Sisu -- transforming barriers into frontiers | Emilia Lahti | TEDxTurku

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. What is sisu? And how can we find it when we are struggling?

Emilia Lahti (M.Sc., MAPP) is a researcher whose work revolves around understanding how individuals summon strength in the face of extreme adversity and come out of hardships with a newly discovered sense of purpose and adaptability. A personal trauma prompted Emilia to perform a full career switch and she is currently pursuing a PhD at Aalto University. Her work on sisu as a psychological capacity has been featured in Forbes, Business Insider and Scientific American.

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[MayaMauler]

I'm an Aussie born of both Scottish and Finnish blood (God help us!!!) here in the good new land of OZ. The finnish side of my upbringing was always pre-eminent due to most of my relatives here being Finnish.
As you put it, Sisu is a way of life, a way of living, a way of being true to yourself and to those around you.
If Sisu was a law, the world would be a much better place!!

[sefewet]

combine sisu with flow, heart and mind and you form the spiral of growth that has no limit, its litterly the drill that creates the heavens!

[ghoralaziola]

Emilia, Thank you for inspiring me.
As an Asian, I truly appreciate what you share with the world. It opened my new perspective.
now i try to grow my own Sisu ^_^

[AnikaLichte]

One of the most transformative and inspiring talks I have seen.

[MsWill]

Well explained. I does not matter if you can do it, when you have to do it, you do it.

[johnjaatinen]

My thoughts on Sisu....
The literal translation for Sisu is ‘insides’. This translation does not help to describe what Sisu is. A better way to explain to non-Finnish people what Sisu is, is to convey its actual meaning. Sisu’s actual meaning is ‘inner character”.
An even better way to convey Sisu’s meaning is to subdivide Sisu into “Sinnun Sisu” which means “your inner character” and “Soumen Sisu” which means “Finland’s inner character”. As Finnish children grow this Soumen Sisu becomes a part of their own inner character i.e. their own Sisu.
So what is this inner character of the Finnish people, this Soumen Sisu? It is a character that has been built into their society over many centuries of hardship and adversity, and has become a part of their culture and national identity.
According to the Finns, the five keys to deal with adversity and hardship are:
1. Control stress and don’t let fear dominate you. In difficult times, it’s important to manage anxiety and stress
2. If we let negative emotions grind us down, we’ll be no more than a barren branch fighting against the winds, and we’ll end up breaking
3. We must be able to control our fears, rationalise our panic and control stressful emotions
4. Persevere. People who have Sisu are patient, accept frustration and are creative. They wait for appropriate times, and advance step by step, without surrender, and without ever giving up.
5. Be honest. Respect for oneself and for others is essential to the Finnish people. Everyone is concerned about others because they understand that it is by working together that we survive. Respecting and taking care of each other gives us all a better quality of life. Remember this.
From my experience these five principles sum up Finland’s inner character – the Soumen Sisu. They are principles that were taught to me by my parents and by my exposure to Finnish society in general.
To me it is no surprise that all Finnish adults know what their own and the nations Sisu is, but find it very difficult to explain to foreigners. The examples they give to foreigners have always been the results of Sisu, not Sisu itself.
Some of the finest examples of Soumen Sisu come from the stories my father told me in my youth.
He was a nine year old child of a Karelian family that were evacuated from their home near Sortavala at the beginning of the Finnish-Russian Winter War which began in November 1939. Rather than leave the Karelian people to fend for themselves the Finnish government and army helped them to move to other parts of Finland where food and shelter was provided for them. The Karelian men went back to fight in the war and the Finnish communities embraced and looked after the women and children until the men returned from the fighting. After the war was over land grants were given to many Karelian families who had lost their land and homes in Karelia to the Russians. This relates directly to key 5 above.
There are many other stories that I could tell…

[lorisimpson]

Beautiful and generous Emilia, thank you. Lori

[Arskad]

A good way to experience sisu for any non Fin is to drink a few bottles of Salmiakki Koskenkorva untill you pass out then when you wake up drink a half bottle more and top it with some coffee.

[duannfischer]

I met a lovely lady recently and who is Finnish. She said I was sisu. I didn't know what it was. She is accurate, I am sisu. I didn't know what it was and had to watch several videos so I could understand. 😊

[AivarAhmed]

thanks a bunch for such a beautiful speech with unparallel words. 🌟

[paolotondelli]

I think you had a great sisu talking about a so unic term as "sisu" in public. Compliments!

[HAHA.GoodMeme]

Great talk, I got a lot out of it. Thank you!

[senshai]

Here after the trailer for the movie Sisu just dropped .

[HurtinAlbertan]

Beautifully done and said ; though the "atomic" comparison threw me off a bit : it is true, Sisu does expose itself when you truly need it ; dont just have it as a way of heart, it should be a way of LIFE.

[tipiwarrior]

Olipa inspiroiva puheenvuoro! Olen myös kovin kiinnostunut positiivisesta psykologiasta, olisi mahtavaa oppia lisää aiheesta ja työskennellä sen parissa. Onko sinulla vinkkejä miten päästä alaan kiinni? -Tiina

[BarsoomTork]

In Finnish, Sisu means you're never Finished.

[eboxit]

A small correction regarding his Harward studies. According to my knowledge William James entered Harward at the age of 19. His godson, William James Sidis, the child prodigy who is listed in various sources as having had the highest IQ ever measured, was enrolled to Harward at the age of 11, becoming the youngest person to enroll to Harward. The University had previously refused his father to enroll him at the age of 9, on the grounds that he was still a child :-)

[samspencer]

I´m the 601:th like, yeah!!! Sisu is so great!!!

[ljavwa]

In Canada we call it *givin'r*
You just gotta *give'r* bud

[ItsNeverTooHotLeather]

Hmmmm, sisu sounds like chutzpah! Audacity would be the word that comes to mind in English.