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Hey Reader,

In the past 3-4 years, I have watched more real crime and serial killers documentaries than ever before in my life.

The reason? Simple. My boyfriend absolutely looooovessssss them! Let's say that his Netflix home page's results are pretty different from mine, LOL.

Honestly, when we started dating, I wasn't sure if we could ever watch TV together. I'm basically the opposite: a fantasy genre lover (think Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, The Hunger Games, The Hidden Legacy, kind of series).

However, the more I gave them a chance and started watching these types of documentaries (as well as many sports and athletes' documentaries, which are absolutely fire!), the more I got caught up in the stories. The more I wanted to understand why these people did what they did, how they got started, and what the "end goal" was, if any.

Most of these stories are deeply disturbing, but learning about human psychology, even when that psychology isn't pretty at all, has been newly fascinating for me.

The last, incredibly disturbing but equally fascinating, TV show we watched was Monster: The Ed Gein Story. If you enjoy real crime documentaries and horror movies, I recommend you watch this show. Simply put, it's creepy.

Truthfully, I had never heard of Ed Gein before watching this TV show. What I found extremely interesting, though, was the fact that Ed Gein's crimes went on to inspire many of Hollywood's most iconic classic horror films, including The Silence of the Lambs, Psycho, and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Even more interesting is how Ed Gein's crimes are portrayed as being inspired by seeing pictures of World War II.

What this show got me thinking about is our inspirations. It got me thinking about how many of us are inspired by what the people around us do, by the content we consume, and by the environment we are in.

We are constantly being influenced by everything that happens in our lives, the people we meet, the shows and movies we watch, the news we take in, the books we read, the food and drinks we consume, the places we visit, and even by the things we buy.

But so often, we forget that the things that influence us and impact us, our mood, and how we think and feel, come in both directions, the positive and the negative.

That's why it's so important to curate our lives (and the content we consume) to create more of the feelings we want to experience in life.

For me, this looks like continuing to watch documentaries, not only about crime and serial killers, but also about great athletes, military and sports teams, businesses, scientists, and people who have changed the world in the most amazing, positive ways, too.

So, what about YOU?

What TV series and shows are you currently loving watching and bingeing on? Hit reply and share, I would love to know what is inspiring your life lately!

​Confidence (really) is overrated​

We often wait to feel confident before we start something new, a job change, a creative project, or a dream idea.
But what I have been reminded of, over and over, is that confidence doesn’t come before action. It’s built through action.

I used to think I needed to feel fully ready before I could try something bold or new.

Looking back now, I realize that every meaningful decision in my life started with me saying, “I’ll figure it out as I go” or "I'll give it a chance".

Confidence is a memory of success. You earn it by taking imperfect action and seeing that you can handle (and survive!) whatever happens.

The brain learns confidence through “evidence loops.” Each time you act, dopamine reinforces the belief that you can trust yourself. And that makes you take more action next time.

Here's an exercise for you:​
Think of one thing you’ve been putting off because you “don’t feel ready.”

Now ask yourself: What's the smallest action I can take today in that direction? (One email, one call, one micro step... That's all you need to start building the memory of success.)

Stop waiting for confidence to begin; instead, start building it by beginning.

💛 Download The 5-Minute Courage Reset to help you calm fear and take your first step today.
→ [Free download link]

Ready is a choice.

The belief that is blocking you from moving

In 1954, British runner Roger Bannister was the first to break the barrier of what was once considered humanly impossible, running the 4-minute mile, with a time of 3:59.43.

Soon after that, many runners were able to accomplish what was once considered an impossible feat.

In the same way as the story of Ed Gein became a blueprint for the serial killers and horror movies to come, the story of Roger Bannister became a blueprint and a benchmark for elite mid-distance runners all over the world.

Both stories prove something to be true. The beliefs that we have about what is impossible (both good and bad) can quickly change as soon as we notice someone else did it before us.

And that's because the story you tell yourself changes the moment you believe something is possible.

So, here is a simple reminder that what's blocking you from moving is the story and the belief, you're constantly repeating to yourself.

The moment you shift the narrative from ‘what if it fails?’ to ‘what if it works out?’, everything changes.

You have to get out of your head, change the story, and step into your power.

Vulnerability prayer

I'm currently reading (and loving) Daring Greatly by Brené Brown, and she mentions how there cannot be courage without vulnerability.

She defines courage as the willingness to show up when you cannot predict the outcome and vulnerability as the core of all human emotions and the birthplace of connection, love, joy, and courage.

She argues that to be brave with our lives, we need to embrace uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure, and to do that, we need to embrace vulnerability.

Here's a simple vulnerability prayer you can use for those moments when you want to be more courageous with your life and take a chance:

“Give me the courage to show up, the trust to be seen, and the strength to be open.”

This book is a reminder that there cannot be courage without vulnerability and invites you to respond to two important questions:

• What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?
• What’s worth doing even if you fail?

A few things I'm loving right now

I love fall. I love fall's colors. And I love the lighter mood that starts to fill the air with the arrival of Christmas and the end of the year.

• ​The Four Seasons. This romantic comedy show is the perfect cozy choice if you're looking for something light to fill your time and make you laugh. I watched it a couple of months ago and was honestly sad when it ended.
• ​Just Mercy. I watched this movie a few years ago and loved it. I watched it again yesterday and cried 2 times. It's based on the true story of a young lawyer who defends death row inmates in need of proper legal representation. It served as a great reminder that just as there's bad in the world, there's also good, and how justice needs to be perseverant. If you haven't watched it before, you need to.
• ​The Source by Tara Swart. I just started reading this book this past week about how manifestation and visualization rewires our brain and allows us to accomplish our goals and fullfill our dreams. Next week, I will share the key insights and practices with you!
• Smoothies and protein coffee. I'm currently on a kick of drinking fruit smoothies or protein iced coffees before or after going for a run. It's easy, convenient, refreshing, and doen't make me feel to full before going on a run. For the smoothies, I use greek yogurt or Siggi's skyr, frozen berries, pineapple or any fruit I have at the moment, and my greens + superfoods powder. To make your own protein coffee, you can also use the protein powder of your preference (I love this one, this one, or this one), water or the milk of your preference (I'm currently drinking organic grass-fed, whole milk), instant coffee, and a little bit of Manuka honey or mapple syrup to taste.
• ​Jenga. Most nights, whenever my boyfriend has his daughter, we play one or two rounds of Jenga (with challenges handwritten on the back of each board) and it's always a fun time filled with laughter and sillyness.

P.S.: Momentum is everything to create big change in your life. If you want to learn more about the transformative power of micro actions, how small, consistent steps lead to big impact, and how you can start using this today, listen here now! 🎧 →​

Love creating your mind one day at a time? Forward this to a friend so they can get in on the action and sign up below. Subscribe to The Created Mind Thank you for reading and sharing, Jenny ​​​​

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