Discovering the Three profound Secrets to a Happy Life

By Frosty Wooldridge

May 30, 2024

Thomas Jefferson said, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

(Gary Hall, bicycling from Nord Cap, Norway, 600 miles north of the Arctic Circle, over 3,500 miles to Athens, Greece—asking for directions from some Italian men sitting in the park.)

Through all human history, ordinary people longed for the mythical ideal to be happy, to live a fulfilling life and to enjoy the fruits of their talents.

For the first time in history via Thomas Jefferson and the founding fathers of America—ordinary people suddenly enjoyed the “right” to pursue their happiness in their own ways, at their own speed and at their own choices.

As an ordinary citizen of America, my life path carried me into amazing places. My choices allowed me to encounter some remarkable people who espoused “how” to live a happy life. I share their ideals with you for you to incorporate them into your own life—and prosper with happiness.

Henry David Thoreau said, “If you advance confidently toward your dreams, and endeavor to live the life which you have imagined, you will meet with success unexpected in common hours. You will pass through invisible boundaries. You will engage new and liberal laws. And you will live with the license of a higher order of beings.”

I read that quote every morning before my day begins. I inculcate the essence of the message into my brain cells and my thought patterns. I make plans, I prepare to carry them out and I pursue them confidently. At first, I met with many obstacles with my dream to bicycle on all seven continents. Those difficulties became stepping-stones to my ultimate success because of my “advancing confidently” toward my dreams. Successes “popped up” in the creative field of life at the most unexpected hours.

Somewhere along your own journey, by incorporating Thoreau’s wisdom, you will pass through invisible boundaries. Once you make the transition, you will engage new and liberal laws in your daily activities. Your thought patterns change to increasingly more abundant and creative vibrations. Those vibrations propel you toward living with a higher order of beings—in other words, you transform via your thoughts. You become how you think. You manifest what you imagine.

Jack London said, “I would rather be ashes than dust. I would rather my spark burn out in a brilliant blaze than be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor; every atom in magnificent glow—rather than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man or woman is to live, not merely exist. I shall use my time.”

I read aloud this second secret to happiness daily. I engage the energy of London’s wisdom for squeezing every second out of every day. That may mean contemplative thought and grateful moments versus quickening intensity. I understand that each moment of living constitutes a marvelous endowment.

You too, enjoy the miracle of living. By incorporating the first and second secrets, you change the vibrations in your mind, in your heart and in your spirit. You transition into an entirely new and creative realm of thought and creative process. London understood it in his vivacious living and his enthralling literary pursuits. His book Martin Eden lives inside me since I read it 40 years ago. London inspired me and still does to this day.

Goethe said, “Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.”

Actions drive your coveted dreams to reality, which drive your life toward fulfillment. While engaging your mind to harness your dreams, you take actions that connect you to your happiness. By channeling the creative energy of the universe, you live a happy life.

“The bicycle is just as good company as most husbands and, when it gets old and shabby, a woman can dispose of it and get a new one without shocking the entire community.”

Ann Strong, Minneapolis Tribune, 1895. This quote comes from the era when bicycling first became widely popular and gave women increased freedom. The suffrage movement was steering a new course for women, away from traditional marriage, and the bicycle was one tool in creating this freedom.

E-Mail Frosty: frostyw@juno.com