"The important thing is not your process. The important thing is your process for improving your process." (Ryan Todd). In this episode we start to dig into our stories of sisu (a practice introduced in the previous episode) to build our personal manual for navigating tough times. The key is to not continue to rely on sisu to appear randomly (which happens too because it is life force whose job is to keep you alive) or in ways that leave unnecessary damage its wake due to unwise over-extension or lack of self-care during the process. Some healthy steps toward constructive sisu include: 1) intentionally preparing for times that demand sisu and 2) cultivating patterns and habits that promote healthy sisu. I recommend using and crafting a diary specifically dedicated for understanding your patterns and habits around sisu. A book that over time gets filled with your most valued insights and tips from both life and research regarding the many pathways to fortitude. Thus, it can become the basis for your personal user manual for enduring hardship and expressing courage in the face of nonexistent odds. The problem isn't so much that we don't have strength. We simply get caught in dysfunctional patterns (negative thinking, projections, and nervous system that is off whack) and forget the levers we can and must pull to access sisu. Hope you enjoy the episode!
Sisu is a reserve of inner strength but it's also a way for us to know ourselves and impact the world in a positive way. Cultivating these reserves of inner strength starts with self-care and continues through self-inquiry. its power then extends to the world through our inspired acts of deep courage and compassion.
Thanks for tuning in! You can find out more about sisu, find links to research, and check out Gentle Power: A Revolution in How We Think, Lead, and Succeed Using the Finnish Art of Sisu at www.sisulab.com.
Sisu is great, love is greatness.