Chapter 14 (of 20) The Man Who Was Marked For Death
Chapter 1 (of 20), A Good Café on the Place St-Michael, will take you back in time to the story that began my French culinary experiences while reading A Moveable Feast, chapter by chapter. From there, each chapter will take you to the next chapter and culinary experience.
“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.” Ernest Hemingway.
Chapter 14 (of 20) The Man Who Was Marked For Death, accompanied by Poulet Breton at Café Rouge, Saint Katherine Docks.
Notes From Chapter 14: The Man Who Was Marked For Death
A WorkLife Book Club For One
Notes on Awards
At the time the Dial, an American literary magazine edited by Schofield Thayer, gave an annual award of, I believe, a thousand dollars for excellence in the practice of letters by a contributor. This was a huge sum for any straight writer to receive in those days, in addition to the prestige, and the award had gone to various people, all deserving, naturally. Two people, then, could life comfortably and well in Europe on five dollars a day and could travel.
This quarterly, of which Walsh was one of the editors, was alleged to be going to award a very substantial sum to the contributor whose work should be judged the best at the end of the first four issues.
It was not long after I heard rumours of this alleged award that Walsh asked me to lunch one day at a restaurant that was the best and the most expensive in the Boulevard St-Michel quarter.
‘There’s no use beating about the bush,’ he said. ‘You know you’re going to get the award don’t you?’
‘Am I?’ I said. ‘Why?’
‘You’re going to get it,’ he said.
‘I don’t think I deserve it,’ I said.
I feel conflicted about awards.
Because today there’s an award for everything, and when there’s an award for everything, there’s an award for nothing.
In my work as a WorkLife coach, I help people to manage, develop and transition their WorkLives in a manner that is meaningful and fulfilling to them. I don’t need or want to win an award in recognition for this. That’s because I am simply doing my job. A job for which I am being paid to do. The greatest award or reward for me is the knowledge that I have played a part in helping my clients achieve their wants and needs.
For that reason, I have never applied or entered to win an award for the numerous award ceremonies within my industry. I frequently receive email invites to do so, which to me are just marketing ploys in which I have no interest.
The following quote from It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be, by Paul Arden, connects my thinking and beliefs about Awards to what I believe was Hemingway’s thinking and beliefs on the subject.
Words of Wisdom by Paul Arden
“Awards create glamour and glamour create income.
But beware.
Awards are judged in committee and consensus of what is known.
In other words, what is in fashion.
But originality can’t be fashionable, because it hasn’t as yet had the approval of the committee.
Do not try to follow fashion.
Be true to your subject and you will be far more likely to create something that is timeless.
that’s where the true art lies.”
Notes on Conflict
In my work as a learning practitioner and writer, I create resources to help people self-direct their learning in the areas that are most important to them.
To direct my work, I created the following Guiding Statement: To create resources that are helpful, insightful and inspiring in helping people to pursue their WorkLives with greater clarity, purpose, passion and pride by creating continuous WorkLife learning programmes and resources that are accessible to everyone.
This is where I experience conflict about awards.
I believe my work is helpful to people in enabling them to self-direct their learning. I would like to reach more people with my work. Winning an award would give me the visibility I need to reach more people.
This, for me, connects to what Hemingway said about the annual award of, a thousand dollars for excellence in the practice of letters by a contributor.
An award could open up so much for me by way of gaining recognition for my work.
But, as with Hemingway, I would need to believe that I am truly deserving of the award. For me, it doesn’t feel right to put myself forward for an award. I feel it needs to come from someone else who believes I am deserving of an award.
Even writing this, I feel conflicted on the subject of ‘Awards’.
And as much as I want to reach more people with my work. I think, for now, anyway, I will strive to do that in a more holistic way, I.e. sharing helpful content and endeavouring to build a following in that way, as opposed to building a following through winning an award.
Epilogue
I’m not sure when I’ll read the next chapter of A Moveable Feast over a glass and a plate.
It most likely will be another spontaneous happening. It may take a little planning to keep the French theme going, or as I walk and explore and discover, it may not.
The Continuing Story …
… I can now share where Chapter 15 (of 20)… Evan Shipman at the Lilas took me …
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Today I enjoyed Poulet Breton at Café Rouge, St Katherine Docks.
Se souvenir de toi, Norma.
#FunFact1 Café Rouge was the favourite hangout for Bridget and friends in ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’, the novel that helped make them a household name!” Source Cafe Rouge
#FunFact2 Central London’s only marina, St Katharine Docks, the area that once bustled with clippers, cargo ships, and dock workers is lined with the gleaming yachts and luxurious flats, offices, shops, bars, and restaurants. Source Foxtrail
#FunFact3 The inner gatefold photograph for The Rolling Stones album Through the Past Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2) was taken at St Katherine Docks by Ethan Russell in May 1969. Source Wikipedia
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School of WorkLife helps you self-direct your WorkLife learning through resources that have been created to help you to take ownership of your learning in your own space and in your own time.
What is Self Directed Learning?
Self-Directed Learning is when an individual is motivated to take the initiative and responsibility on decisions related to their own learning. It is a series of independent actions and judgements free from external control and constraint.
Resources to Help You Self-Direct Your Learning
You may want to self-direct your learning by starting your WorkLife Book Club For One, For Two, or for more people. Guidelines for Starting and Running Your WorkLife Book Club will help you do that.
You may find the books below from The School of WorkLife Book Series helpful in meeting your learning needs as a self directed learner. Tap the book title to see a preview of what’s inside each book.
How To Live True To Who You Really Are
How To Build Your True Personal Brand Identity
You can view the complete collection here: The School of WorkLife Book Series.
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Founder of School of WorkLife, Carmel O’ Reilly is a learning practitioner and writer. She creates resources to help people self-direct their WorkLife learning. These include a Collection of Books which originated from her first book, Your WorkLife Your Way and a Learn Through Reading Series of Case Studies. which originated from her latest book WorkLife Book Club.
That’s the power of writing (and reading, which is an integral part of the craft for writers), it helps you find, develop and tell the right story at the right time in all WorkLife situations – in day-to-day communication: WorkLife and feedback conversations, presentations, talks, and negotiations, at interviews, and when socialising and networking in building and maintaining good relationships. The practice of writing helps you to tell the stories that express who you are in an interesting and engaging way.