People are born with different levels of luck — some blessed, some ordinary. This is indisputable.
Some people, right from the start, find noble benefactors (Gui Ren) who lift them up simply because they have a sweet tongue or an agreeable personality.
Others may be honest and steady but unremarkable, and find it hard to be noticed early on. That’s just the way things are.
“If destiny includes noble benefactors, embrace them; if not, don’t force it.” Noble benefactors are, by nature, far rarer than wealth fortune. That’s precisely why they’re called noble.
But after studying countless life patterns, Master Chi has noticed something: those who rely primarily on themselves in their early years — rather than attaching to noble benefactors — are themselves experiencing a kind of good fortune.
Because it gives those with genuinely great destiny a richer, more complete set of trials and real-world experience.
History shows this clearly: soldiers who fought on frontier campaigns consistently outperformed the elite palace guards. That is the power of rising from the ranks.
And one more thing worth saying: Master Chi firmly believes that encountering a noble benefactor too early — and being sheltered under their wings from the start — isn’t necessarily a good thing.
Because you’ll never develop what I call “conviction” — that quality of having your own standpoint. And it is precisely that quality which determines whether you can truly stand on your own.
So the best time to meet a noble benefactor is after your thirties. By then, they can offer genuine partnership and mutual growth, rather than simply using you as a foot soldier.
Honestly, Master Chi has seen many men who had strong benefactor luck early on, only to end up as permanent subordinates. The longer it goes on, the more they become like house dogs.
So how do you grow fastest? The most effective method is also the most laughable: constantly denying yourself, correcting yourself — even when it means slapping yourself in the face.
On this point, Master Chi speaks from some personal experience.
As you can see, the Master Chi you see today grew from a fairly clueless young man. And in those early years, when the family fortunes fell, I had to face many things by simply jumping in headfirst when the moment demanded it.
But here’s the thing — I was shrewd about it. Before doing anything, I would always do my preparation. Yes, “preparation” — a word you probably haven’t heard since you graduated from school, right?
Because it feels tedious, and you’ve gotten too full of yourself.
Understand this: we are students for life, every one of us. That being so, certain habits from our student days may well serve us for a lifetime.
Take, for instance, facing creditors at year’s end — moments when the other party has every right on their side and tensions are razor-sharp. If you walk into their territory with no foundation, surrounded by dozens of people, you’ll crumble under the pressure. Stress makes people perform below their best.
In situations like that, I think ahead: What does the other party actually want? What conflicts might arise? That way, when I’m dealing with them, I have a mental map. I can steer everyone toward a calmer state rather than adding fuel to the fire.
Or take emergency situations — like when a construction worker was injured on our family’s commercial property project. After resolving the incident, I went home and reflected carefully: What details could I have handled better? From site safety — how to pressure the foreman into tighter management standards — to drafting a clear protocol for getting injured workers to medical care.
These seemingly unremarkable reflections are, in fact, exactly what most people lack.
Yes — don’t be stubborn about it, don’t deny it — because the truth is, most ordinary people confuse familiarity with genuine understanding.
These are two completely different things. The difference is this: familiarity means you know it on the surface, but you don’t have the foundation to adapt when circumstances change. True understanding means you’ve internalized it completely — so when the situation arises again, you can produce the optimal response without a second thought.
Remember: the gap between doing something passably and doing something brilliantly is precisely what the people at the top are watching for. It determines whether, in their eyes, you’re capable of handling bigger challenges.
So let Master Chi ask you this: if you could consistently produce the optimal solution in every situation, could you really stay mediocre for long?
Impossible. The vast majority of people in this world are embarrassingly incompetent. But if you alone can execute flawlessly, your value immediately stands out.
That’s the real reason most people never break through — they’re content with “good enough.” What they don’t realize is that the people at the top don’t want “good enough.” They want seamless, airtight execution. Anything less, and you’re threatening their livelihood. Who would dare bring you along?
This is also why the decisions of many leaders baffle those around them. People assume the leader should go for the most efficient solution — but what the leader actually wants is the most reliable one. That is the core of everything.
You see, sometimes the advice that truly helps someone rise to the top isn’t dazzling at all — it’s almost shockingly plain and simple. And that’s exactly why many people dismiss it.
But in practice, “easy to know, hard to do” — this kind of discipline is rarely found at the bottom and is everywhere at the top. For the truly talented, it’s basic, self-evident competence. They don’t see it as anything special.
Meanwhile, those at the bottom are still chasing tricks and shortcuts. That’s what creates the gap — like one person who has started seriously building muscle while another is still researching how to tie their running shoes. The latter getting crushed is a foregone conclusion.
Know this: each major life cycle (大运) in a destiny chart has its own demands and requirements for where a person stands in life. If you never evolve, no matter how favorable your fortune cycle, you’ll only see minor strokes of luck — true greatness will remain out of reach.
Why? Because when someone is ready to bring you along for the ride, if you can’t hold your own weight, you’ll just embarrass yourself.
Now look at you, reading this article — you probably consider yourself clever and exceptional. But ask yourself honestly: are you truly doing every single thing brilliantly?
And are you genuinely improving — able to look back on each passing month and call last month’s version of yourself a fool?
If not — then I’m sorry, Master Chi has to call you out here. You can’t afford to be this complacent going forward. You’re a good seedling. Don’t let yourself go to waste.