A question that my son asked me when I first started my Feng Shui career was a simple, but important one, “Why are the people born at the same date and time as Bill Gates not as successful as he?” I answered: “It is because the birth date and time of Bill Gates only contributes 33 percent of success. Earth Luck and Human Luck are large factors as well.”
My answer made me think as to whether or not Bill Gates knew about the Three Factors to achieve the life he has. A famous quote by Bill Gates goes, “If you are born poor, it isn’t your fault, but if you die poor, it is your fault.”
It calls to mind how we need to strive to work to not be poor anymore. In the Feng Shui perspective, this is true as well, but it is understood differently. It is possible to be poor even if one is wealthy and successful which is due to one not understanding and knowing the Three Factors: Heaven, Earth and Man luck.
As much as Bill Gates’ quote is true, there is a certain degree of luck that has an impact on the road to success financially and in the Feng Shui Perspective. When I think about the quote, I think about how lucky it must be to be raised in a home that teaches the Three Factors of Human Success or Failure, and to be taught how to effectively maximize the life we have and the knowledge of who we are. If not, we may become rich, while still being poor.
The story of the Wealthy Man feeling hollow is not unknown to people. It is a story which teaches us that money isn’t everything. It shows how even successful people can be living empty and unfulfilling lives. In the past, people have come to me to find out how to become wealthy, but it is little compared to the amount of people who have come to me for guidance on who they are.
People do not live perfect lives. We can not achieve perfection; however, we can achieve balance. Balance is what my line of work advocates and strives to achieve. People, wealthy or not, often feel empty due to this imbalance. This is what being poor means in my work. To be able to fix this imbalance is my life goal. To be able to teach people to live not perfect lives, but lives perfect for them.
Although the quote of Bill Gates holds true in the Feng Shui Perspective, I would rephrase it to be more accurate. It would be “If you are born with an imbalanced life, it is not your fault, but if we die with an imbalanced life, it is.”