My Road to 42 Years of Shree Hanuman Chalisa!

Hi Friends,

I always had a dream to do Shree Hanuman Chalisa for every day I am here living on Planet Earth. I got his idea long back and even printed the Excel sheets which was going toll 2,500 count and this remained with me for the last 14-15 years or so. So during lockdown when everyone was preparing Banana Cake and Coffees etc. I was devoted to this exercise of completing the Hanuman Chalisa for the years that I have lived here. 

I did one jap of Hanuman Chalisa for every day I am alive and the target was to complete this exercise before my 42nd birthday on 22 July 2022. This exercise was taken up as a thank you to Lord Bajrang Bali Ji for always blessing me in my life. 

• 18 Years - 9 March 2021
• 19 Years - 14 March 2021
• 20 Years - 21 Mar 2021
• 21 Years - 23 Mar 2021
• 22 Years - 31 Mar 2021
• 23 Years - 7 Apr 2021
• 24 Years - 20 Apr 2021
• 25 Years - 30 Apr 2021
• 26 Years - 19 May 2021
• 27 Years - 09 June 2021
• 28 Years - 08 July 2021 - 10227
• 29 Years - 13 July 2021 - 10592
• 30 Years - 23 Aug 2021 - 10958
• 31 Years - 12 Oct 2021 - 11323
• 32 Years - 21 Dec 2021 - 11688
• 33 Years - 03 Jan 2022 - 12053
• 34 Years - 11 Jan 2022 - 12419
• 35 Years - 21 Jan 2022 - 12784
• 36 Years - 31 Jan 2022 - 13149
• 37 Years - 28 Feb 2022 - 13514
• 38 Years - 10 Mar 2022 - 13880
• 39 Years - 26 Mar 2022 - 14245
• 40 Years - 18 Apr 2022 - 14610
• 41 Years - 03 May 2022 - 14975
• 42 Years - 22 May 2022 - 15341

So finally I could finish it well ahead of my time I was thinking of completing this exercise by July 2022 but could do it a month before. I really felt grateful to the Lord Almighty for providing me with the power to do so. 

I really felt grateful to Almighty Lord that I could complete my pending task that I promised and now I have completed the same as well. The strength given to me and the time spent in the devotion is really supreme. I felt divinely connected in my soul and I have lived the principles but some of them are totally missing inside me so maybe in future I will get some of them too. 

I see that I have not captured the date for the previous counts of 18 Years as I didn't think that I would be writing this post. I also used to burn the pages so that they meet their makers once the page was full on the tracking diary from my friend and owner of Karnal Livestock Development Services (P) Ltd. in India. Our friendship also started when I gifted him a small purse version of Shree Hanuman Chalisa to tell him that he would soon come on the free seat and also join the Computer Engineering he wanted to do and that happened in less than a month or so after giving him the Chalisa. After that, he immediately invited me to his home and we became friends for life! Thanks to Lord Hanuman Ji! There are so many such stories that have happened in my life because of Lord Bajrang Bali ji where he was involved for sure. Will tell you the same as and when I could collect my thoughts around the same. Keep Praying! Keep Jap, Tap and Meditations going!

Aum Namah Shivay!

Till next time...Aashish
Thanks! Cheers!!!
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Good Morning World @RhinoandLionSA #SouthAfrica #Wildlife #TheLifesWayCaptures

Hi Friends, 

All the photos are taken by Aashish Rai using Nikon D7000 at Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve in Johannesburg, South Africa. Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve is a private park where you can buy the tickets and enter with your own car and roam around in the restricted jungle area where wildlife is roaming free whereas you will be inside the car. There are different enclosures for different kinds of carnivorous animals so that they don't kill the other animals and are fed by the authorities every alternate day in the case of Lions, Cheetah, Leopards, and Wild Dogs. It's so easy to find the animals during lunchtime and if you are on the day of wildlife serving day you are definitely going for a feast for your eyes. If your windows are open then it's dangerous as wild animals are really wild but these photos are from the animal creche where small cubs are kept and earlier you could take photos with them but now it's no longer the case.

Baby Cheetah enjoying the breezing air and taking some rest

I was really working on getting some of the online training and taking my technology quotient in level with the latest in the world of the software industry. It was really a great experience of learning new skills or at least adapt to the key terminologies used in the new world.

Walking in the jungle is like learning with each step on the way

I am trying to find my own creative space after all this is over and we go back to the work environment. I want to see the change in myself in all the ways possible with an open mind to learn, experiment, and adapt to the latest technologies and an eagerness to work on them too.

With each step in the jungle, I will gain confidence

Indeed with each step taken in the corporate jungle, my confidence will be challenged and as I cross those boundaries, I will learn and earn more respect and money. Let's start the journey!

Sawubona!

Contact Aashish Rai Jain at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to send your products, launch event invites, and services to be consumed. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra #7YearsofTheLifesWay. Follow me on www.instagram.com/thelifesway for all travel-related photo posts. Namaste!

May Divine Lamps Lighten Our Paths #Joburg #SA #PhotoYatra #TheLifesWayCaptures

Hi Friends, 

During these COVID-19 times where boredom and depression are making its roots inside all of us, an earthen Diya or lamp if lightened in our homes can definitely bring the hope that our mind and heart need. 

Light can bring a ray of hope to our hearts even when everything seems like darkness. We need to focus on making ourselves ready when all this is over. 

The light can not only reach our minds but will show us the way forward to enjoy our best of days together in harmony. 

The times like these show us that it's our soul that means something and not the covering we are covered with like caste, creed, religion, money, and fortunes. 

It will be defined by how much light you have in your heart? If your heart has the light to see this through then you have a heart made of gold and no matter how much hidden it is it will be shown to the world sooner or later. 

All photos are taken by Aashish Rai using Samsung NX300 Mirrorless camera at his Johannesburg, South Africa home. 

Namaste! 

Sawubona!

Contact Aashish Rai Jain at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to send your products, launch event invites, and services to be consumed. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra #7YearsofTheLifesWay. Follow me on www.instagram.com/thelifesway for all travel-related photo posts. Namaste!

Brothers in Arms #PhotoYatra #TheLifesWayCaptures

Hi Friends,

Being an elder brother I wonder sometimes how fun it was when we were young and put me go into a flashback. I am sitting alone in my own area and start to think about all the fun, sad, angry, hopeless, hopeful and joyous moments.

The times when I used to bully him into getting do it my way or the highway. He would eventually succumb to my requests or orders. But sometimes he will revolt against me and complain about it to our parents and then I used to get a thrashing from them. 

The times when we were angry and wanted to fight and he took me to the corner to save me from getting hurt. I have done the same for him to save him from all those elder kids in the colony who used to tease him. 

The times when he put his hands on my shoulder when I was feeling down and hopeless. His spirit of love and care towards me gave me enough hope to do the comeback through all struggles of my life. We have laughed together, prayed together and consoled each other. 

At the end of the day, I could sleep safely and without any fear as my brother is near me and he will protect me from all the dangers of this world. The protection will happen even though we are talking to each other or not as for the external world, we are always together. 

All these images were taken at Lion and Rhino Nature Reserve in Johannesburg, South Africa using Nikon D7000 camera. I miss those days my younger brother and I am sure that you miss your siblings too. 

Namaste!!!

Contact Aashish Rai Jain at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to send your products, launch event invites, and services to be consumed. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra #7YearsofTheLifesWay. Follow me on www.instagram.com/thelifesway for all travel-related photo posts. Namaste!

Life As I am Learning It In Hospitality By Arnold Tanzer @Hostex_ #Hostex2020 Ambassador

Hi Friends, 

Life as I am learning it in hospitality By Arnold Tanzer, Hostex 2020 ambassador, Chef, and Owner of Food on the Move, catering for the film & TV industry

Arnold’s 31-year career in hospitality is a treasury of experiences, passions, life lessons, teaching, and endless anecdotes. Brought to you by Hostex 2020, here he shares different stages of his journey, with lessons learned along the way to inspire and guide young chefs of today.

I started my career in hospitality on 14 September 1989 because I was hungry. I was in Holland escaping army duty in South Africa and the only job I could get was as a kitchen porter, just a fancy word for dishwasher. I was given some sexy rubber boots, an apron, and pointed in the direction of the pot wash.

That was where my foray into cooking began. I helped out with the unpopular jobs such as peeling onions and dicing potatoes and was soon moved within the company to a fine-dining restaurant as a demi chef and placed in an apprentice system. Three years later I wrote my final exam and qualified.

I then spread my wings and joined Holland America Cruise Lines as chef tournant, which meant relief cheffing on any of the ships where there was a need, which was how I became Michael Douglas’s personal chef while he was shooting a movie.

I returned to South Africa and became head chef at Londolozi, which was a Relais & Chateaux property, and then traveled across the continent, training local chefs at the expanding group’s new properties.

In the early 2000s, I was the owner of a delicatessen – a café and purveyor of fine locally produced food in Johannesburg – and I became involved in the SA Chefs Association, on the board as a director and for eight years as vice-president. In my early 30s, I was elected to the WorldChefs board, still to date the youngest-ever elected director.

The deli was followed by Food on the Move, which started about 18 years ago as a consultancy, evolved into a bespoke catering company, and is now firmly entrenched in the film and TV industry.

Learnings

• My school years. I had no interest in the dogmatic, overbearing government school system, and I didn’t excel academically. I learned to buckle down and get through phases in life that you don’t enjoy – they will pass – and stand up for my beliefs and rage against the ‘machine’.
• My pot wash year. Any work is better than no work, and any opportunity offered must be grabbed with both hands. It has become the way I live – listen to the opportunity, if it suits you, go for it. Also, the scullery is still where you will find me if I am super-stressed and need to be on my own for a while. The work is mind-clearing.
• The ships. Glamour is an illusion and it takes a well-oiled disciplined ‘army’ of hard-working people to create the comfort that people pay for.
• My time across Africa. The continent is full of opportunities and beautiful smiley people who are keen to learn, contribute, and live a meaningful life. No business can operate without buy-in from the community.
• The delicatessen. Retail is probably the toughest sector of our economy. As a small business owner, the competition is fierce, you’re always on the back foot, you’re required to sacrifice a lot, from personal time to hard-earned cash, and the public can be ruthless in their judgment and expectations.
• Being an employer. This is one of the most thankless and also one of the most rewarding tasks there is, and commitment is paramount. Be patient with yourself and with your team – people grow at different rates and have different goals and expectations. It’s how you fit the team together and motivate each individual’s growth that determines success.
• Overall. I have learned to harness my self-doubt to propel my skills in my business. Are we serving the right food? Are we delivering the service expectations? What can I learn from the young pastry chef or the hip barista who is part of my team? I don’t need to know it all, but I must have an interest and guide the talent within my team.
• I have also become more patient. It always works itself out in the end, and generally what frustrates you today will have no consequence in your life in six months – so choose your battles.
• Favorite quote: “There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” Leonard Cohen

Highlight

My biggest work-life highlight is changing people’s lives. Young people who have worked for me have gained a skill, bettered their lives economically and with life skills, and have gone on to change other people's lives. I now see them training young chefs and upskilling the pot wash with cooking skills, driving lessons and computer knowledge.

Final tips

• Put your head down and graft
• Be curious
• Be strong – acknowledge your weaknesses, you can overcome them
• Be patient – with yourself, others and your career path
• Phone your mother often 

Join Arnold Tanzer at Hostex 2020 where he will be presenting more valuable learnings from a multifaceted career in hospitality – Between the dream and the dirty dishes – at IndustryLIVE! on Tuesday 3 March at 12 noon. For more information on Hostex 2020, visit www.hostex.co.za .

Cheers!!!

Contact Aashish Rai Jain at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to discuss your products, launch events, and services. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra #7YearsofTheLifesWay #NoFreePosts. TheLife'sWay charges a blogging fee for the time and efforts to join a new campaign or an existing one based on your requirements. Namaste!

#TheLifesWayGoals - @Walkthetalk_ #MTN702WALK 25Kms on 28th July 2019 - Planning #HuaweiHealth

Hi Friends, 

I have always wanted to be fully physically fit but never took any actions to become one or remain focussed after doing it for a day or two. When MTN Walk the Talk sent me a secret survey to ask about the 25kms and my reactions to the same, I was very much in favor of the same due to this year being 25 Years of Democracy in South Africa. I really thought for a while before registering myself for the 25 km race on 28th July 2019. I have done 15kms last year on 22nd July 2018 and the day was my birthday too but nothing before and after that. 

I took my faith in myself to the next level and registered myself for the 25km race and also enrolled for the SA Park and Ride because I am sure I won't be able to walk to the parking and drive the car myself. 

I am out of luck on my Smartphone watch as it's on life's end which I got as a gift from my wife some 3 years back. I am trying to capture my weekly progress using @Huawei Health App on my Huawei P20 Pro smartphone and trying to win myself a Huawei Watch GT. 

Here is the plan to be ready for 28th July 2019 and the logic behind all the 12 weeks to the same is - 

1. Phase 1 - Build stamina to walk 15 km in a single go
2. Phase 2 - Build stamina to walk 20 km in a single go
3. Phase 3 - Build stamina to walk 25 km in a single go
4. Each Phase is 4 weeks long
5. Every Tuesday and Thursday will be my days to do a practice walk
6. Every Saturday will be target walk which needs to be completed in one go
7. There are some exceptions in the last week when Thursday plan is moved to Friday

These are the plans created thinking of a perfect world and happy path scenario's but I am looking at trying to match the same with real-world performance and writing some blog posts on the same. 

If you want to get registered, you are welcome to at http://www.walkthetalk.co.za/ and let's walk together! 

Cheers!!!

Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to collaborate on your products, events, and services. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra!

11 Days To www.TheLifesWay.com 5th Birthday Celebrations #5YearsofTheLifesWay #27Dec2017 #Goals

Hi Friends, 

The goal which seems too far is now within reach but still there a lot of posts between them. Starting a blog is easy but it requires a lot of planning on pen and paper. Once it's released to the world, then you have make the ecosystem around the same to work. It means setting up your other social media channels from twitter to Instagram, to pinterest to tumblr and facebook. Once you are done with all of it, it's time to create a lot of unique content so as to drive traffic towards all your channels. 

The second part starts when you have to find time to do it on a daily or weekly basis. Some people plan and schedule their posts so that there is regularity in the order which is great if you can do so. I can say that an ideal state of work ethics and professionalism. But with me, I am unable to do so till now in my 6th year of blogging and social media influence. I am lazy sometimes and tries to buckle up but sometimes technology too adds to the woes. Slow internet connection, laptop with not a battery backup and writers block are all the woes anyone can face. 

Aashish Rai - #Editor #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra

I always have a goal driven approach towards The Life's Way in terms of how much reach I can get from the content that gets shared on my Instagram channel. How many product reviews I can do on my blog posts and when can I shoot my video's for adding to the content of YouTube. There has been no success till date on the same but soon this laziness has to go as I have to achieve my goals this year. Though I am happy to see that my twitter handle was having 50 followers when I came to South Africa in 2013 and a smart watch brand didn't wanted to send their products for review and now I have more than 9000 followers in 2017.

I have started working on the same in small tasks as the first task I did was to create an email id which was pending since long for EDITOR@TheLifesWay.com so that it feels great for the companies to see that it's some passionate person you are working with.

Next task was to take out the autobot to post tweets from my handles for which I used to pay around ZAR 1800 per annum. I have saved on this cost and now I will spend the same on getting some merchandise for my brand and distributing it to the PR companies and my readers.

So, there are a lot of changes happening at my end and I will continue to share the same in rest of my 10 posts for the 5th Birthday Celebrations of The Life's Way!

Cheers!!!

Contact me at editor@thelifesway.com to collaborate on paid/sponsored campaigns. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra! Check my influence and book me via https://webfluential.com/TheLifesWay