By Elina（向清怡） from2402

Hello everyone,I'm Elina from2402.

What’s the first thing that pops into your mind when you hear the word “success”? A high-paying job, a big house, or a reputation that makes you stand out in the crowd? For a long time, we’ve been told that we need to chase success first, and happiness will naturally follow. But today, I want to ask you: Is that really the case?

Let’s think about the students who burn the midnight oil just to get into a top university. They believe that once they hold that admission letter, they’ll be happy. Let’s think about the professionals who work overtime every day, sacrificing family dinners and weekend trips to climb the corporate ladder. They’re convinced that a promotion or a raise is the key to their happiness. But when they finally reach those goals, some of them find themselves asking: Is this all there is? The joy fades away quickly, and they start chasing the next “success” like a hamster on a wheel.

The truth is, happiness is not the reward of success—it’s the fuel of success.

Happiness is the positive energy that drives us to keep going when the road gets tough. It’s the smile on your face when you’re working on a project you love, even if it doesn’t bring you immediate benefits. It’s the satisfaction you feel when you help a colleague, mentor a junior, or simply do your job with dedication. When you’re happy, you’re more creative, more resilient, and more willing to take on challenges. Those are the qualities that lead to genuine, long-lasting success.

Take the example of J.K. Rowling. Before she became a world-famous author, she was a single mother living on welfare, struggling to make ends meet. But she found happiness in creating the magical world of Harry Potter in her small apartment. That happiness kept her writing, even when publishers rejected her manuscript multiple times. Her success didn’t create happiness—her happiness created success.

Success without happiness is like a trophy without a story. It looks shiny from the outside, but it’s empty inside. On the other hand, happiness with even a little success is like a garden with blooming flowers—it’s full of life and color.

So, let’s stop waiting for success to make us happy. Let’s choose happiness first. Choose to love what you do, choose to appreciate the small things in life, choose to be grateful for the people around you. When you do that, success will not be something you have to chase—it will be something that follows you, naturally and effortlessly.

Thank you!