My bucketlist person to meet and why. Who is top of your list🔥💡♥️?

Örebro, Sweden, April 17th 2026, Lars-Eric and Linda

I met Lars-Eric Unestål recently, a person who has inspired me beyond words. Below some learnings and why I'm starstuck💫

April 2026☀️

I bought the train ticket just days before the event and my excitement had been growing.

Some meetings stay with us long after they end. This specific weekend in Örebro became one of those moments for me.

There are certain people you feel you already know through their work, their words and the impact they have had on peoples lives, including mine. Lars-Eric Unestål is one of them.

I've been taking part of Lars-Eric's WISDOM through the countless books he has written, the research and studies he's undertaken, the articles he has published, the Universities and programs he has started and last but not least through real stories from all the people who's life he has indirectly transformed. I've also been listening to video lessons and integrated hundreds of mental training sound tracks by Lars-Eric. All as a part of studying mental training in the school of Unestål education the last couple of years.

Lars-Eric Unestål has been on the front page of Swedens top business magazine (Dagens Industri) listed as one of the 50 most influential people in Sweden due to the Mental Training Program he started, among others👏♥️ Lars-Eric was the first person in the world, during the 1970's to launch a full scale training program within the field of mental training. He is a global forerunner in this space.

The day I became an Unestål Education Certified Mental Training Practitioner

Ok, so I bought the train ticket to Örebro just days before the event on April 17th, 2026 and my excitement had been growing since then. This special night one of my "friends" from a remote global personal development course organized by Stockholm based Norrsken/29K, was throwing a party in Lars-Eric's hometown Örebro, where Lars-Eric was one of the speakers.

I decided to go!

It was a magic sunny spring day in Sweden. Summer was in the air. The time was only 15.30 but the cafe's of Örebro's square were packed with people sipping spring sun, coffee, beer and white wine since early afternoon☀️🍺☕️.

After a glass of white wine in the sun chatting away with some friendly Örebro ladies from A-hub recruitment, the clock was approaching 5. I started to walk down the empty side street of the venue where Lars-Eric was going to speak, and I saw him appear in the distance. My heart took a leap of joy♥️💃

We arrived exactly at the same time (what are the odds?!). I could not hide my genuine joy, warmth and enthusiasm. He embraced it wholeheartedly. Lars-Eric radiated just what I had imagined; warmth, presence, curiosity, openness, alertness, competence and a calm yet so powerful energy⚡️. The kind of presence that makes you feel both seen, moved and inspired at the same time.

It made me think how aligned his physical being was with everything I have experienced throughout my courses over the years.

LEARNINGS FROM LARS ERIC THAT STUCK WITH ME

1. There are no failures. Only mistakes you can learn from

I have learnt so many things from Lars Eric and the school of mental training that I'm trying to apply in my own and in my clients life.

One lesson is:

There are no failures. Only mistakes you can learn from. What freedom there is in that perspective! Lars-Eric is a legend in this aspect and looking at his enormous track record of things he has done and tried, he is a living proof of this value.

If mistakes are learning, then progress is always available. If falling is feedback, then courage becomes easier. If every misstep carries wisdom, then nothing is wasted.

The more mistakes we dare to make, the more life we dare to live.

Takeaways:

• Reframe failure into feedback.

• Growth requires trial, error and movement.

• Courage increases when failure loses its power.

2. Outer success versus inner success

Another insight that has influenced me is my awareness of the difference between outer success and inner success and the importance of how we "feel" along the road called life.

Outer success can be titles, numbers, recognition, status, achievements.

Inner success is peace. Meaning. Confidence. Gratitude. Alignment. A sense of direction. The feeling that you are living as you and heading somewhere meaningful.

And what I love most is that inner success is not random luck. It can be cultivated. Strengthened. Trained.

Through mental training, awareness, and intention, we can begin taking back the steering wheel of our inner world.

Takeaways:

• Outer success can impress others. Inner success sustains you.

• Mental training is a practical tool, at everyones disposal, not a luxury.

• Your inner state is trainable.

3. Muscular relaxation training, mental training and the mental room🚪

The value of progressive muscular relaxation, mental training, and an altered state of consciousness that Lars-Eric calls “our mental room”, was completely new to me at first. Throughout my studies I discovered how powerful these methods can be, see an article I've written, inspired by the work of Lars-Eric Unestål, on the topic on my blog (https://www.hugodandfriends.com/post/why-relaxation-training-is-no-longer-optional).

When we train the body to relax through progressive muscular relaxation, muscular tension decreases and the nervous system receives signals of safety instead of stress. This impacts our thoughts, feelings, emotions and actions.

Progressive muscular relaxation is a simple, science-backed way to calm the system and create better conditions for real mental change. Many of my clients try this and fall in love. It's simple, does not demand anything and available for free.

Takeaways:

• A calm body supports a calm mind.

• The nervous system shapes thoughts and emotions.

• Relaxation is a skill worth practicing regularly.

4. Life is a process

Life is a process.

Not one dramatic leap. Not one perfect breakthrough. Not one magical moment.

A process.

Built in small steps. Tiny shifts. Daily movement. Gentle persistence.

I love this reminder because it releases us from the pressure of needing everything to happen now. Progress is not loud. Often it is quiet, ordinary, and steady.

And still, it changes everything.

Takeaways:

• Small steps count more than dramatic intentions.

• Consistency beats intensity over time.

• Trust the process, even when it feels slow.

5. A healthy self-image+an attractive goal or direction⛵️🧭

When self-worth and direction meet, we get momentum.

If we do not believe we are capable and worthy, movement becomes heavy. And if we have nowhere meaningful to move toward, motivation fades. But when we have a healthy self image and a goal or direction that we genuinely feel attracted to and that we FEEL for, we have fuel in the engine, light in the fire🔥 (Lars Eric calls this the GLOW model) or wind in our sails.

And perhaps one of the most hopeful reminders from Lars-Eric Unestål, of all: personalities are not fixed. Self images are not fixed. We are not sentenced to remain who we once were. We can grow, reshape patterns, strengthen qualities, and become more of who we are meant to be. One tiny step at a time🐾.

Takeaways:

• Self-image influences action.

• Direction creates energy.

• Change is possible, even at the identity level.

Yet above all the theories, methods and wisdom, what impressed me most meeting Lars-Eric, was simply him.

Lars-Eric at this stage of life (soon turning 88 years) still embodying humor, energy, presence, openness, curiosity, warmth, alertness in such a mind-blowing way. On a side note, he slipped away from the party with a friend 20 min to go to a bar next doors to watch the foot ball final⚽️😁

That, to me, is the real message.

Not only what he has taught. But what he has become.

And what is possible for all of us.

Takeaways:

• The message is stronger when embodied.

• Lifelong curiosity keeps people alive inside.

• Character is the loudest legacy.

Later in the evening, my husband joined us, I was really excited about the opportunity to introduce Lars-Eric to him ❤️ We had time to genuinely talk to him during the evening and before leaving which I was so grateful for. As we left we we found a beautiful spot for the night, settled in, and slept like babies in our van🚐

When morning came, I woke up feeling enriched💃

So your turn, who is your bucket list person and why?

💭And here some final reflective questions:

Who inspires you and why?

Who makes you laugh and why?

With whom do you feel at ease?

Who makes your curious and why?

Who makes you energized and why?

If you could be someone for a day, who would that be and why?

On your 90th birthday when your family holds a speech, how are they describing you and how can you start moving the needle today?

Who would you be and what would you do if you were to impress your 9 year old self?