This past weekend, I attended the Coaches Congress, an event packed with great speakers, insights, energy, and conversations that left me thinking: Why do some events leave us so motivated that we take action immediately?

It reminded me of something I once heard about Tony Robbins, why his events have such a profound impact on people. It is not really about the information, he’s creating an environment that triggers a massive biochemical shift in his audience.

So, I started looking into the science behind it. What happens in our bodies and brains when we attend a live event? Why do we walk away feeling transformed, inspired, and ready to take action?

Turns out, it’s not just about what you learn, it’s about what happens inside you when you step into the right room with the right people.

The Brain Chemistry of Live Events

When you attend an event and engage with new people, your brain doesn’t treat it as just another day. It shifts into a high-performance state, activating the chemicals that drive learning, motivation, and connection. Here’s what’s happening:

Dopamine: The Motivation Catalyst

Dopamine is the brain’s reward signal. It fuels motivation, learning, and engagement.

• When you meet new people and hear fresh ideas, your brain releases dopamine, making you feel alert and focused.
• It strengthens memory, which is why you remember event takeaways better than things you read online.
• It increases confidence, pushing you to take action on what you’ve learned.

This is why after a great event, you don’t just have new information, you feel like you need to do something with it.

Oxytocin: The Connection Builder

Oxytocin, often called the “bonding hormone,” is what makes social connections feel deep and meaningful.

• At in-person events, oxytocin is released when you engage in face-to-face conversations, building trust and rapport faster than digital interactions ever could.
• It lowers social anxiety, helping you feel more comfortable in a group.
• It makes people more open and collaborative, which is why partnerships and friendships often form at events.

I have gained many of my best business partners and friends from these events.

Serotonin: The Confidence Booster

Serotonin regulates mood, self-esteem, and emotional stability. Events naturally increase serotonin levels because they provide:

• A sense of belonging—when you’re surrounded by ambitious, like-minded people, you feel validated and encouraged.
• A recognition of progress—hearing from speakers or peers who have succeeded reminds you that growth is possible.
• A reinforcement of identity—attending events makes you feel like you’re actively investing in your future.

The result? You leave feeling clearer about your direction and more confident in your ability to achieve your goals.

How Social Mimicry Shapes Your Success

Beyond chemistry, there’s another reason events are powerful: we mirror the behaviors of those around us.

• When we see someone speak with confidence, our brains activate mirror neurons, making us subconsciously adjust our posture, tone, and communication style.
• When we observe successful people’s habits, we internalize those behaviors, making them easier to adopt in our own lives.
• When we hear someone articulate a complex idea, we unconsciously refine our own thinking and improve how we communicate.

This is why spending time around high achievers accelerates growth. We don’t just learn from what they say, we actually start to behave like them.

Why We Need to Put Ourselves in These Rooms

After attending the Coaches Congress, Two-Brain Summit and other events, I realized how important it is to put yourself in these environments regularly. We don’t grow just by consuming content online. We grow by experiencing new perspectives in real time.

• If you feel stuck, get around people who are further ahead than you.
• If you’re lacking motivation, put yourself in an energized room where people are taking action.
• If you want to level up, be around those who think bigger than you.

3 Quick Questions

1. When was the last time you attended an event that shifted your mindset?
2. Who are the people you need to spend more time around to elevate your thinking?
3. How can you create more opportunities to immerse yourself in high-performance environments?

Here are some events to go to:
http://twobrainsummit.com

http://coachescongress.com

Feel free to connect with me on instagram here:

http://instagram.com/rickardlong/

One of the greatest failures of modern education is that it never taught us how to set goals. Schools teach us math, history, and science, but the very skill that could help us build a meaningful and successful “life goal setting” is nowhere to be found in the curriculum.

Psychologist and professor Jordan Peterson understood this gap deeply. Through his research and teaching, he demonstrated just how transformative setting goals can be for creating momentum and shaping the life we want to live.

The Experiment That Shocked Everyone

In one of his university experiments, Peterson conducted a simple yet powerful exercise. During a 90-minute lecture, he asked students to think deeply about their future, to set goals for themselves, and to map out a path to achieve them.

The results were astonishing. Students who participated in the exercise experienced dramatic improvements. The dropout rate for those students fell significantly—Peterson has shared online that dropouts were reduced by over 30%. Even more remarkable was the impact on male students with a foreign background, who saw some of the most profound gains in academic performance and personal motivation.

This experiment highlights something that should be obvious: setting goals gives people purpose, direction, and resilience.

Why People Avoid Setting Goals

As a coach and mentor, I see this hesitation all the time. People resist setting goals, especially ambitious ones. The excuses are almost always the same:

• “I don’t like to pressure myself.”
• “I’ve always just done things this way.”
• “I’m afraid I’ll fail.”

But let me tell you this: not setting goals might feel easier in the moment, but it’s a trap. Without goals, you have no clear plan. You can’t fail because there’s nothing to achieve, but you also can’t succeed. You’re stuck.

Success isn’t about reaching a destination. It’s about the journey, the effort, and the growth you experience while working toward something meaningful. Goals aren’t just about the outcome—they’re about the person you become along the way.

Why Goals Create Fulfillment

When you set a goal, you give yourself a challenge. Challenges push you to grow, to develop skills, and to overcome obstacles. That’s where real fulfillment comes from—not from sitting still but from striving, learning, and achieving.

Think about it this way: Imagine a soccer game with no goalposts. You’re just kicking the ball around aimlessly. Sure, it’s fun for a while, but eventually, it feels pointless. Goals give life structure, purpose, and direction.

Let’s Set Goals Together

Here’s a simple exercise to get you started.

1. Think about your best friend. Where would you like to see your friend in five years? Imagine him or her happy, fulfilled, and thriving.
2. What steps could he/she take today? What small actions would move them closer to that future?
3. Why is this important? What makes this vision meaningful for your friend?

Now here’s the twist: that best friend is your future self.

Start thinking about yourself the way you think about someone you deeply care about. Encourage yourself when you’re struggling. Celebrate your wins. Push yourself to grow because you deserve the best version of yourself.

3 Quick Questions

1. When was the last time you set a clear, ambitious goal for yourself?
2. What small steps could you take today to move closer to your ideal future?
3. How do you celebrate your wins and support yourself when things get tough?

If you found this helpful, please make sure to contact me over instagram @rickardlong

I hear it all the time from service providers: “We don’t run ads,” or “We don’t post on social media because we’re already doing so well.” They’re full, their schedule is packed, and they think that’s enough. But here’s the question I’d ask them: Do you think Nike stops advertising because they sold 100 shoes?

Of course not. Nike doesn’t stop at what’s working, they double down. They figure out how to sell 150 shoes, then 200, and then 1,000. They don’t stop communicating because there’s a bigger opportunity beyond just filling their shelves. And guess what? The same applies to your business.

Why Over Demand is a Good Thing

Imagine a line of people outside your door, waiting for what you have to offer. That’s where marketing comes in. Marketing should be simply showing the world your results, it creates demand and when demand exceeds supply, it changes the game for your business.

Look at something like Taylor Swift concert tickets. What happens when they sell out? Prices skyrocket on the second-hand market. The value of those tickets goes up simply because the demand is greater than the supply.

When your service has over demand, you’re in control. You can raise your prices. You can create exclusivity. You can decide if you want to expand or stick with a premium, high-demand model. But none of that happens if you stop putting yourself out there.

The Real Reason Many Businesses Aren’t Marketing

Here’s the truth: Most service providers who aren’t running ads or posting on social media aren’t doing it because they’re “so full.” They’re not marketing because they’re busy. They’re stuck in the day-to-day operations of their business, doing things they shouldn’t be doing.

When you’re operating at capacity, your focus shouldn’t just be on the operations, it should shift to marketing. Why? Because if things are “going so well,” that’s exactly the time to amplify it. Build the audience. Create the demand. Set yourself up for long-term growth.

What Happens When You Market While You’re Full

If your service is already in high demand, marketing doesn’t just fill your calendar, it creates leverage.

• You can raise your prices. When demand grows, so does the perceived value of what you offer.
• You gain flexibility. With more people waiting for your service, you can decide whether to expand or maintain exclusivity.
• You future-proof your business. Being full now doesn’t guarantee being full in six months. Marketing ensures you’re always building for what’s next.

Think of it as planting seeds. Even when your garden is thriving, you don’t stop planting for the next season.

The Bottom Line

If you’re not marketing because you’re “too full,” ask yourself: Is it really because you’ve maxed out your capacity? Or is it because you’re too busy with the operations to focus on growth?

Marketing isn’t just for when business is slow. It’s what makes sure you’re never in that position to begin with. Whether it’s running ads, posting on social media, or simply sharing what you do, the goal is to create a line of people who can’t wait to work with you. That’s where the magic happens.

3 Quick Questions

1. Are you building demand even when your schedule is full?
2. How could marketing allow you to raise your prices or grow your reach?
3. If you’re not marketing, is it because you’re too busy—or because you don’t see the bigger opportunity?