Bonus Feature: Book

"What would you do if you knew you could not fail?" Those words bid me adieu each morning. Much like an athlete with his pregame rituals, those words and that plaque are essential to my routine. But I'm afraid that I have become desensitized to those daring words as I have become complacent in reaching for the goals set before me. Admittedly, I have been 'phoning in' my performance for sometime now. It's easy to be disheartened when seemingly surrounded by those who are content with 'just enough'. Then I go and read a book like this...

The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn is, I suppose, a memoir, technically. But for someone like me, the book serves as a breath of fresh air or better yet, a smack in the face. The book's subtitle: Love, Laughter, and Tear in Paris at the World's Most Famous Cooking School is misleading. The author shares her ups and downs in Paris as she takes the step of faith to follow her dreams.

This middle manager turned culinary student is the result of job loss and opportunity taken. Cashing in her 401k, moving to Paris, and going for it leads to a journey of self discovery and mettle. The author succeeds by her own merit and by never letting up even at the worst.

As she works her way through the three tiered course as Le Cordon Bleu (no it has NOTHING to do with the chicken dish), Flinn is tenacious in her desire and simple in her recollections. The book is filled not only with recipes and awesome French words {not of the four letter kind} but shares unforgettable morsels of wisdom applicable to every walk of life, not just culinary school.