How to Beat Self-Doubt

The following is adapted from Thank You, Cancer.

Receiving a cancer diagnosis brought me face-to-face with intense self-doubt. Even after the initial tumor was removed, doctors told me the cancer would certainly return, and that I could expect to live no more than another decade, possibly much less.

Should I believe them? They were the experts, but the message they were giving me was devoid of hope and possibility. The only other option was to confront my self-doubt and start figuring out for myself how to stay healthy. In fact, to keep getting healthier.

I leaned into keto. I learned how to fast. I learned about cell phones and shampoo and water. I learned that the scratched-up pans I’d been cooking in or the plasticware I’d been serving my food on could be a problem, so I invested in new cookware and plates and silverware. I leveled up from putting my phone out of my bedroom at night to taking all my calls from earbuds or over the speaker. I took supplements, met with nutritionists, listened to new doctors, and learned what each new thing could do to help prevent tumor regrowth.

One thing I discovered was that there are always new fears to face, always new sources of uncertainty to uncover. If you want to beat self-doubt, understand that it’s a lifelong journey. Fortunately, it’s a very rewarding one.

A Major Doubt Frontier

As I tackled doubts and fears, I accessed a positive feedback loop. The more internal freedom I found, the more I wanted to face my fears and discomfort.

Then I hit a crunch point. I’d healed so much doubt and fear through building my business and committing to keto. What was one thing holding me back? I still didn’t have any friends.

I knew that I needed to connect with people outside of social media, but that was easier said than done. So much so that I had been putting it off for years. I’d encountered a lot of vulnerability. Social vulnerability was a whole new ballgame.

Nonetheless, one message I heard from almost every speaker and author I respected was that it was important to get comfortable being uncomfortable. If I wanted to meet new people, I had to break through the walls of doubt once again.

I’d chosen my apartment in Austin, Texas because I thought it’d help me connect with new friends, especially older, more experienced people whom I could learn from. There were plenty of people around whom I could make friends with if I could just get out there and do it. So I did.

Once I broke the ice and started meeting people, I gained more confidence, and it all started to snowball. I found out I wasn’t so alone after all. There are people who value their health just as much as I do, and my life or death situation doesn’t mark me out as special or different. On a long enough timeline, we’re all in a life or death situation, and we have similar approaches. We’re all just trying to create the best version of ourselves.

Chopping off Doubt at the Root

There’s a book on my shelf by Brendon Burchard called Motivation Manifesto. On the cover, it says, “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.”

I could have conformed with the doctors who said I was sure to die within a few years. I could have allowed doubt to consume me. Through trusting my desire for answers, however, I gradually conquered doubt about my body’s ability to stay cancer-free.

Sometimes the experts were wrong; sometimes they contradicted each other. Slowly, I began to let go of my need for answers and clear outcomes. By working toward my goals no matter what, I began to let go of doubt—really, it let go of me.

Instead of looking for opinions, thoughts, and words to affirm what I’m doing, I look for action. What can I do to learn and grow from this obstacle that I’ve been given?

When you’re going after something that you haven’t done before, self-doubt has easy access. No one who has achieved great things let doubt hold them back. It’s not that they never listened to limitations or questioned themselves—but they didn’t stop because of it. To achieve uncommon results, you have to take uncommon actions.

Growing up, I was used to getting comfortable being uncomfortable, as long as it was physical. I worked out every day of the week, sometimes several workouts in a day. I took pride in my ability to stretch myself physically. But when it came to social and emotional discomfort, I held back. I wanted to make everyone happy and comfortable. I wanted them to like me. Eventually, I couldn’t level up my life anymore if I stayed lonely and cut off from other people.

Once I was able to make new friends, I was ready to face anything. Improving my life has become a game, and I love playing it. By seeking discomfort out, intentionally looking for ways to stretch and grow, every day brings new wins. Every day gets me closer to knowing myself more and continuing to grow. Every challenge is something to be celebrated, even when it’s unexpected, unfamiliar, or just plain scary.

Where is doubt still ruling your decisions? What areas of your life do you need to level up? If you let doubt hold you back, you’ll never learn, you’ll never grow, and you’ll never know what could have been possible. Only when you walk through the walls doubt builds in your life will you discover what’s on the other side.

For more advice on beating self-doubt, you can find Thank You, Cancer on Amazon.

Logan Sneed is a brain cancer survivor and entrepreneur whose online business generated a six-figure income before his 21st birthday. A stage-4 cancer diagnosis didn’t derail Logan’s desire to reinvent himself every day and pursue the dreams he wasn’t ready to give up. Today, Logan is an inspirational public speaker, social media influencer, ketogenic diet expert, and a best-self coach with a passion for personal transformation. To learn more or connect with Logan, visit LoganSneed.com.