Welcome to Newsletter Millie Bobby Brown’s Character in Stranger Things!

Reply to this email if you can figure out this month’s riddle ^”

Hello, good morning, good afternoon, and good evening to all! It is December and that could mean a lot of things for this edition of VasaVita’s newsletter. Should I just do a December recap? Should I do a 2024 Wrapped?? Should I do a 2025 Look-Ahead/New Year’s Resolutions-themed edition??? I turned 25 this month, should I do a “Top 25 Things I’ve Learned” edition???? The possibilities are endless. Wait a minute. “The possibilities are endless.” Now THERE’S my newsletter topic. Oh how I love the creative writing process. But before we begin, let’s shout some people out!

1. Shout out Diego for being my newest subscriber #LifeTimebuddy
2. Shout out Arian for reading and sharing his thoughts with me about my October newsletter – I really appreciate the fact that you read it! Hope you’re doing well my man
3. Shout out Sabriya for a top tier birthday gift #parra
4. Shout out Sameer for hitting me with his positive mindset every day without fail
5. Shout out Ben for being so supportive of me and being someone I can truly trust

Like I said, the possibilities are endless

This year, I think I did a lot. No wait, I did do a lot. But I always feel like there’s so much more to do. And for some reason, as 2024 comes to an end and 2025 peeks its head out around the corner, the myriad possibilities, for the first time, don’t seem so insurmountable, but this time, feel rejuvenating. I feel recharged, ready, rested. I feel eager, energized, ebullient. I feel anxious, ambitious, amazed. I have so much I want to do in 2025, and for once, I feel like I can do it. That I’m not scared of the repercussions. That I’m not scared of looking like a fool or of failing or of experiencing the unknown.

For example, this newsletter. I wanted to start something like this since 2023. But I was worried about so many things. What would people think? Would I get enough subscribers? Will my content be robust? Will sharing my vulnerabilities make people look at me differently? Will my public perception be changed in a negative way? And so, I stalled on starting this for a year, until finally, this year, I sat down and made a goal to write. Not to hit 5,000 subscribers and notch an open rate of 90% and drive $4k in ad revenue. But simply just to get 1 newsletter out per month.

For those of you that know me very well, you know I love my numbers. I love my metrics and trackers and spreadsheets and trendlines. And so, being the analytical nut that I am, launching an email newsletter seems like the perfect medium to combine creativity with analytics; the perfect platform to build a brand, up-sell to customers, reach new audiences, optimize my open rate, introduce dynamic CTAs, and so on and so forth. But for the first time, I told myself to stop with all the counting, and just write. No numbers, no analytics, no nothing. Okay, maybe I do include a follower/subscriber count but I just can’t help it.

Just write. And own it. And stop caring what people think. Do I want you to like my content? More than anything else, yes. But I do need you to like my content? Maybe, but definitely not as much as before. And so, when I slowly started to take away this fear – this consternation about “How will I be perceived?” – I now feel so much more liberated. I feel so excited by the possibilities and the future and the ways to make myself feel vulnerable and exposed and scared, in the escaping-my-comfort-zone way. How do I plan to challenge myself by doing this more in 2025? Let’s see (I don’t even know yet but let’s see what I write down).

3 Ways I Am Going to Carpe the Freaking Diem

Have you seen Dead Poets Society? If you haven’t stop right now and go watch it. “CARPE THE DIEM, BOYS.” How will you inspire, change, shock, revolutionize the world? One thing I have discovered about myself is that I am my harshest critic. This permanent self-critical lens that I employ will only hinder me. And so, here are three ways that I am going to fight this internal monologue, open myself up to the world, laugh at myself, be a goldfish, give out love to the all, and embrace failure, change, rejection, and negativity:

1. I am going to start filming TikToks giving out resume, interview, job search, etc. tips. I’m sure you have seen my VasaVita LinkedIn posts where I am the sole post liker (shout out Ryhan for being a top engager). My friend Pat asked me a while ago why I don’t post videos on TikTok, and I gave a cowardice response, citing that it would be “too cringe.” But you know what. I’m going to do it. I’m going to make a post a week talking to the camera and giving out resume tips, interview prep, and other random tidbits of information. And if I get 0 views, well that’s okay. Just like with my newsletter, the goal will not be to go crazy viral. The goal is to just do it. If I can help even one person with this content that I create, then it’ll have been a success.
2. I am going to do stand-up comedy at least 3 times this year. Yes, yes, I know. I said this last year and I only did it once. But I promise! This year I will do it at least 3 times. I want to open myself up to laughter, laugh at myself more, and be more confident in settings where all eyes are on me.
3. I am going to take more risks this year. This is vague, and intentionally so. Because I can’t spoil everything before 2025 even starts!! Stay tuned for what this means! As I take these risks, I shall keep you apprised🫡 (especially if I fail).

Thank you for listening to me!

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 year!

And last but not least, the following growth check!

You all know the drill now: in the sprit of transparency and holding myself accountable, I include my audience count here to keep you apprised on my growth. We got a couple newcomers in December! 🎉

Looking forward to ~hopefully~ more growth next year! If you have any ideas or tips, feel free to share!