How to Do the Impossible and a Whole Lot More

One can make one’s dreams come true with the help of constant reminders by using a six-sided die, according to this complex self-help manifesto.

Reynolds, a businessman and motivational speaker, introduces readers to his trademarked “Logic Die system of Organized Thought,” based on a modified version of an ordinary six-sided plastic die, which one can order separately. The system initially sounds complicated—“We can direct our thinking process by manipulating the firing procedure of our brain’s neurons using a mnemonic device,” he says, so that “ideas associated to the device becomes [sic] the instructions for the brain to follow”—but it boils down to a simple notion: viewing and touching the die serves as a reminder of various self-help notions. For example, the six-dot panel represents “Do Our Best” (“we visualize massive pillars reaching upward”); the one-dot panel represents focus; two dots symbolize the idea of “Ask[ing] Multiple Questions,” and so on. (According to the author, the die has an invisible seventh panel inside it, representing imagination.) The symbolism extends to the cube’s eight points (or vertices), representing principles such as “Planning,” “Priorities,” “Purpose,” and “Persistence,” as well as 24 “Lines of Action.” Contemplating all these ideas, Reynolds argues, will spur one to practice them in daily life and thus think clearly, set goals, and make plans to achieve them. The Logic Die’s complexity is so expansive that readers may wonder whether mastering it requires yet another device, such as a card listing what all the panels and points and Lines of Action mean. After it gets past the poorly edited, overly busy die mechanics, though, Reynolds’ book embraces time-honored self-help nostrums in an engaging, straightforward fashion. Drawing on the ideas of theorists such as Andrew Carnegie, Benjamin Franklin, Stephen Covey, and Vince Lombardi, he conveys the importance of positive thinking, listening, seeking advice, and cultivating helpful habits. One of his most persuasive suggestions is that one should simply get started on one’s goals by writing down feasible objectives and practical steps to meet them rather than daydreaming and fretting. In the end, the die gimmick is less helpful than the concrete advice that readers will glean from his text. Tchotchkes aside, this book offers some useful guidance for thinking and acting productively.