One of the many reasons why we are here on Earth is to learn. Our experience of life can be likened to a kindergarten for souls where we naturally learn valuable lessons through the consequences of our free will. The main idea is to advance life forward as a whole from knowledge gained primarily through our own personal experiences.

Upon gaining a certain level of awareness, the wise and the fortunate realize that there is a wealth of information which has already been discovered and validated by geniuses of the past. It makes no sense to them to “re-invent the wheel” per say.

Have you ever wondered why so many people are overweight when there are hundreds of diets and thousands of books on how to be healthy? Why so many people are unhappy in their relationships when there is more information available today on how to create loving, lasting relationships than ever before? Why so many people struggle with debt when there are known, timeless principles for financial prosperity?

We all have those friends that we love to hate. You know the ones I’m talking about - the friends that Lady Luck always seems to shine upon. They can do no wrong, and they have a great career, a great family, and a great life in general. Happiness just seems attracted to them like a magnet.

Have you ever considered that happiness doesn’t just seem attracted to these people - that maybe happiness really is attracted to them like a magnet? That’s the theory behind the law of attraction. With the right outlook, manifesting happiness is fairly easy!

Money is neither good nor bad; it is energy. It is the way money is used that determines whether or not it is a positive energy that will benefit you and others. If you come from the highest level of integrity with your money, if you make it in ways that benefit people, through shifting their consciousness, or through serving and making a contribution, by giving your best, honoring others, and putting attention and consciousness into what you do, you are making a contribution to humanity and to yourself. When you use money in ways that serve your higher purpose and bring you and others joy, you are creating money of light. The more money is made and spent with integrity and light, the more it becomes a force of light for everyone.

There are no secrets, just truths and powerful laws of creation that remain hidden from our awareness until we are ready to hear them. The law of manifestation is just as concrete as the laws of physics - in fact, the law of manifestation incorporates the laws of physics and chemistry.

We have the power within us to clearly imagine what we wish to achieve. The more often we focus our powerful thoughts on our dreams and goals, the closer we come to realizing those dreams.

You are a special, unique person, and you have a meaningful contribution to make to the world. Every person is born with a purpose. There is a reason you are here; you have a role to play that no one else on the planet could fill. The special contribution you came to make is your life’s work. When you are doing that work, you are following your higher path, and your life will be filled with increasing joy, abundance, and well-being.

We live our lives based in what we believe. When we think about the truth of this statement, we immediately recognize a startling reality: Beyond anything else that we may actually do in our lives, the beliefs that precede our actions are the foundation of all that we cherish, dream, become, and accomplish.

If you’re like most people interested in self-improvement, it’s probably been a year or more since you first heard of The Secret - the runaway best-selling program that explains how to use the law of attraction to create the life you want.

If you’ve seen the movie or read the book, you’re probably still vividly inspired by the people who shared their stories of how they magnetized large sums of money, physical healing and other wonderful miracles by focusing on what they want in their lives and thinking positive thoughts.

The secret of success is focus. It is the one secret that ties everything together. According to the law of attraction, what you focus on is what you get. Therefore when you focus on all the qualities of success, you attract them to you. The more you do actions that lead to success, the more success you experience. The success of anything you do begins with focus. That’s when you call all your powers together for the accomplishment of a thing. Focus is an act of will which is the faculty that rules everything.

When I was in my thirties, I had a conversation that ignited a hidden power in me and revealed to me my life-path. I tell the story of this profound moment of my life, an experience that set me on a path to having all my dreams come true, in my new book Five Wishes. My hope and intention in sharing this moment with you is that it gives you not only a story you’ll enjoy but also a powerful tool you can use to make all your dreams come true.

This is the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005. You can watch the full length video here.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

In today’s hectic world we often do not take the time to allow ourselves the luxury of quality time with ourselves, free from the cares and craziness of the daily circus that is our lives. It seems that, on the whole, we’ve all become phenomenal multitaskers, capable of amazing feats of juggling and endless readjustments to our schedules.