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“Be passionate in your pursuits and never be afraid of failing. When you are passionate about a subject, you worry less about what you appear to the world and are more concerned with doing your absolute best to become a master of your craft.” – Kevin Oo
This is Kevin’s Story
Law as a Career
Originally from Penang, Kevin had an ordinary upbringing when he was growing up like most of us. Although he was active in sports, it was never a career path that he could imagine for his future. He studied A-Levels and furthered his studies in law in the UK.
Kevin then graduated from the University of Leeds in 2017 with his LLB in Law and completed his Legal Practice Course (LPC) from The University of Law in 2019. “And as you can see, in 2020, I have put that degree to good use!” Kevin laughed, since he is currently pursuing a career in fitness instead.
For The Love of Gaming
If you can’t find him at the gym, you can probably find him on his PS4 playing video games! He was always very fond of video games since he was young. “As an adult, I can tell you that love has definitely not faded despite my limited time. Whenever I am not working, I would definitely be on my PS4 so much so that my girlfriend is convinced that, if not for my love for lifting, I may very well be a recluse.”, Kevin joked.
Other than playing video games, Kevin has recently started painting miniatures during his free time, Warhammer 40k specifically which is a miniature wargame in which he finds quite therapeutic.
Challenges in Life
It was during his postgraduate days that he had to juggle between his relationship, studies, part-time job, online coaching business as well as preparing for his competition. He found it rather challenging during this time to have everything together, from having reports to write, readings to do to working two separate jobs – one to make sure he has food on the table and the other was something he was passionate about which was his coaching.
Plus, he even chose to compete at the very same time! Imagine that! Kevin explained, “Having to balance all these was definitely difficult and I had many nights where I cried myself to sleep (yes, literally cry lol) and wondered if I could even do it. But having said that, I can say with absolute certainty that had I not gone through this I doubt I would have matured to my current state.”
We believe some things are worth the hard work and dedication as this will definitely bring you somewhere.
How Fitness Came About
Kevin received his first pair of dumbbells when he was 10 years old and that’s because he bugged his parents for them! He wanted them just so he could try “working out” at home. He only started getting serious in weightlifting in the year 2012 only after suffering an injury during a basketball practice in college.
“Honestly, the main appeal of the sport of lifting to me during my earlier days was simply the lack of need to be “talented”; all you had to have was a strong work ethic and discipline to do it consistently. And I am sure that this philosophy extends to basically anything and any sport, but specifically in weightlifting, it didn’t matter if you were tall, short, skinny or fat. We were all on the same boat and that was to develop the best version of ourselves and that was what I resonated with.” he explained.
Weightlifting and Competitions
To date, Kevin has joined about 10 shows throughout his competitive career with his first show having a placing in 2017 under the United Kingdom Drug Free Bodybuilding Association (UKDFBA). Year 2018 was when he first had his official win at the UKDFBA Heart of England Men’s Physique Category where he came first in his class and champion in the overalls. Woohoo! Way to go, Kevin!
Later on, he started competing internationally where he started with the British International Show and took the 6th place among a very strong line-up. “My competitive career is by no means extensive and on all accounts am still an amateur competitor. My hope is that in 2022, after my long off season, I am able to earn my Pro Card under the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation (WNBF) and compete against the top natural athletes in the world.” Kevin said.
When asked how fitness overall impacted his life physically and mentally, Kevin emphasized that training has given him a philosophy to approach life. Whether it is mentally, physically or emotionally, he believes that consistent application of discipline and balance yield the best result. We couldn’t agree more!
He explained that at various points in his life, he has found that wherever he excelled, it is usually due to his hard work and where he was unsuccessful, it is often because of his lack of effort. Hard work is definitely an important trait to have and it pays off for sure!
Fun Facts about Kevin
When it comes to food, everyone has a favourite thing to eat for the rest of their lives, and for Kevin, he enthusiastically answered, “Hands down, no contender, a straight-up domination – sushi!”
Japanese food is the one thing that can excite him in ways other food can’t. Although we only asked him to list down one of his favourite foods, Kevin was quick to share his excitement on the next favourite! “My second is probably doughnuts, specifically Krispy Kreme. I am not ashamed to say I have downed a box of 12 in one go after a prep.”
When asked to list out the top 3 things on his bucket list, he mentioned that he wanted to earn his Pro Card, build and lead a team of athletes to win a bodybuilding show and obtain a second degree. Oh, he sure wasn’t kidding when he said has downed a box of 12 doughnuts in one go! One of the things on his bucket list is also to down a box of 24 doughnuts, which clearly shows how much he loves his doughnuts!
Kevin was also asked who is his role model he looks up to and why to which he replied saying Dwayne Johnson. He added, “The man has the work ethic that almost no one I have seen has, especially as a celebrity. Say what you want about the man’s roles or the quality of his movies but one cannot deny that he works and grinds like he’s broke. And if there is anything that I can say about myself, it is that growing up I have tried my very best to emulate his work ethics.”
We definitely think the same as well!
Life Advice from Kevin
Kevin has got some best life advice for us. He emphasized on being passionate in your pursuits and to never be afraid of failing. This is because when you’re passionate about a subject, you tend to worry less about what you appear to the world and are more concerned with doing your best to become a master of your craft.
In his own words, Kevin explained, “This is crucial because then you become a person of substance rather than just a pretty hollow shell. In this pursuit, you are sure to fail and you must accept that reality. But it is more important to acknowledge and accept these things than to pretend they didn’t exist at all. Failures are extremely humbling. Take responsibility for your mistakes and learn from them; that is how we become better.”
When it comes to making decisions, we all tend to decide based on our emotions. This is something Kevin wishes to change, while also advising others to do the same.
“I think if we were to be less emotionally charged with regards to making decisions, many of our issues may be resolved quicker and with better decisions. Biases often stems from our emotional attachment to a particular issue and if we remove ourselves from that attachment, I’d argue we would get better as a society in general.
I understand that we are emotional creatures and sometimes emotions can be hard to control. But insofar as it’s possible, I believe a calm and rational mind makes far better decisions than an emotionally charged one,” Kevin shared.
We hope Kevin’s story has inspired you the way it inspires us, to work hard and to be passionate in what you do!
Do you have your own story to tell? Drop us an email at: contact@happyhormones.my
Kevin’s Instagram: @kevindoubleoh