I am a paradox. Are you?

“Self deception” (Image from Huffpost.com)

On the face of it, self-deception seems impossible — or, at the very least, paradoxical.

How can someone tell a lie to herself?

Maybe I believe that I am just as good at basketball as Kobe Bryant.

But I’m not, so I don’t.

Ok, but maybe I practice every day, shoot hoops every night until dawn, and I grow more and more arrogant. Eventually, I do…