“Saigonese” is the very first word used to describe who I am. Saigon has been bringing me up and teaching me good lessons every single day. Many of my experiences and memories connect closely to this place – “Saigon – The Pearl of the Far East”!

People who know me well usually call me “Derek” instead of my Vietnamese name. Derek is not only simply a name but also my own brand. Derek means “The Power of Tribe”.

I was born into a family which possesses neither money nor any sort of influence. In other words, I might be an ordinary person according to social norms. I am not famous and not wealthy, but I never think of myself as a common person. My motto of living is “ If you cannot afford any differences, you will be excluded from the competition.”

Perspective 1| Is Derek really a Rule Breaker?

The idea of being Classic has haunted me for years. I always do my best to differentiate myself from others in the competition. There might be thousands of Derek out there, but there must be Only Derek like me on the earth. That is me!

I hate being told to do this or that. I hate hearing prejudices. And I hate living with inertia. What I have been doing for years is to Invert the course of my life!

Derek is like that! In your eyes, I might be an authentic Rule Breaker. However, I just live and work with my own belief – “Choose Difference – Choose Success”.

As a teacher, I always keep asking myself the same questions every time I come to class:

• Who are my students and learners?
• Why are they in my class?
• How can I solve their problems and step-by-step guide them to their final goals?
• What are the tactics that I use today?

As a manager, I always bring the things below into question when having a conversation with my staff:

• Why are you sitting in front of me now?
• What features and behaviors of yours right now can tell me something about who you truly are?
• With my experience and knowledge, how can I support you? or do I need to get others’ support?
• What could be the top 3 I can do right now with you?

I strongly believe that any one of us can easily get advice from any source and anywhere to untie all the knots in our personal life and work life. Anyway, the most important thing is to shape your work ethic and thinking flow to up your game. You can break the rules sometimes, but never let the game over!

Perspective 2 | Was Derek born with No-Limitation?

It is said that every one of us was born with certain limitations. We might be good at “this”, and not good at “that”. Limitation makes us imperfect and brings us hunger for Perfection. Personally, it is partially true!

I learn that we have limitations and we are imperfect. Anyway, our limitations and imperfections of ours will make us Perfect in our way. Why do I say so?

Derek is like you. Derek is not a genius and not perfect. I used to be such a failure. I was unemployed for over 6 months after quitting my first job. I was struggling with my own life to find out my true career path. I was nearly excluded from the competition after Covid 19 pandemic. When throwing back at those moments, I need to thank myself for not giving up.

Please keep in mind that what I know, what I can do, and what I have had up to now come from my hard work and effort. I, of course, put in a lot of blood,  sweat, and tears. After several failures in my life, I already accumulated some life lessons regarding BREAKING THROUGH LIMITATIONS.

• Imperfection is good since it is the root of all motivations in your life.
• If you want to transform yourself, you sometimes need to UNLEARN, then RELEARN to LEARN some things.
• Take Actions – Learn from mistakes – Sharpen your saw. Actually, “Every single Small Step” counts.