Do Success and Happiness Depend on the Choices People Make Rather Than on Factors Beyond Their Control?

   I believe that the two are obtained separately. Success and happiness do not come in one package; they differ quite a bit, meaning they are reached differently, oftentimes at an unpredictable rate and frequency.
   Success more so than not is something beyond one's control, especially based on who the person is, what their background is, and where they come from. Additionally, the choices these individuals make can affect their future more or less. For example, a really big issue which stimulates the likelihood of somebody's success is society and its stigmas. People of color all over the world are heavily marginalized based on their ethnicity, thus making them less likely to be successful because of their lack of privilege. White people, on the other hand, have a much better chance at living the dream because they are accepted and respected virtually everywhere, taking prejudice out of the picture. White privilege is often denied by most white people, and they feel as if they earn success through hard work. Contrarily, it's a 180-degree turnaround. People of color have no choice but to work twice -even thrice- as hard as white people to achieve certain successes. For example, I am an African-American individual. I am automatically predisposed to be unsuccessful in the parts of the world that have accepted white supremacy as their norm. I cannot go someplace like Hong Kong, where a white man can visit without speaking a lick of Chinese-- the natives will speak their best English for him, and they will accommodate him in every way possible. If I dare to visit, I will not have the privilege of speaking my native tongue; numerous accounts of black people have stated that Hongkongers refuse to even talk to them, and any mishap will immediately be blamed on themselves. As and African-American, I am subject to offensive behavior in a lot of places. This is just one of many ways that people of color cannot have pleasant things without hard work.
   Happiness, on a lighter note, can be obtained by the choices we make. Our decisions hold great power in both the short and long runs of our lives. The good decisions, of course, will yield the rainbows we seek. However, even the littlest mistakes can attract a rainy day. For example, an optimistic approach to everything is a tactic which saves a lot of grief and misery in one's everyday life. A line from one of my favorite songs, "Blessings", by Laura Story says, "What if your blessings come through raindrops; what if your healing comes through tears?... What if trials of this life are your mercies in disguise?" Those words put a positive outlook on everything in life. It makes you stop to think, "Wow, things could be a lot worse for me." Because truly, it could! This kind of thinking helps us become more grateful for our moments in life, making us overall happy people.
   Now, these are just my experiences, so I'm positive that other instances may differ from my answers. It really is in what you make it, success and happiness. Your choices will affect both, but greater factors will only inhibit or open more opportunities of success and happiness.