Like Jerry Maguire in the eponymous 1996 film, the author of Thoughts Become Things has us at “Hello, my name is Adam Rounisto and I’m a procrastinator.” Then, as he reveals that his life changed “overnight” after abandoning project after project, we can’t resist diving into this narrative by a board and card game designer, songwriter and musician who says he’s never written before. It feels genuine, and we are hooked.
Rounisto begins with a story about his struggles to build a large-enough cage for his pet squirrel Pandora before turning more philosophical with short chapters about doing the impossible. He offers intriguing examples of people who’ve done just that—think runner Roger Bannister, who crashed the four-minute-mile “maximum” in 1954—and how the mind works in mysterious ways, like the Himba African tribe who can’t see the color blue and have no word for it and the 1938 Orson Welles’ radio drama, The War of the Worlds, which sent gullible, panicked listeners fleeing “aliens.”
Rather than taking a spiritual approach, the author emphasizes mind over matter, perseverance and drive to illustrate how readers can overcome roadblocks. In some ways, the book echoes the intellectual writings of bestselling self-help author Napoleon Hill, guiding us on how to learn, for example, to shift perspective instead of panicking, assuming the worst of someone, or becoming annoyed. Rounisto’s skillfully presented insights—“You always grow into what you speak about”; “Whether we are thinking negatively of ourselves or negatively of others, we are the ones weakened by it”—remind us that we truly are what we think.
Despite a too-long introduction and out-of-place chapters on telepathy and precognition, Thoughts Become Things is wise, well-researched and intelligently written, showing us how to break through self-imposed limitations, assumptions and bad habits. Thankfully, Rounisto also takes us full circle with the Pandora story at the end.
Overall, this is a valuable read for those seeking a more positive outlook in their lives.
Highly recommended for fans of Napoleon Hill
Also available in hardcover and ebook.
