Dr. Elisabet Lahti was running along New Zealand’s South Island when she first felt it—a persistent pain in her ankle. It wasn’t severe enough to stop her, but it lingered as she embarked on a 2,400-kilometer run and cycle record attempt in 2018. For seven consecutive days, she averaged 48 kilometers daily.
“The highway I was running on got so hot that the heat was coming through my shoes and making my feet swell and altered my gait,” she recalls. “I got these blisters and everything. I treated the imbalance in my body, but I was in a lot of pain between days eight and 12.”
Faced with the universal question of whether to push on or quit, Finnish-born Lahti drew upon the philosophy of her homeland, known as sisu.
The Essence of Sisu
Sisu, shaped by Finland’s harsh weather and proximity to Russia, is often defined as an unyielding inner strength and the ability to persevere through adversity. Its roots trace back 500 years and it is credited with fostering mental toughness and resilience during stressful times. Some argue it contributes to Finland’s status as the world’s happiest country.
For Lahti, sisu became the focus of her thesis, culminating in her book Gentle Power: A Revolution in How We Think, Lead, and Succeed Using the Finnish Art of Sisu. Now an expert on the topic, she believes much of what has been written about sisu misses the mark.
“Sisu to me is like roots, it’s what digs us to the ground,” she explains. “So if there is a storm, we’re not just knocked down.”
In her New Zealand challenge, sisu was less about enduring pain and more about finding inner strength to continue. “Sisu as a word, it literally means, when translated, ‘insides’ – the intestines. It is to understand what and who we are,” Lahti says.
Sisu in Modern Context
Central to sisu is the notion of tuning out external expectations and listening to oneself. “Sisu is unique as a concept in psychology because in Finnish culture sisu is not just a word that denotes tenacity or this inner resilience and great perseverance, but it also has this flavor of moral correctness and integrity,” Lahti notes. “You do something and you do it really well, even when no one is watching.”
Despite portrayals in popular culture, such as the 2022 action film Sisu, Lahti emphasizes that true sisu is quiet, contemplative, and gentle. This concept holds valuable lessons for Australians.
Podcaster Susanna Heiskanen, author of Nordic Lifestyle: Embrace Slow Living, Cultivate Happiness and Know When to Take off Your Shoes, observes, “When I moved [to Australia] in 2008, I was surprised by how similar these two nations really are. After living 10 years in the UK, it was lovely to discover the shared love of nature between Australians and Finns – nature is truly important to both cultures.”
Shared Values and Resilience
Heiskanen notes that Australians unknowingly tap into sisu, especially when faced with adversity. “I see a communal spirit here in Australia that mirrors sisu,” she says. “Looking at disaster-affected areas, I see sisu in action – people working together towards a common goal, using their inner strength to get through flood or bushfire-ravaged lives, rebuilding their livelihoods and homes.”
Finns continue to rely on sisu to endure challenges. “Sisu is a collective determination that the nation has in abundance,” Heiskanen says. “I recently saw a documentary about Finnish preparedness against occupation or war – the underground tunnels and halls that are used daily for sports, parking, and children’s activities, but can house more people than the entire population of Helsinki. That’s resilience in action: planning ahead and making sure you’re prepared no matter what.”
Sisu is even taught in Finnish schools as a historical and cultural concept of perseverance. The 1939 Winter War against Russia exemplifies this national characteristic.
The Dual Nature of Sisu
Both Lahti and Heiskanen highlight that sisu’s true strength lies not only in persisting but also in knowing when to pause. “I don’t think you can ever have too much sisu. It’s your superpower for happiness, and there’s never too much happiness in the world,” Heiskanen says. “That said, true sisu also means knowing when to rest and regroup – it’s sustained strength, not reckless stubbornness.”
For Lahti, the turning point during her New Zealand endeavor came when she heeded her body’s signals. “It was a Guinness World Record pursuit and people were watching it, so it was a pressure. But there is always a thing of ‘are we listening to the drumbeat outside or is it our own?’ That’s where the whole thing shifted for me and that’s where our sisu becomes sustainable, when we listen to ourselves.”
In an unpredictable world, Lahti believes sisu offers a path forward. “It is something that allows us to push through those hard things,” she says. “But the idea isn’t that we evermore live in societies where we need to use our sisu to simply find a way to survive through our days, but how do we create more compassion and care so that we can strengthen that power within us and use it to build a better environment.
“Sisu lives in this togetherness. It stays not just in you but in me, it lives in between us.”
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