Superhuman by Habit
A Guide to Becoming the Best Possible Version of Yourself, One Tiny Habit at a Time
byTynan
Book Edition Details
Summary
"Superhuman by Habit (2014) is a simple guide to creating habits that’ll lead to positive, lasting change. Drawing on personal anecdotes and well-known examples, it covers how to choose and build a habit, and shares several common habits that can lead to a healthier, happier future."
Introduction
Every morning, you wake up and follow the same patterns without thinking about them. You reach for your phone, brush your teeth, make coffee, or perhaps skip breakfast entirely. These automatic behaviors shape your entire day, yet most people never realize they hold the key to extraordinary transformation. What if you could harness this invisible force that already controls 90% of your actions? What if you could redirect these unconscious patterns toward the life you've always wanted? The difference between those who achieve their goals and those who struggle isn't talent or luck – it's their ability to build and sustain the right habits. When you understand how to create lasting behavioral change, you don't just improve one area of your life; you unlock a systematic approach to becoming the person you've always known you could be.
Building Unbreakable Habits That Stick
At its core, a habit is an action you take repeatedly with little or no required effort or thought. The magic lies in that second part – the absence of willpower. Think of habits as investments rather than expenses of energy. Those who build habits are like people who live below their means, slowly accumulating an impressive balance that pays dividends later. Meanwhile, others live paycheck to paycheck with their willpower, constantly struggling when life gets difficult. The author discovered this truth during a personal crisis in his late twenties. He would sleep at random hours, wake up in mid-afternoon, and consistently arrive late to everything. His procrastination could be measured in weeks or months, and he had half a dozen unfinished projects scattered around him. The chaos was overwhelming, but he recognized that his habits were the real culprit. When he decided to tackle habit change, he jumped in completely, experimenting relentlessly on himself and pushing the boundaries of what seemed possible. What surprised him most was the freedom that habits provided. Rather than feeling like a robot running through routines, the structure made so much of his life automatic that he felt complete autonomy. The basics happened in the background, freeing his mind for more important decisions. His transformation was so complete that friends marveled at his apparent superhuman self-discipline, not realizing that everything had simply become easy through habit. The key is understanding that habits convert difficult actions into automatic ones, moving them from the "hard" category to the "easy" category. Start by identifying the fundamental actions that must happen in your life, then systematically build habits around them. Focus on consistency over intensity – it's better to maintain a modest lifelong habit than start an extreme one that burns out after a year. When you feel like skipping, force yourself to consciously admit why you're skipping and articulate your reasoning. This makes it much harder to accept flimsy excuses. Remember that you already execute millions of habits every day, from brushing your teeth to your general outlook on life. You're not building something foreign – you're simply replacing existing patterns with more useful ones that align with who you want to become.
Choosing the Right Habits for Success
The foundation of effective habit selection is brutal honesty with yourself. This means being satisfied only when you identify the real habit that's holding you back from your goals, then attacking it by replacing it with something better. Many people struggle with this because admitting failure in areas tied to self-esteem creates vulnerability and internal tension. However, this discomfort is the first step toward building the most impactful habits. The author faced this challenge in three major areas of his life. First, he admitted his introversion and shyness were so severe they would prevent him from ever having a fulfilling dating life. This revelation led to three years of deliberate practice filled with rejection and layer after layer of inadequacy to unravel. Next, he confronted the reality that his work habits weren't strong enough to reach his goals, resulting in three years of more focused effort than he'd put forth in the previous twenty-nine years combined. Finally, he acknowledged his physical weakness and sought expert help, leading to hours at the gym and dramatic dietary changes. In each case, the honest self-assessment was difficult and led to even more discomfort through new habits. But the results were transformational and could never have been achieved without that initial step of confronting reality. The pain of admission opened the door to systematic improvement that touched every area of his life. When choosing your next habit, start with whatever impediment causes the most problems across multiple areas of your life. The difficulty matters less than how much the change means to you. If you're not convinced the benefits outweigh the downsides, wait until your motivation is stronger. Consider asking trusted friends what they think you need to work on – outsiders often spot glaring issues that we can't see ourselves. Look especially at areas that "just aren't you," like physical fitness for intellectual types or meditation for high-energy personalities. Most importantly, assume everything negative in your life is your fault. This isn't about guilt – it's about recognizing where you have control and opening the door to positive change. When you find something you're unhappy with and take responsibility for it, you also claim the power to transform it.
Practical Habits for Life Transformation
The most powerful habits often span multiple categories, creating upward spirals that amplify your progress across all areas of life. Health habits exemplify this principle perfectly, improving not just your physical condition but your mental clarity, emotional stability, and motivation for other positive changes. The compound effect of choosing the right practical habits can reshape your entire existence within months. Consider the author's experience with eating healthy food, which began after reading about the molecular-level implications of poor nutrition. Understanding the precise long-term consequences of continuing his diet of fast food, sweets, and processed ingredients created an immediate shift in his beliefs. His triggers changed overnight – unhealthy food no longer prompted desire for pleasure but sparked revulsion toward the life path those choices would create. This belief-driven transformation eliminated his appetite for junk food instantly, demonstrating how knowledge can trigger quantum shifts in behavior. The same principle applies to sleep optimization, where creating the right environment with complete darkness and silence transforms your energy levels, focus, and stress resilience. Daily meditation, even just five minutes, builds impulse control that carries over into every decision you make. Working out three days a week with compound movements creates strength that makes every other physical activity easier while boosting confidence and self-image. Start with habits that have the highest impact across multiple life domains. Eliminate sugar and refined grains from your diet, as these create the most significant health problems. Establish a consistent sleep schedule by regulating your bedtime rather than your wake time, and create a screens-off period two hours before bed. Add a simple meditation practice where you focus on your breath for five minutes daily, counting any session where you sit and try as a complete success. The key is starting small and building consistency before increasing intensity. Choose daily habits over weekly or sporadic ones, as they're much harder to skip or rationalize away. Remember that perfect execution matters less than never missing twice in a row – if you skip once, make the next occurrence your top priority and plan your day around completing it.
Summary
The path to extraordinary achievement isn't about superhuman willpower or natural talent – it's about systematically replacing your existing habits with ones that serve your highest aspirations. As the author discovered through his own transformation, "Habits are the closest we can get to having superpowers." When you move essential actions from conscious effort to automatic execution, you free up mental energy and willpower for the challenges that truly require them. The compound effect of small, consistent improvements creates results that seem impossible through willpower alone. Your journey begins with a single habit chosen today and maintained tomorrow. Start with something meaningful but manageable, focus on consistency over perfection, and trust in the cumulative power of daily action. The person you'll become through this process will thank you for having the courage to begin.
By Tynan
