Gratitude is a magical force in our lives.

Just as light and dark cannot coexist in the same space, so gratitude and negative feelings cannot co-inhabit our consciousness. To dispel darkness, turn the light on: to relinquish negative thoughts and feelings, invoke gratitude.

Our minds are usually circumscribed by fear, pride, insecurity and greed. Yet when gratitude opens our heart-door, our every thought and feeling surrenders to peace, love, sweetness and joy.

Gratitude is our unfailing friend, physician, mentor and saviour. It is the simplest and surest antidote to negativity and depression. To embrace gratitude is to banish gloom swiftly, safely and surely.

For gratitude to play its role most effectively, it must be practised, nurtured and cultivated, regularly and devotedly.

How to “practise” gratitude? Simple: just feel gratitude, as often and as much as possible, always accompanied by a smile. You can never overdose on gratitude.

Try this exercise: sit quietly alone, with eyes closed. Breathe calmly, consciously breathing peace into your whole system.

Imagine a flower, in bud form, in the depths of your heart. The innocence and purity of this flower-bud calls forth all your heart’s sympathy, concern and protection. Gaze smilingly in wonder at this flower with all your tender care. As it slowly opens to your love, you are entranced by the flower’s beauty, purity, sweetness, delicacy, subtlety, simplicity and fragrance. This is your gratitude-heart-flower, the embodiment of all your heart’s gratitude for everything good and divine. Breathing in, allow the flower’s fragrance to permeate your whole being the way incense fills a room.

Now let the flower grow to the extent that your whole body has become the flower itself. You are the flower, its beauty, fragrance and perfection.

The sweetness of gratitude is power invincible, devouring weakness, liberating limitation and burying imperfection.