The following are eleven ways that I like to show and grow my gratitude. May they be helpful to you in your quest for inner peace.

1. Say thank you.

Sometimes we feel we are grateful for things and don't think it necessary to say it. However, voicing our gratitude will not only show the person we are thankful to that we are thankful for them, but it will also help that feeling be realer and personal to us.

2. For everything negative you have to say, think of five positive things about that same thing.

This may be difficult at first and the things we come up with might not seem all that great, but looking at the positive will help us be positive. It sounds redundant, and it is, but it works.

3. Make gratitude lists.

Do you ever feel gross about life? One way to clean away feelings of negativity is to list all of the things you are grateful for. Maybe start by just listing down ten or twenty, but keep doing this and try to get to the point where you can write at least a hundred every time you are feeling down.

4. If you are having trouble loving a specific person or group of people, look for the things that you can love in them.

It could be as simple as liking the same food as them, or it could be deeper and more complicated. Try to look at them through their parents' eyes (thanks to Elder Renlund, the Apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for that one). Essentially find something in them you are grateful for.

5. If in a moment of anxiety, depression, or just frustration turn to something you love and are grateful for.

I like family history, enjoying nature, food, and other such things. There are a million options. Everyone has something they are grateful for. Find out what it is, and turn to it often.

6. Look for new things to be grateful for.

Try a new sport or hobby. The more things you have to be grateful for, the easier writing that list of them will be.

7. Discover how to be grateful for your weaknesses.

Maybe you are not good at a sport, musical instrument, cooking, math, or other skill. That being the case, remember that ultimately the skills that are most important to develop are patience, love, long-suffering, faith, and so forth. Doing things you are perfect at won't help you develop these things, not to say any of us are perfect at anything.

8. Get outside and breathe.

It is easy for anyone to focus on what they are not good at and what they feel they will never be good at. Find ways out of that mindset by getting away from places and people that contribute to that kind of thinking. I personally love hiking, camping, and playing Frisbee. Maybe you like running, or painting, or just listening to some good music. Get away from the bad and you will find how grateful for the good you truly are.

9. Serve.

Maybe the best way to find our own gratitude is by recognizing what we already have. This is done best when we get out and help those who are "truly poor" as one saintly woman has put it. That does not just refer to financially poor people, but anyone who has anything that they can't do for themselves, but that you can help with. So get out there and serve. You will find greater peace and gratitude in doing so than in nearly anything else.

10. Do some family history.

Find out the identity that is your ancestry, and recognize that as part of yourself. Imagine discovering you are related to one of the founding fathers or the person who invented ice cream! Be proud of (and grateful for) your family. It will amaze you the sense of identity you will discover.

11. Choose to be grateful.

If you consciously choose it, it will be easier. That doesn't mean it will be easy altogether, but it is possible. We all have so much to be grateful for, so much we take for granted. We learn from every fall, every scraped knee or elbow. All things give us experience. Choose to see things in the light of gratitude, and life will be joyful.

12. Be grateful for God.

You may not see Him the way I do, you may not see Him at all, but if you do see Him, or if you would like to see Him, then thank Him. He will show you that he is in all things, and through all things. Love Him, love your family. Your life will be blessed.