The job of the BaZi consultant is to ask hard questions of the client. Not to let the client tell us what they want. But for us to tell them what can be done, within the parameters of what they want.

Recently I was discussing a chart with someone and the topic entered around how to best determine when the person could sell their business. I took a look at the chart and I asked this question: why does this person want to sell their business?

The chart was Bing Fire with strong Officer (bordering on strong 7K) and prominent Indirect Wealth, and was seated on Rob Wealth (丙午).

As the conversation wore on about the person’s reasons for selling the business, I pointed out that we were looking at a case of 3 eggs, 5 chickens.

Naturally there was some perplexed silence. (can you hear the crickets now?)

There is a bit of a misconception that the BaZi consultant has to give into the client’s goals willy-nilly. Sometimes, it’s important to dig with some persistence and determine what is the story behind the instruction as it were. Why? Because sometimes, clients don’t know what they want. They tell you they want something because something else has happened that has impacted or affected their view. They tell you they want something because they aren’t thinking about the future – just the NOW. They tell you they want something because that morning, their cat died and they have decided that nothing is worth living for any more. So it’s important to question the client vigorously and not take what they tell you at face value. Maybe it is about the cat that died more than anything else (in which, refer to the psychiatrist, not the BaZi consultant).

When it comes to business matters, it’s important also to question the client thoroughly on their business model and business assumptions. Clients can be dismissive about this – after all, the BaZi consultant’s business is BAZI right? No. The Bazi consultant’s business is to figure out what the hell is going on in your life and that includes, what is going on in your business. Because if you are asking about a decision you have made relating to your business (i.e.: i want to tell, is this is a good time) – the job of the consultant is to ask themselves if there is any other reason why you want to sell that is influencing your decision? Especially when the client has high financial risk factors (i.e.: expensive lifestyle, many dependents, less than ideal Wealth Luck/Wealth capacity).

But back to the 3 eggs, 5 chickens…

Due to the strong IW in the chart and the heavy 7k, one simply cannot assume that what the client is saying is what the client necessarily wants. Nor that the client is telling the truth about revenues or how the business is run. IW and 7K people tend to heavily exaggerate (or grossly mis-state) matters when it comes to their company. It may be just 5 people in a trailer office but as far as these Mr IW-7K-RW is concerned – it’s an empire you know?

Hence – 3 eggs, 5 chickens. IW + 7K + RW is not just boundless optimism, but a tendency to make something seem greater than what it is. (the answer by the way as to how this person will get 5 chickens is this: two of the eggs – they’re twins!)

The moral of the story is that before we decide to support a client’s stated objective or goal, it behooves us to ask the question: is the outcome that they are aspiring to or hoping for something that they can live with? Do their real life conditions allow for them to make such a decision (responsibly!)? When they tell us that they are making xxx a month, or doing amazingly – is it because they are drinking their own Kool-Aid and counting twin chickens before they hatch?