There are things you must know first — only then can the results come to you.
Especially when it comes to wealth, money, and financial success.
In truth, this article should have been written long ago, because every word in it was distilled from hard-won wisdom — insights I gathered after finally completing my own wealth accumulation, looking back at everything I had been through.
But then, in the relentless sprint forward, I slowly forgot about this.
Until tonight.
To be candid: in some ways, I — Master Chi — was genuinely lucky. Growing up with the advantage of a prosperous family business, I was born into wealth and got an early glimpse of how power and money actually circulate at the upper levels of society.
But that same family fortune also collapsed, which meant my teenage and early adult years were marked by real hardship. I saw firsthand the cold indifference of people and the bitter weight of the world.
I’ve been rich. I’ve been poor. I’ve struggled. I’ve fallen flat.
So I hope you’ll carry these words with you:
1. In this life, you should pursue wealth boldly and without shame — especially in your prime years. Put “making money” at the very top of your priorities.
Don’t listen to people who can afford to stand there and preach: “Money isn’t important. Just live a simple life. I have no interest in wealth.” That’s nonsense.
Those words almost always come from people who have already achieved total financial freedom — it’s the modesty of someone standing on a rock-solid economic foundation. So whenever a reader asks me to analyze their life pattern (格局), I always treat “steady income” as the absolute centerpiece of the reading.
In this life, if you can consistently and honestly earn a clean, steady stream of income — that matters more than almost anything else.
2. How do you keep increasing your income?
I’ve seen plenty of internet personalities and influencers answer this question, and none of them have gotten it right. That probably has something to do with the fact that most of them have never actually built wealth from scratch — they don’t have the real depth of experience.
The answer is actually incredibly simple: your income is determined by exactly two things — what specific problems you can solve, and how much those problems are worth in the market.
Everything else is a wrong answer.
Still not clear? Let me give you an example.
A small business owner worth tens of millions can manage a modest-sized company, at most. A businessperson worth over a hundred million can facilitate resource connections within their circle. Even a merchant with assets past four or five hundred million still doesn’t have the chops to actually run a publicly listed company.
So here’s the real question: have you ever concretely and quantitatively assessed what problems you can actually handle on your own?
3. Looking back at my own younger years, I can clearly see that my net worth rose in direct proportion to my growth in overall capability.
For example, in my early twenties, my business acumen was already quite strong. But I kept hitting a ceiling — I couldn’t break past eight figures.
It was only after careful reflection that I realized: even with strong wealth fortune (财运) at the time, without understanding how to systematically coordinate resources, I simply couldn’t reach the next level.
It’s like a top-tier actor who only knows how to act — no matter how high your per-film fee, your income stays capped at that level. But once you unlock access to higher-level resources and learn to coordinate approvals, assemble teams, and attract investment, you begin to rise as a force in the industry. Income grows exponentially.
So here’s something worth sitting with: the core of income growth is treating yourself as a system — continuously upgrading and updating yourself, becoming more capable and stable, and able to solve an ever-wider range of problems.
Those three points above are the foundation of everything.
What follows, for various reasons, I can’t spell out in too much detail. How much you take from it depends entirely on your own insight.
4. The broader environment has never been “easy.” Looking back across the past forty-plus years of rapid development, every single year has carried its own unique challenges — and none of them were light.
And yet, everyone who broke through managed to find a way past every obstacle and make it happen.
5. My standard for myself is simple: no matter how impressive a year’s results look, I force myself to do a thorough year-end review — what details could have been adjusted? What capabilities need improving? What mistakes could have been avoided?
I must find them. I must correct them. I must fix them.
6. Even a down-and-out general is stronger than the sharpest soldier — because the two operate at entirely different levels. This is exactly why I encourage almost every reader to run a small business of their own, within a level of risk they can manage.
Anyone who has actually run a business — no matter how small — develops a level of ability and perspective that towers over the salaried worker. By several orders of magnitude.
7. Many businesses aren’t about chasing quick returns. What matters is whether you’re building a solid asset base.
A lot of what I own today produced unremarkable returns for years. But after holding long enough, they became little cash cows — quietly generating wealth, steadily and continuously.
8. Don’t be afraid. In many cases, taking that first step already gets you more than halfway there.
Don’t think your competition is the already-successful big players — they don’t even have time to notice you. Your real competition is the person who spends their whole life collecting a fixed salary, daydreaming about getting rich while never daring to do a single thing about it.
Think of it this way: in a class of 100 people, if you can work your way into the top 30, life will be comfortable. Top 20, and you’ll have modest financial freedom. Don’t aim for the top 5 — that’s the territory of rare, exceptional talent.
And honestly? There are many, many people out there who can’t even master the basics of getting along with others or following through on straightforward tasks. Are you really telling me you can’t beat those people?
9. Wealthy people don’t have three heads and six arms. I didn’t undergo some genetic mutation compared to the broke young man I once was.
What wealthy people truly have over you is the habit of extracting maximum value from every single day.
10. A lot of busyness has no real value. Truly valuable effort shows results within two or three years.
Some readers are in this unfortunate position: their destiny chart (命盘) clearly shows strong wealth potential, but they’ve squandered it by constantly jumping from one thing to another with no real direction.
I stopped them immediately and set a clear path for them to follow.
Now their small business is flourishing.
11. No amount of background or connections beats being known as: “This person gets things done. You can count on them.”
Many people fetishize backgrounds and networks — understandably, since they’ve never actually operated in environments where these things really function. Their limited understanding comes from rumors and TV dramas.
What they don’t realize is this: the best background is being reliable. The best network is being practical.
12. I’ve come to understand this deeply: breaking new ground takes courage, boldness, and the stubborn belief to keep going no matter what.
But holding your ground comes down to four words: keep yourself clean. Don’t mix with shady people. Stay far away from gambling, vice, and the inner poisons of greed, hatred, and delusion.
Work hard, accumulate steadily, and getting wealthy is genuinely not that difficult.
One more thing I want to make clear to some readers: if you’re coming to Master Chi to analyze your destiny framework hoping to quickly identify a windfall fortune (偏财运) and get rich in the short term — please don’t come to me.
On one hand, I’ve seen too many cases of people chasing fast money, only to suffer consequences that pushed them into an even worse situation.
On the other hand, what I seek for every reader I work with is a genuine, sustainable path — a steady income that flows like a gentle stream, clean and lasting.
Even if it’s slower, it is solid and comfortable.
And it’s the only kind of wealth that will feel effortless and fulfilling as you build it.