Good morning/afternoon/evening everyone (depending on when you are reading this)! I bet you’re surprised to see me here in your inbox a second time this month. I TOLD YOU I’m gonna make sure I’m not my own worst enemy, and slowly we have been improving on that. Exhibit A: making sure I get this newsletter done on time. So for all of you that placed bets on Kalshi that the VasaVita February newsletter wouldn’t come out until March, SORRY ABOUT IT, CHIEF.

So, we are almost out of the woods of winter. At least for those of us in Zlín, Czech Republic, the sun has been slowly emerging and pouring light through the window curtain crevices, puffer jackets and beanies are gradually being swapped out for windbreakers and baseball caps, and facial expressions mirroring that of hopeless grim and dejected annoyance are ever so slightly changing to form the semblance of a half-baked smile. And as I notice this shift in human behavior, I have come to the realization that humans are very easy. We are very simple creatures. We like to believe that we are this complex, evolved, and intricate species that is so far advanced and developed, but in reality, I believe we are no more complicated than the game of rock-paper-scissors (which admittedly, can be a hard game to figure out at first because you have to clarify if it’s “rock, paper, scissors, shoot!” or “1,2, shoot!” (the correct answer is the first option btw)).

Allow me to explain.

I believe humans are simple beings not in a way that would be an umbrage to our intelligence or capabilities, but because we allow the smallest things to impact our mood, behavior, and outlook. A tiny compliment about one’s appearance, missing the bus by two seconds, dropping your coffee (bonus points if it’s in front of your entire class of students), getting the door held open for you, discovering a new song that speaks to you, or your basketball time winning a big game all have the power to change someone’s day.

Some might consider them inconsequential events, but let me ask you: at the end of the day, at 11pm, when you look back on your day and evaluate how it went, what variables do you consider? You ~usually~ aren’t considering anything that is a life-altering event. You might say today was a good day because you got all your work done, you went for a walk, and a stranger smiled at you. You might say today was a bad day because you lost your AirPods, you were five minutes late to work, and someone was rude to you in the grocery store. You (we (I)) look at look at the micro-events that happened in our day and analyze them individually, which all then build up into some bigger event, which we label as “a day in your life.”

What is the point of this?

Well, what I’m trying to say is that we are easily affected. A small thing such as a compliment or an insult from someone has the intense power to change someone’s point of view on, well, everything. And slowly and slowly, over time, these “small events” compound as they happen more and more. If you receive 10 compliments in the span of a week, this changes your brain chemistry in multiple ways: you begin to see the world differently, as polite, kind, and accepting. Your self-confidence and self-esteem rises. And your willingness to dish out compliments to others increases, leading to the perpetuation of this beneficial cycle for those around you. But, if you were to receive 10 insults or rude remarks in the span of a week, you’d begin to see the world around you as cruel, cold, and isolating. Whether you’re conscious of it or not, you’re self-confidence might waver, and you might start to treat people in the same dismissive and critical way that you are being treated.

I think what we do with this is we keep it and we fight it. I love that humans are easily affected by positive effects. I love that when a good thing that happens to me, no matter the magnitude, it makes my day better tenfold. Maybe I’m simple-minded.

But back to my point, what we (I) do with this, is we let this happen, but we don’t let this happen for negative things. I want to keep being positively impacted by positive micro-events; I like that I am easily impacted by a compliment by my colleague or by a strong day at work or by a pleasant interaction with a waiter at a restaurant. I like that I am able to find joy in the simple things, and I am glad that us humans don’t need to move mountains or cure incurable diseases to find joy in our everyday lives.

And on the converse, we shouldn’t let our minds be manipulated by mini-negative events. It would be a pity if we let the outcome of our day, week, life, be defined by spoiled-milk events. When they happen, we should feel the emotions, but they should not – NEI, they CANNOT – take control of us.

So, I say, continue being simple-minded. Continue being easy to make happy, because this allows us to achieve contentment. But don’t bring this same attitude towards negativity, because then you become just as susceptible to a cynical mindset. And it would be a shame to lose you to that.

Thank you for listening to me!
If you’d like to follow along in my journey here in Zlín, I’d love for you to czech out my Instagram account: @amilinzlin!

You know the drill: everything I write here is something I am actively working on improving and implementing within myself. Writing them out also helps me to visualize what to work on and how to do it. And having you as my audience holds me accountable.

If you have any thoughts, comments, or feedback, please dish it to me! I’d love to know how I can improve. I am glad to have you here on my VasaVita journey.

If you want to talk more about anything I discussed in my newsletters, or want to learn more about VasaVita, check out my website below!

See you next month!

You all know the drill: in the sprit of transparency and holding myself accountable, I include my audience count here to keep you apprised of my growth. We got a few new subscribers this month! Shout out Evy!
If you have any ideas or tips, please do share!