How bullet-proof is your bubble of beliefs?

Dr Judith Rich's It ain't necessarily so: How bulletproof is your bubble of beliefs? is a commentary about the Republican party's reaction after their defeat in the Presidential Election 2012.

She then discusses the manner in which we delude ourselves, lie to ourselves, to avoid dealing with our own life challenges.

Basically, it's so much easier to let sleeping dogs lie.

She is such an insightful person that the entire article is a must read. She asks us to use the 7 questions to pierce our own bubbles of illusions and gain insight into our psyche and free ourselves from mental bondage, as I call it.

Empower yourself to change and be a better you!

Because of the magnitude of their impact, last week's election results are a perfect opportunity for each of us to see ourselves in the faces of those who never saw it coming and ask ourselves the following questions:

1. Where in my own life have I been falsely certain of an outcome that later turned out not to be even remotely so?

2. What was I pretending not to know at the time?

3. What inconvenient truth about myself, or the situation, was I avoiding?

4. What was I unwilling or too afraid to look at in myself?

5. How do I avoid taking responsibility when life delivers such a surprise? Who do I blame? What justifications do I use?

6. What evidence did I reject in order to be right about my beliefs? Who did I make wrong?

7. Who can I count on to pierce through my bubble and confront me with the truth when I least want to hear it?

It's human nature to create beliefs and then to defend them. Sometimes at all costs. But if you are ever to live a meaningful life, one based on a somewhat realistic view of the world in which you live, it pays to surround yourself with people who will call you on your... well, let's just call them "fantasies."

We need people in our lives who care enough about us to risk telling the truth, especially when doing so might jeopardize the relationship. This is a delicate skill to acquire. It takes a great deal of honesty and trust to develop this kind of relationship because very often, the relationship itself can indeed, be at stake. Or at least appear to be.

Our bubble of beliefs would benefit from regular audits.

Do a merciless inventory at regular intervals. Ask yourself questions 1-7 and see how you stack up. You may not have a presidential election at stake in your own life, but something even more important is on the line: your future.