I'm pretty honest with myself:
"No, I don't look awesome in those lacy negligees, I'm not size 2."
"No, I can't become a Navy SEAL, and honestly don't want to."
"No, I don't want to go jogging even if I need to."
"No, eating the last cookie isn't a great idea when I'm pre-diabetic."
"Yes, I have to do the taxes on time."
"Yes, I have to make the kid's school play costume."
"Yes, I have to do the dishes if I want to eat."
"Yes, I am going to learn the violin."
See? Honest. I really can't think of anything I've lied to myself about. Hoped, maybe, or told myself I'd do someday and changed my mind, but lied? Not that I recall. Lying doesn't make me feel good and I try to avoid things that don't feel good, with the exception of running on my elliptical, which I do for health reasons.
But after thinking about it, I realized one thing I have lied to myself about: How much/little my father's words about my appearance have bothered me. When I was about thirteen, just starting to develop, he'd say things like, "Well you really need to have 'hangers' to wear a tube top" and "You know, only women who've had kids have fat on their bellies." Really nice things to say to a young girl. /sarcasm
I told myself as I got older that it didn't mean anything to me anymore, and I was over it. But those comments still come up in my memory from time to time, and they hurt, even now when I have 'hangers' (that my husband likes very much) and am a mother of two (with even more belly fat). I suppose my father's nasty words shaped the person I am, but the lie is that it never bothered me. It did, and evidently, it still does a little. But now that I'm aware of it, maybe I can work through the unease, and figure out how to dismantle the hurt and like myself despite his words. :)
There you have it. Is there something you've lied to yourself about? Check out the other authors and what they had to say.