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The MacGyver Secret: Connect to Your Inner MacGyver & Solve Anything
Written by the creator of MacGyver, The MacGyver Secret book details everything you need to experience breakthroughs in your creative problem solving. It teaches you the 3 simple steps to connect with your inner MacGyver, guides you through the science by co-author Colleen Seifert, Ph.D. of why it works so well, shares tips about how to apply it in both personal and work situations, and gives you real world examples of how people like you are using it every day. It's a radical new approach to creative problem solving! Perhaps you recognize yourself in some of these 1) I would like to be more creative. 2) My work requires me to produce at a rate that is overwhelming at times. 3) I face challenges in my personal life that I don't know how to solve. 4) I have creative spurts, but I don't know how to sustain them. 5) My life would be better if I knew how to perform at peak levels over longer periods. In this practical and innovative guide, learn how to tap into your Inner MacGyver for unprecedented levels of creative problem solving. This will allow you to solve even the most complex technical, creative, or personal problems simply and reliably. And so will not only enhance your professional standing, but provide you the freedom to more fully experience your personal life and be more connected and supportive to those who you live and work with.
189 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 5, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 5, 2017
And now, in a review of monumental unfairness, I am going to compare a national bestseller my daughter bought on Kindle (but never finished) with a self-published work we got for free.
On the one hand, we have a book that sets out to explain that hard work and persistence is a greater driver of success than talent. On the other, a book that proposes a method for getting the most out of the talent you have (specifically, problem solving through indirect contemplation). Both purport to be supported by clinical research, although one was written by the lead researcher, a MacArthur Genius grant awardee named Angela Duckworth. The other one was penned by the guy who wrote and produced a majority of MacGyver episodes. Each make for pretty light reading, as they are each chock full of airy verbal nougat, but one has just a wee bit more content than the other.
To wit, here's a representative passage from Duckworth's book.
Simply write out (and speak aloud) any conundrum you wish to have yourself unravel, set yourself a reasonable time to return to it (in a few hours, say), and then fill the intervening time with a nonverbal, wholly preoccupying task. Properly applied, you should return to your notebook to find the approach provides you with a bunch of ideas to address your problem that hadn't immediately occurred to you. In any case, it helped Zlotoff crank out plots to MacGyver episodes.
Duckworth's Grit is similarly grounded and practicable. Just determine whatever it is you wish to accomplish and then practice it to exhaustion. Oh, but make sure you're working to measurable subgoals, each one a slight stretch on your prior achievement. Make sure you have accurate, visible feedback, too, so you can make the necessary corrections to your performance that will enable your incremental, but inevitable progress.
Over time, Grit's author seems to have developed an experimentally valid coding schema for measuring grittiness, and reports using it to great effect for organizations ranging from the military to elementary schools, in all cases anticipating success rates among trainees/students/applicants. She built a TED talk on her findings, which she in turn parlayed into daylong lectures for Pete Carroll's grit-cultured Seahawks. She describes her own experience as a college frosh, doubling down on repeated failing tests in an advanced neuroscience class by declaring neuroscience her major (ultimately pulling through by virtue of sheer determination, long, effortful hours, and persistent pestering of prospective mentors, TA's, and tutors). All this would seem to imply that the secret to success is as expressed by Nike's ad slogan: just do it.
There's much to be said for sheer bloodymindedness, and as any inveterate dieter knows, the going always gets easier as soon as you start to perceive incremental progress. Of course, one problem with the fail -> fail again -> fail faster -> fail better approach is that it doesn't always work. Feedback is not always clear, and in some cases, any eventual breakthrough is as likely to be preceded by a lengthy plateau as by the desired diagonal line. Those who dig their tel of pyrite will invariably mine only fool's gold. So when is it appropriate to keep fishing for laurels and when is it better to simply cut bait? Duckworth hasn't figured this out, in fact doesn't appear to have any means of doing so. Perhaps she can suss out an answer using the MacGyver Secret? Yeah… I'm not nearly gritty (or patient) enough to wait to find out.
On the one hand, we have a book that sets out to explain that hard work and persistence is a greater driver of success than talent. On the other, a book that proposes a method for getting the most out of the talent you have (specifically, problem solving through indirect contemplation). Both purport to be supported by clinical research, although one was written by the lead researcher, a MacArthur Genius grant awardee named Angela Duckworth. The other one was penned by the guy who wrote and produced a majority of MacGyver episodes. Each make for pretty light reading, as they are each chock full of airy verbal nougat, but one has just a wee bit more content than the other.
To wit, here's a representative passage from Duckworth's book.
My claim here is that, for most people, purpose is a tremendously powerful source of motivation…. What am I missing? Well, it's unlikely that my sample included many terrorists or serial killers. And it's true that I haven't interviewed political despots or Mafia bosses....Now here's a representative passage from Zlotoff's:
On this point, I concede. Partly. In theory, you can be a misanthropic, misguided paragon of grit. Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler, for instance, were most certainly gritty…. In other words, a genuinely positive, altruistic purpose is not an absolute requirement of grit. And I have to admit that, yes, it is possible to be a gritty villain. But, on the whole, I take the survey data I've gathered, and what paragons of grit tell me in person, at face value. So, while interest is crucial to sustaining passion over the long-term, so, too, is the desire to connect with and help others. (page 148)
What if it turned out that anyone could come up with a truly creative solution when faced with a tough problem? ...What if it turned out that everyone -- including YOU -- had a "MacGyver" hidden deep inside? Just waiting to be handed a problem so it could whip up an amazing solution. For virtually any problem. Be it technical, creative, professional, personal, or anything! That would be another fantasy, you'd think.Cognitive psychologists call the MacGyver Secret process "incubation," a concept apparently tested in the literature, though the specific approach here has yet to undergo any kind of controlled scrutiny. Zlotoff's book is more about providing enthusiastic, anecdotal support. You might as well try it for yourself.
Well, it's not. And that is THE MACGYVER SECRET. [-- location 115 of 2050]
Simply write out (and speak aloud) any conundrum you wish to have yourself unravel, set yourself a reasonable time to return to it (in a few hours, say), and then fill the intervening time with a nonverbal, wholly preoccupying task. Properly applied, you should return to your notebook to find the approach provides you with a bunch of ideas to address your problem that hadn't immediately occurred to you. In any case, it helped Zlotoff crank out plots to MacGyver episodes.
Duckworth's Grit is similarly grounded and practicable. Just determine whatever it is you wish to accomplish and then practice it to exhaustion. Oh, but make sure you're working to measurable subgoals, each one a slight stretch on your prior achievement. Make sure you have accurate, visible feedback, too, so you can make the necessary corrections to your performance that will enable your incremental, but inevitable progress.
Over time, Grit's author seems to have developed an experimentally valid coding schema for measuring grittiness, and reports using it to great effect for organizations ranging from the military to elementary schools, in all cases anticipating success rates among trainees/students/applicants. She built a TED talk on her findings, which she in turn parlayed into daylong lectures for Pete Carroll's grit-cultured Seahawks. She describes her own experience as a college frosh, doubling down on repeated failing tests in an advanced neuroscience class by declaring neuroscience her major (ultimately pulling through by virtue of sheer determination, long, effortful hours, and persistent pestering of prospective mentors, TA's, and tutors). All this would seem to imply that the secret to success is as expressed by Nike's ad slogan: just do it.
There's much to be said for sheer bloodymindedness, and as any inveterate dieter knows, the going always gets easier as soon as you start to perceive incremental progress. Of course, one problem with the fail -> fail again -> fail faster -> fail better approach is that it doesn't always work. Feedback is not always clear, and in some cases, any eventual breakthrough is as likely to be preceded by a lengthy plateau as by the desired diagonal line. Those who dig their tel of pyrite will invariably mine only fool's gold. So when is it appropriate to keep fishing for laurels and when is it better to simply cut bait? Duckworth hasn't figured this out, in fact doesn't appear to have any means of doing so. Perhaps she can suss out an answer using the MacGyver Secret? Yeah… I'm not nearly gritty (or patient) enough to wait to find out.
June 11, 2026
I really enjoyed this book and, perhaps even more, the author’s genuine passion for the topic.
I first heard Lee David Zlotoff speak during a Limitless Live event, and his message immediately resonated with me. The idea of tapping into our natural creativity and problem-solving abilities through our own “inner MacGyver” is both intriguing and empowering.
I’ll be honest and admit that I haven’t fully put the theory to the test yet, so I can’t personally speak to the results. However, the concepts presented feel practical, accessible, and worth exploring.
This is one of those books I know I will revisit—not just to reread, but to actively apply the process and see what my own inner Mac can uncover.
I first heard Lee David Zlotoff speak during a Limitless Live event, and his message immediately resonated with me. The idea of tapping into our natural creativity and problem-solving abilities through our own “inner MacGyver” is both intriguing and empowering.
I’ll be honest and admit that I haven’t fully put the theory to the test yet, so I can’t personally speak to the results. However, the concepts presented feel practical, accessible, and worth exploring.
This is one of those books I know I will revisit—not just to reread, but to actively apply the process and see what my own inner Mac can uncover.
January 27, 2023
Interesting and insightful. In my opinion, there were several unnecessary comments throughout the book and near the end, a small but entirely unnecessary and untactful section. I would advise parents to preview the book first before letting their kids read it. Overall well written and informative.
March 18, 2018
I loved the fact that the way the book is divided you can read what you want and skip the parts that you don't want.
I really enjoyed this and it really works!
I really enjoyed this and it really works!
December 29, 2020
The creator of MacGyver shares how he write his scripts. Rather than talking to himself in the first person , he addresses himself in third person point of view in order to solve the problem. This is a very interesting solution to most of people problem. However the viability of this has yet to be determined and tried by myself. Still a very good book.
June 28, 2023
A fun little self help book on how to think and problem solve.
September 10, 2024
"The MacGyver Secret" isn't actually a book about MacGyver. It's about a technique to use the power of the unconscious mind that seemed to work extremely well for Lee. And the bits written by the psychologist are really good.
December 12, 2016
Amazing!
This is a simple way to tap into your subconscious. I can see great things ahead. No sarcasm, this is a self-help book that works.
This is a simple way to tap into your subconscious. I can see great things ahead. No sarcasm, this is a self-help book that works.
January 10, 2017
Great ideas
I liked the way ideas and exercises progressed in the book. The style of writing was also friendly and conversational. And I believe this works.
I liked the way ideas and exercises progressed in the book. The style of writing was also friendly and conversational. And I believe this works.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews