By Stephanie Owens
Special to the Northwest Asian Weekly
Thach Nguyen
Thach Nguyen has come a long way since arriving in America at age 4 with his parents, four brothers, and sister in 1975. Focus, drive, determination, and great mentors paved the way for him to go from a refugee to a multi-millionaire and CEO of Thach Real Estate Group. Yet Nguyen attributes his rags to riches story to a unique brand of contribution and what he affectionately calls his Vietnamese Proverb for success — “phuk hau.”
This tongue-in-cheek phrase captures the essence of a philosophy that keeps Nguyen dreaming big. He cautions about traditional methods. “We’re trained to create success by setting goals and figuring out a plan to achieve them. I’m all for setting goals, big goals even, but it’s often figuring out ‘how’ that creates a stumbling block,” Nguyen said. “When reaching outside their comfort zone, dreaming big or trying to get to the next level, most people get stuck on the unhelpful questions about ‘how’ it will happen that make them question themselves and doubt what’s possible. That’s why people stop short, settle for less, or give up because of worry and doubt about how they will get there or fear they’ll fail.”
Nguyen encourages people to forget the “how” questions and put attention elsewhere. “The ‘how’ isn’t your job anyway,” Nguyen counsels. “Your job is to declare out loud what you want without the need to have all the answers or every detail mapped out for “how” you’ll get there. That’s where the fear, worry, and doubt come up. But when you release the need to have it all figured out, you’re in a better state of mind to notice ideal resources, great opportunities, and inspired action steps that will show up with perfect timing when you need them. Usually, it works out way better than I could have ever planned it.”
In fact, that is how “phuk hau” came to be. Several years ago, Nguyen was talking with a friend about the powerful approach he was using to create amazing results. As he excitedly told his friend to just “forget the how,” the words were jumbled, causing his friend to hear something different. The Vietnamese proverb “phuk hau” was born. Nguyen admits mastering a “phuk hau” lifestyle is a work in progress. “Of course I get caught up in the ‘how’ sometimes, especially when I get frustrated. But remembering ‘phuk hau’ helps me to let go of trying to control it all, so I don’t get snagged by my fears and frustrations. Then my better impulses prevail.” Ultimately, this philosophy spurs Thach to continually dream big.
“I’ve experienced amazing results again and again from applying this philosophy. That evidence makes me feel inspired and excited about reaching for big goals and dreams because I know I don’t have to have it all figured out in order to accomplish the goal. I just stay focused on WHERE I want to go and WHO I need to be, then keep stepping in the direction of my dreams. The ‘how’ has a way of working out along the way,” Nguyen said. Nguyen loves to inspire others to dream big, too.
“Dreaming big to me, means striving for anything that is outside what’s normal or comfortable,” he says. “So no matter what you’re reaching for — improved relationships, better health and fitness, more money, or greater happiness and peace of mind — the ‘phuk hau’ mantra will serve you.” Thach’s “Phuk Hau” journey from homeless refugee to multi-millionaire taught him that financial success alone is not enough to create satisfaction and joy. He is committed to inspire and empower billions of people to reach for their dreams by sharing his life story and the philosophy of “phuk hau” as evidence that anything is possible.
To help others dream big and contribute to the community, Nguyen has a created a two-day event called Dream Big With Thach (Nov. 3-4 in Seattle) to teach his secret formula to make more money and create happiness faster and easier. All proceeds from the event are donated to charity. If interested, register at dreambigwiththach.com/nov.
Stephanie Owens can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.