A piece of wisdom from
September 8, 2025 · Monday
The quote
“Focusing is about saying no.”
— Steve Jobs · The Power of No
The concept
Sisu
The Finnish word for the strength that shows up only when everything is gone.
Two hundred days of darkness a year. Forty below in winter. Russia next door. The Finns had to invent a word for the strength that shows up only when everything is gone, and they named it sisu. Sisu is not grit. Not resilience. Not courage.…
A practice for today
Before bed tonight, name one thing where the lesson of Sisu. The Finnish word for the strength that shows up only when everything is gone.
From the Bhagavad Gita
Verse 3.5
न हि कश्चित्क्षणमपि जातु तिष्ठत्यकर्मकृत्। कार्यते ह्यवशः कर्म सर्वः प्रकृतिगुणैः॥
“No one can remain even for a moment without performing action. Everyone is helplessly driven to act by the qualities born of nature.”
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