Karen Hoyt is a blogger who has a story about hepatitis C, cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease, liver cancer, and liver transplantation. This excerpt first appeared on Karen’s I Help C blog.

Sometimes when we are waiting on a dream or a goal to be fulfilled, we have a deep sense of longing. It’s not very easy to be thankful, and in fact, we can feel impatient and become weary or frustrated. It’s common to find ourselves caught between worlds, especially with health problems. An attitude of gratitude may seem out of reach when your body is in pain or under attack. I get that, and want to offer some hope.

When I was a teenager, a book called See You at the Top was a much-treasured Christmas gift. Its influence was so great in my life that I eventually went to Southern Nazarene University, where the author had gone to college. In this blog, I invite you to think about some of Zig Ziglar’s quotes that have propelled me into a thankful mindset.

An Attitude of Gratitude

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing — that’s why it’s recommended.”

“If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.”

“You can get anything you want out of life if you help enough other people get what they want.”

“A lot of people have gone further than they thought they could, because someone else thought they could.”

“How you see your future is much more important that what has happened in the past.”

“Lack of direction, not lack of time is the problem. We all have 24 hour days.”

“Ability can take you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.”

“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.“

“Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.”

“Life is an echo. What you send out comes back.”

“You become like the people around you.”

“Mountain climbers don’t carry bricks.”

To read the rest of this blog, click here.