyway.  However, if it's important don't over-analyze and keep yourself busy.