Getting connected, expanding network – be inspired!

 

Blogging has given us an opportunity to break any boundaries to get us connected and expand our network. Social Media become so massive that at most times it become superficial. But it’s all up to us on how we can create relevance to any of our connections, friendships and network. Whether this benefits us in promoting our business, giving back to the community, solving mysteries or finding lost loved ones, we should take every opportunity we can to get inspiration so we can give inspiration as well.

As for me, I had the chance to share inspirations with Edwin “Ka Edong” Soriano. 

These are the questions I asked him and here are his inspirations to us:

1. What do you think is your purpose in life?

 I feel I discovered my purpose and looked it in the eye when I attended a seminar in October 2009. The seminar was called “Heroic Leadership Seminar” by the PSI Leadership and Success Seminars. 

 

In the seminar, after letting go of all the masks that we wear, after choosing to go out of our comfort zone, I had the unique opportunity to have such distinct clarity with my purpose in life. After a meditation and visioning exercise, I realized just how much my life revolves around teaching — more specifically, helping other people grow. 

 

I remember attending a retreat as a young impressionable high school student at the age of 16. I listened to such an inspiring man, Onofre Pagsanjan, also known as “Pagsi”. I was so inspired by him and his stories as he gave talks at the Days with the Lord retreat. I believe that was when the seed was planted in me, to inspire people, to help people grow. ;-). 

 

My purpose in life: Through teaching and learning, I exist to help more, thus grow more. 

 

When I help other people grow, I myself grow. 

And for me to help other people grow, I must grow myself. 

 

I write about my Heroic experience here: http://www.edwinsoriano.com/personal-development/of-heroic-eagles-of-love-of-flight/

 

2. What do you think is your life’s mission?

 It’s only now that I’m thinking about my life’s mission. 

I feel that it is closely related to two things: 

(a) Influencing people at the moment. In essence, living out my purpose. 

(b) And Influencing people even as I sleep (or after my life here on earth). 

 

I’ve written about Passive Influence. 

If Passive Income is income that you earn even as you sleep, 

Passive Influence is influence that continues even as you sleep. 

 

With such robust media available at our fingertips, I want to be part of the positive influences in the world, to make a difference for people who read my articles, books, watch my videos, hear my talks. 

  

3. If you can sum up who you are and what you do in just six lines what would that be?

1.) I am a corporate trainer. helping companies develop their people through talks, seminars, team building and other experiential activities. 

2.) I am a coach. helping people discover new ways of thinking and feeling about certain situations, helping them have more options in life so that they can have a happier more meaningful life. 

3.) I am a businessman. I am currently building a real estate business involving purchase-renovate-sell of foreclosed properties, and later on expanding it to a nationwide service that will help more Filipinos have their own homes, as a place to live in or as an investment. 

4.) I am a learner. I take pleasure in learning new skills and knowledge which expands my set of tools to help other people grow. 

5.) I am a husband, son, brother, friend. I recently got married to my one true love, Rezza, back in April 2013. ;-). I love my wife day-by-day, we are on a journey of growth and learning together, and we’re aiming to have a baby this year! Yey! 

6.) I am a child of God, a servant of God. In all that I do, I seek to give praise to our Lord. I seek to be a testament of God’s grace and love. 

  

4. What made you turn to “blogging” in the first place?

I started blogging in 2005. I think my very first blog is turning 9 years in a few days. … Oh, turning 9 years on April 11. 

That year, I began following the blog of a Brit in Hong Kong. He wrote about his experiences as a white man in HK. And I thought to myself — I could do this too! It was a form of self-expression that I wanted to get into. 

 

I first wrote about my experiences with technology, thus: www.technobiography.com . 

I wrote about the local telcos Globe and Smart, especially about mobile commerce services. My articles about mobile commerce and my thesis on m-commerce at the AIM paved the way for me getting invited to a conference in South Africa — Ah, still one of the biggest perks of my blogging. 

 

The funny thing is: When I joined a telco in 2008, I stopped writing for Technobiography. I felt it was going to be a conflict of interest. I turned to other things and Technobiography continues to exist with very few additional articles the past years. 

 

In 2007, I began my journey of self-development. This is when I began my personal development blog which is now found at www.edwinsoriano.com . Here I write about my personal reflections, my experiences with my teaching and learning, experiences living an inspired life. 

 

I believe blogging is a powerful way to capture my thoughts and reflections. I’m able to refer back to my writing many years later. It’s my space on the web and I want to continue building it and influence more people at the same time. 

 

5. What inspires you to become who you are right now? 

 

Let me tell you a story. 

When I was studying in the Asian Institute of Management, I had one very unique professor. My first experience of him was through email where he barked out orders to prepare us for our first session. I was expecting him to be a big burly man and probably strict as I heard he had a military background. 

When I came to the class, I see this aging dinosaur of a man, with one of the most wrinkled faces I’ve seen, thick white hair, thick eyeglasses, a colorful barong, slacks and shoes and a cane as he walked slowly into the room. That was Captain Bobby Lim, a professor, my mentor, my friend. 

Through the next few years, I continued to spend time with him even after I had graduated from AIM. I would spend a weeknight at their family house in Tagaytay, just sharing stories over dinner and a glass of scotch. Then we’d go out for some walking in the morning. 

He was such an inspiration to me. I didn’t agree with him all the time. I guess the reason I loved spending time with Capt. Lim was because he lived a full life that I aspire for. 

(read more about capt lim here: http://www.edwinsoriano.com/inspiring-people/captain-lim-my-mentor-my-friend/ )

When I meet people, I am always in the lookout for something to admire about them, something to learn from them, something to help me understand life better through the experiences and stories of these people I meet. 

What inspires me to become who I am? 

People around me. 

People I serve. 

People I interact with. 

People I learn from.