Three ways to improve the ROI of your thinking today

Most people who have worked in an organization have no doubt heard the acronym ROI at one time or another. ROI – return on investment – is an approach organizations take to weigh the value of the investment against the beneficial outcome.

In a business, the cost of the investment is weighed against the increased revenue the investment yields. If the investment doesn’t result in sufficient profits, even though it may be a good idea, it might be discontinued. In general, ROI is a prudent means of measuring whether an investment of any kind makes sense or not.

The concept of ROI can have relevance to our personal lives as well. In addition to financial investments, we invest time in relationships and activities that we feel are important to us. We weigh them against their value in the fulfillment of our goals and aspirations. 

Whether these investments are professional or personal, learning to discipline our thinking by centering it on what makes a positive difference in our lives is important. Think of it as evaluating the ROI of our thinking.

God-centered thinking is always the best place to start, resulting in consistent harmony and success in our lives. Christian Scientists strive to center their thinking on the scientific fact of being that God is perfect, and as a consequence, the man and woman of God’s creating, His image and likeness, are also perfect. Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Monitor, wrote in the Christian Science textbook, “The Christlike understanding of scientific being and divine healing includes a perfect Principle and idea, – perfect God and perfect man, – as the basis of thought and demonstration” (“Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” p. 259).

When we align our thinking with the spiritual reality of God’s goodness, acknowledging it as the reality of our experience and of all those we encounter, healing and harmony are the natural results.

Here are three steps you can use today to keep your thought God-centered, and that yield a high ROI:

1. Spiritual studyInvesting a sufficient amount of time every day in spiritual study is a great place to start. It’s a helpful way to get our thinking on the right track and to establish a solid foundation for the entire day. For many people, that study includes the Bible Lessons found in the Christian Science Quarterly, published in various formats, including online.

Meaningful study can’t be circumvented or sped up. It can take time to recognize your home in “the secret place of the most High," but it’s always time well spent and can yield a high ROI in an individual’s experience. 2. PrayerMany people think of prayer as asking God for something, a prayer of petition. Effective prayer can also be a prayer of acknowledgment that proceeds from the spiritual fact that God has already done all that can be done, and that His creation, as His idea, is perfect, complete, and entirely good. The sons and daughters of God exist in that complete perfection.

Sometimes we can reach inspiration through prayer quickly, and other times it takes a while. Either way, the time invested in prayer will yield results.

3. LoveWhen Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment of all, he answered: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30, 31).

Effective love is a two-part process: loving God and loving others. As a verb, love can be the process of turning our study and prayer into action with our thoughts, words, and deeds. Once we’re studied up and prayed up, so to speak, we’re able to act in accordance with our thinking, which is now resonating with divine Love.

The three steps – study, prayer, and love – put our thoughts in alignment and resonance with God, an excellent way of ensuring a high ROI of our thinking.

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