Sisu
For the past five years Finland has been recognized as the happiest country in the world. Yes, there is an index that measures such thing! Despite a history of challenging times, social isolation and long, dark winters, the country tops the list when it comes to life evaluations, stability and positive emotions. The obvious questions is; Why Finland? I recently listened to a book called Everyday Sisu by Katja Pantzar which introduced me to one of the reasons why the Finnish life is so stable, sustainable and healthy for the body and mind.
By definition, sisu is “extraordinary determination in the face of extreme adversity, and courage that is presented typically in situations where success is unlikely”. It expresses itself in taking action against the odds, and displaying courage and resoluteness in the face of adversity. The word originated from ‘sisus’, which literally means “guts” in Finnish. Sisu is seen as the social glue that defined the nation when it gained its independence in 1917. Finland gives credit to sisu for their ability to fight off an invasion from Russia in 1939 despite being far outnumbered. And sisu has been used to explain Finland’s great sporting achievements. Finland even has it’s own emoji for sisu.
I think the pandemic taught us a lot about resilience, but overall I worry that here in America our ability to power through challenges as a collective whole may be waning. Suicide rates are at an all time high. There seems to be a constant search for a “quick fix” to problems. And we are overly reliant on substances to “get through”. Life continues to get more complex and with that comes new and more difficult challenges that lie ahead. The need for more grit and to strengthen our ability to fight back when things don’t go our way is more critical than ever. Both physically and mentally - there is power in pushing past what you think you are capable of, finding a second wind when you want to give up and settling into the discomfort to overcome adversity.
In Pantzar’s book, she shares six keys to building sisu; connecting with nature, strengthening community, using what you have, reframing what you can’t control, adopting a solutions mindset, and finding strength in the struggle. She highlights that these are not things we are born with, but rather things we can do to strengthen our mental and physical resilience. These are great tools for us personally, and also great tools that we can incorporate as leaders professionally within our organizations to help better prepare our teams for the challenges that come their way. Remember, we can’t control what happens to us, we can only control how we prepare and how we respond.