The story of Donovan Nguyen
Donovan Nguyen was the epitome of fake it till you make it.
He took this idea all the way to prison with him.
Nguyen impersonated homeland security agents for years. For years, he went on raids with actual agents. At one point, he was the first man in when raiding a house for suspected drug activity.
Nguyen had applied for multiple federal agencies before being arrested for impersonating a police officer. Unfortunately for him, he couldn’t live his dream forever.
So what does he decide to do? Well, first he applies and accepts a job as a security officer. While working security for a retirement community in Orange County, CA, he decides that he needs to make his family “proud.”
He then decided that he should tell coworkers that he also worked for Homeland Security Investigations. He showed coworkers a badge, ballistic vest, and weapons.
He installed blue and red lights and a siren in his personal vehicle. He pulled over the people he worked with and reportedly searched them. In case you didn’t guess, all of this was highly illegal.
What is amazing is that he did this for years. He didn’t interact with federal agents one time. This happened for years before anyone found out.
How is this possible?
The answer is simple. He played and looked the part.
He had all the equipment.
If he stepped out of a car with flashing lights and a siren, I wouldn’t think twice about if he was legit or not.
He was so convincing, even ACTUAL agents didn’t question whether or not he was legit. This is interesting.
He must’ve had some kind of tactical training. He had to know had to breach a building, clear a room, and communicate during operations. If not, I doubt he would be able to continue fooling people for years.
Even more important is his confidence. Imagine even attempting to do what he was doing. Granted, it would become easier to do the more he did it. Once he did it the first time, he knew it was possible. This would only give him more confidence.
To even attempt this is a ballsy move. No one I know would risk going to prison to play the cool guy role once in a while. Still, it doesn't matter if you call him crazy or bold.
He did what a lot of people try to do all their lives with no access. This is forcing them to believe that they can become what they want to be. He wanted to work for the federal police for a long time.
He tried to apply the right way, and it didn’t work out. So what did he do? He said f*uck it, I’m going to do it no matter what. The result got him in prison, but you got to give him some respect for not quitting.
While he used this determination for illegal activities, we can all learn things from this man. The most important being that there is always a way to achieve what you want in life. Even if people tell you no, you don’t have to listen. What you believe, you become.
This guy kept telling himself he worked for the feds, and he took action to support that. His mind gave him the ability to take action on his thoughts, and he lived them for years.
While it wasn’t going to work forever, Nguyen is a genius on some level. We should all aim to adopt his mindset to keep going no matter what. Belief leads to action, action leads to results.
Unless what you want to do is illegal or immoral, then you should stop immediately.
Please don’t get arrested.
