Track 3: Unraveling Happiness: Is It a Feeling or a Choice?

This is so simple it almost seems obvious, but it’s a radical idea in a world where everyone is a product. It gives me a vocabulary for my own internal struggle between wanting to “belong” and wanting to “stand apart”. Knowing your identity isn’t just about what you like; it’s about what you need. Do you need solitude or multitudes? The song suggests that a “happy man” isn’t a rich man, but one who knows who he is and lives accordingly. It’s a sense of relief and clarity for me, giving me permission to be introspective and define my needs rather than adopting what society tells me I should want. It makes me think about what Jonas said about the tulip just pushing up through the cold earth. I want to know how he figured out the difference between wanting to be with others and needing to be alone. Was there a time he didn’t know his own identity? I also wonder if he thinks it’s possible to truly know your identity without first making a bunch of mistakes trying to be someone else. So go ahead and listen to the track right here on the page, and then let’s get into the conversation.

The Conversation Unfolds

Anaya: What did this line mean to you when you wrote it?

Jonas: That’s a great question. “Make it on your own” is sometimes interpreted as meaning making it alone. I found it useful to add the word ‘terms” to the end and then revisit the three parts to see my true intention. Like this,“Make it on your own” becomes “Make it on your own terms”. But first let’s look at this phrase. “You be you and I’ll be me” is about embracing uniqueness both yours and others. Why? Because I’ve observed that the universe has no spare parts. What’s cool about that idea is that when two people, two different parts, see each other as unique, they can actually recognize that they either fit together or they don’t and that either way it’s okay. It’s the seeing and embracing the difference that matters. So what I’m getting at with this lyric is for anyone to “make it on your own terms,” means that you’re doing the best you can with the qualities, dreams and passions that you came with instead of trying to be something defined by the qualities, dreams and passions that are suggested to you. When I realized that, I started making it a point to look for the people in the world that are doing the best that they can at the thing that means the most to them. When I find them I see true peace and happiness. They modeled for me, making choices that worked for them and the proof of that is their happiness. So I do the same thing and no surprise get the same results! Doing the best that we can being ourselves throughout life, trust me, makes a happy man, or woman, or tulip!

Anaya: Was this song part of your ‘return’?

Jonas: I’m fortunate to have never completely lost touch with my own voice in this life. I see it as a potential reason for my return; perhaps in a past life, I did lose it, and now I’m back to get it right. I appreciate this question because “return” holds a different meaning for me. I deliberately set out on my tour those years separating myself from the cultural norms that I knew were trying to flatten me. It took a while but I did it long enough to prove to myself that it was possible. That lesson gave me what I needed to know “to return” and find my place within the culture that could no longer flatten me, because I had learned how to resist being flattened. I hope that makes sense.

Anaya: So I hear you saying that you know when you are on the right track in your life when you’re feeling happy, right?

Jonas: That’s exactly it for me. Like I said, I saw some people doing well and others not, so it felt natural to copy what the happy people did. I even have a personal rule that helps me stay happy in the long run. Since I have always been a fan of the Italian economist Pareto and his 80/20 rule, I try to have an 80% positive ratio in my life. If I find with honest reflection about my own experience that I’ve slipped below that 80% positive, I look at some choices I made recently, reevaluate then, make new ones and see how it goes. It works every time.

Anaya’s Reflection

The central message of finding happiness in authenticity directly ties into “Don’t Forget Your Dreams”. Both songs speak against the “rich quick schemes” and the lure of material success, instead advocating for a life driven by inner truth. It’s a road I feel like I am already on, thanks in part to Jonas’s work. When he talked about “making it on your own terms”, and how that’s easier when you’re a “unique piece”, It tied back to his idea that tulips are nature’s way of modeling true selfhood. He believes happiness comes from doing your best while staying rooted in who you are. Hearing that, I feel a sense of hope and excitement for what my own journey will look like. I’m starting to see that this album isn’t just a collection of songs, it’s a treasure map, and each track is a lesson to help me find my own way toward myself, to my own voice, and to the people who will see and appreciate me for who I am.

If you’re out there and this post spoke to you, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. What does being a “happy person” mean to you? And if you haven’t already, I encourage you to start from the beginning and listen to the album and follow the songs in order. The story they tell unfolds track by track. And of course, if you want to follow along on this journey, please subscribe to the blog!