Published in Law360
In a column published in Law360, VF Law Partner Damien Bielli draws parallels between his passion for competitive weightlifting and his legal practice. Bielli shares that engaging in corporate law and insurance defense necessitates a long-term, big-picture approach fueled by discipline — just like in competitive weightlifting.
“Similarly, competitive weightlifting entails a slow progression toward longer-term goals,” Bielli writes. “Long before the competition itself, each individual exercise is as important, or even more important, than the eventual competition lifts themselves. The discipline to keep showing up every day, whether for work or sport, is intertwined with the formula for success, in competitive sports or legal practice.”
Bielli emphasizes that both a legal career and competitive weightlifting require a daily dedication and discipline to always bring your all to the table. He also shares that failure can be just as instructive, if not more so, than success as it requires mental awareness to identify your own shortcomings and mistakes, and the drive to not give up.
“Competitive weightlifting has provided me with many lessons that also apply in my role as a legal professional,” Bielli writes. “The parallel between the core principles required in each has allowed me to excel in both—making me a better competitor while also providing me with the discipline to give my clients my absolute best every single day.”
Read the story in full; click here (subscriber based).