Today, Febraury 28th, is "Day of SISIU - 2015"!  What is "SISU"? Well, it's hard to say exactly. There are a lot of ways of putting it, a lot of interpretations, and even some disagreement about what it means. Most people say that is it something that is uniquely Finnish, but if you ask me, I've seen it in people of all nationalities!

To celebrate,  I am sharing a list of all of the definitions I have collected over the past year in my attempt to better understand this word and how it relates to what I am made of and who I am. The definitions below are shared in no particular order and were provided by teens, adults, and seniors in Fairport Harbor (Ohio), as well as Lapua, Kauhava, Helsinki and Turku (Finland), as a part of story circles and interviews. Some were even collected on the backs of little red wooden houses in honor of my mom. You can read her story here.

The "Day of SISU" is part of a global initiative called "Year of SISU" spearheaded by Emilia Lahti of SISU LAB. She is a brilliant researcher who has been writing about "sisu" in terms of psychological capacity. She is leading an inaugural event in Helsinki today at Korjaamo that will put "sisu" on the Finnish calendar for the first time in 500 years! She has also encouraged people to host sisuesque gatherings all over the world. If you are in Los Angeles, please join us tonight at Chekov Studio International for a story circle about "sisu" and the creative process. And,  if you really get into the concept (which I hope you will) there will also be an "Hour of SISU" on March 10th during which Emilia encourages you to do one thing that you know would benefit you, but which you have been putting off. 

Persistence
Perseverance
Relentlessness
Guts!
Determination
Not being a sissy
Bravery
"Never give up, even when things go wrong"
Temperament
Grit
TRUE GRIT
Mental and physical strength (2x)
Salmiaki (a brand of Finnish licorice candy, see photo example below)
"Do what you want and you don’t have to listen to other people’s opinions"
Resilience
One who never quits when the pressure is on
"Uh. . . something to do with the Winter War"
Stubbornness
"Sisu = to survive from war" 
"The gap between waking up and making coffee"
Not giving up
Ganbaru
Courage no matter what
"Go" (from Google Translate)
Unyielding
"Finnish  Strong"
Being afraid but saddling up anyway...
"Keep on going"
Salvation
elama on kuolema ja kuolema on elama  (Finnish for  - Life is death,  and death is a life)
Having a tough it out mentality
It's a way to say - "Hide your feelings, don't cry, harden yourself. . . and other equally stupid things. No wonder [Finland is] at the top of the suicide list. . ."
Finnish heavy metal
Overcoming all odds / Persevering against the odds
"It’s like discovering that you have a jetpack on your back when you are on your way down"
A sparkle of belief that I can get through anything
Power from within
"Crossing the ocean and starting a new life"
"4 against 400"
"All my feelings reflected in a crooked hat"
Gumption
"What an Olympic athlete has"
Spunk
"When you decide something needs to be done"
Internal fortitude*
Being strong at the face of weakness
"To a child it is almost like a superpower, to an adult it becomes a way of life"
"The letters on my license plate"
Walking 12 miles to work
"Having the courage and determination to overcome obstacles that you never thought were possible"
Sitkeys (Finnish word for "staying power")
"Coping with whatever comes up 'cause you never know what surprises are around the corner"
Taking what life hands you
"It's a word runners know very well"
"Being afraid of going into battle but doing it anyways. . ."
"A yellow bird toy found in the streets of Turku on November"
"Pushing a plow through the hard ground whether it is clay or sand"
"My late father"
Working until the work is done
"S = See and strive for your I = Inner S= Strength and U = Use it"
Tenacity of purpose
"That glimmer from within that drives you to juggle more than you ever dreamed imaginable, with and open  heart and a smile"
"Similar to Churchill's - Keep Calm and Carry On"
"That raw strength you draw from so that no matter what may lay ahead, stopping is not an option until you have given all that is within . . . "
"In a way it is patriotic. It shows pride, belonging, it implies for the "good" and leans toward success or accomplishment, although I'm not sure it matters if success is achieved, so much as that the integrity of purpose is upheld and honor is retained"
"It is what pushes humanity forward in our darkest hour, blazing new trails where once all we could see were insurmountable obstacles" (from Saad, Emilia's better half, who also adds - "To me Sisu holds a special place because it is embodied by a special human being, one who I am honored to call my wife")
"Deep inner yearning and drive to not only persevere through challenges, but through life itself"
"It's what my husband has - he is Afghan"
"Digging deep to find the inner resources and strength to get the job done"
Potato picking spirit - a female arm wrestler with the ability to pick potatoes for hours without giving up.

* This is the one that would always make my mom laugh every time, and I'm pretty sure she would have also loved the one about the jet pack! 

If you have a definition or an idea about "sisu" that isn't on the list, I'd love to hear it. Please add it in the comment section below or send an email to: [email protected]. I'll also be crafting a post in the near future titled, "Where I get my SISU", in order to share some of the longer reflections that were sent it. Many thanks to everyone who participated! 

Much love and sisu to all of you today, 

-Park

Which one of these photos best describes sisu?
A) Finnish candy
B) Park's first time in a cold lake after a sauna with his great long lost uncle, Antti.

It is my pleasure to welcome a new person to the SISU is in the Heart family!  Saara Wacklin and I met a few weeks prior to my trip to Finland at a Finnish Creative Industries networking event in Santa Monica. Ever since our first conversation, I knew that her skills and interest in community based art  would make her a perfect project collaborator. She will act as the  Community Manager, directly engaging and connecting with communities of Finns in Los Angeles, CA and Fairport Harbor, Ohio. 

You'll be hearing lots more from her in the months to come, but if you'd like to reach out and say hello, you can drop her an email at: [email protected].

Tervetuloa, Saara!

-Park

A couple of weeks ago, I became acquainted with Emilia Lahti, a researcher whose work revolves around understanding how individuals, groups and organizations grow from challenges and come out of hardships with a newly discovered sense of strength, purpose and adaptability.  She is a scholar of "sisu" and seeks answers to many of the same questions I  am posing with the SISU is in the Heart project. 
 
In ten days, Emilia will spearhead a global event titled, "Day of Sisu" in order to recognize and celebrate the strength that resides in all of us. The event will kick off at Korjaamo in Helsinki on Saturday, February 28th, and comes with an open invitation for people to host their own sisuesque events all over the world. You can check out more of the details here and learn how to set up an event in your community. This event officially adds "sisu" to the Finnish calendar for the first time in its 500 year history and will continue to grow in future years-- it's quite the undertaking and pretty awesome if you ask me!

On Tuesday, March 10th, there will also be a global challenge called the "Hour of Sisu". Between 3 PM and 4 PM (your local time) Emilia is encouraging you to do one thing that you know will benefit you, but is something that you have been putting off. Maybe it’s something scares you but which will help you push your boundaries in a healthy, empowering way. The goal is to turn these boundaries (e.g. fear, uncertainty, complacency or desire for comfort) into frontiers.

So, what will I be doing to participate on the 28th? Two things! 

1) I'll be sharing a blog post compiling all of the definitions for "sisu" that I have gathered over the past year of research for the play. Want to contribute? There's still plenty of time. Send an email to: [email protected] with the answers to these two questions: What does sisu mean to you? Where do you get your sisu?  and I'll add your response to the list! 

2) I'm hosting a small personal gathering in Los Angeles, CA in partnership with Chekov Studio International and Helsinki West to dig a little deeper and to hear more stories from the Finnish American community and to hone in a little more closely on what it means to have "sisu" as an artist. Click HERE for more information and to RSVP. After the session, I'll share a re-cap with some thoughts (and possibly some video) from the session. 

If you've just found yourself on my site for the first time, please check out ABOUT THE PROJECT to learn more about the play I am writing about my family and my mom, who had more "sisu" than anyone I have ever met.

-PC 

P.S. Want to know more about sisu and how Emilia defines it? Check out her recent talk from TEDx Turku!