Skip to main content

SISU: The Finnish Concept of Resilience

Introduction In a world filled with challenges and setbacks, the quest for resilience has become paramount. Resilience is more than just overcoming hardship; it's about flourishing in the midst of it. And when it comes to resilience, few cultures embody it as profoundly as the Finns, who have a word for this indomitable spirit: Sisu. Sisu, pronounced "see-soo," is a unique Finnish concept that encapsulates grit, determination, and courage in the face of adversity. It's an intrinsic quality deeply embedded in the Finnish psyche, influencing how they approach life's challenges. But what exactly is Sisu, and how can we incorporate this powerful mindset into our own lives? At its core, Sisu is about perseverance in the face of extreme adversity. It's the ability to summon inner strength and tenacity when confronted with seemingly insurmountable obstacles. While resilience is a universal trait found in every culture, Sisu has distinct characteristics that set it ap

Habit 4: Think Win-Win

Habit 4: Think Win-Win

Introduction

Habit 4 of Stephen R. Covey’s "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" is "Think Win-Win". When one side benefits more from the transaction as compared to another side then it is known as a Win-Lose Situation. In the short run, the winner might feel good but in long term, it breeds distrust and resentment. We already realized the importance of starting early and taking 100% responsibility for ourselves through Habit 1: Be Proactive. Then we understood the importance of setting a goal and truly feeling it through Habit 2: Begin with End in Mind. Thereafter we observed the importance of setting priorities in our life through Habit 3: Putting first things first. Now we come to a point where it’s become important to understand the disadvantages of becoming selfish for our own goals. We must help others to achieve their goals in order to achieve our own goals. Let’s further explore Habit 4: Think Win-Win through 6 paradigms of human interaction.

6 paradigms of human interaction

Some sort of negotiation is always there in our day-to-day dealings with the world. These can be big or small like “How to ask for forgiveness?”, “How much will you pay for the product ?” Etc. There are six paradigms of human interaction and these paradigms are Win, Win/Lose, Lose/Win, Lose/Lose, Win/Win or No Deal and Win/Win. We cannot run from these paradigms and all of these interactions happen throughout our life. But we must know that a Win-Win situation is best for the maximum situation and we must strive to achieve this condition but it’s not an effective method for all situations. Let’s understand all paradigms in more detail:
Win
This is a very selfish type of paradigm because here we focus on our own win only. If you have this type of mentality then you focus on your own win whether other people win or lose. You are concerned about taking care of yourself and expect others to feel the same thing for themselves. 
Watch this video to understand that "Why we must never give up?"
Win/Lose
It’s an “I Beat You mentality”. Here people think that their success means the failure of someone else. Leaders with this type of personality use the authoritarian style and try to use their power, authority, and status to achieve their targets. Most of the sports are based on this paradigm. Many situations call for this paradigm but most of our life calls for cooperation, not competition.
Lose/Win
People with this mentality are lovers of taking paths of least resistance than fighting for what they want. They want to gain the acceptance of others and shy away from expressing their own feelings & needs. People with Win/Lose mindset love to work with Lose/Win people as they do not get any resistance in pursuing whatever they want. But both mindsets are born out of insecurities that are being expressed in the form of grabbing the power or losing for others.
People with this mindset are frustrated with their own lives.
Lose/Lose
Whenever two Win/Lose mentality people work with each other they get into the lose-lose paradigm. They are so focused on beating others that they are also ready to take a hit.
Win/Win or No Deal
Sometimes the Win-Win situation is not possible and therefore it is better to move on. The Win-Win or no deal paradigm comes into the picture when you want the benefit of both parties and if it’s not possible then both parties make a peace with each other. The Win-Win or no deal paradigm stressed the importance of relationships, when you choose this option then it shows that you give importance to the relationship over any negative situation. This paradigm is a very important part of the six paradigms of life.
Win-win is a belief in the third alternative. It's not your way or my way it's a better way a higher way
Win/Win
People with a Win-Win mindset choose cooperation over competition. Stephen Covey suggested that this is the best possible mindset of any person. In this mindset, people strive to find the best possible outcome for both parties. Reaching a Win-Win situation is very difficult because we need to understand the perspective of the other party and maintain a perfect balance Between the interest of one another.

Summary

People with a Win-Win mindset focuses on cooperation and not on beating others. Win-Win mindset believes that there are ample opportunities available in this world so that all of us can become successful people simultaneously. Personality with a Win-Win attitude possesses these three very vital character traits:
1. Abundance mentality: firm belief that there are plenty of opportunities available for all of us
2. Integrity: sticking with values, commitments, and compassion for others
3. Maturity: patiently listening to the ideas and feelings of the other party and at the same time expressing our own ideas and feelings with consideration and courage.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

21 Principles of Miyamoto Musashi

Introduction Miyamoto Musashi lived during the Sengoku period of Japan. He was a Samurai, a philosopher, and a Japanese swordsman. He was raised as a Buddhist. He was called Kensei that is, a sword saint of Japan as he was one of the world’s greatest swordsmen that anybody has ever seen. Musashi wrote a book called Dokkōdō (The Path of Aloneness”, or “The Way of Walking Alone”) for his favorite student in the last week before his death. This book contains the philosophy of his life as 21 precepts on self-discipline and perseverance. M iyamoto Musashi 21 rules are explained below: 21 Principles of Miyamoto Musashi 1. Accept everything just the way it is: This is the first principle of the 21 principles of Miyamoto Musashi. It means that if we remain attached to our ideas of how things should be in our life, then, there will be no lasting peace. 2. Do not seek pleasure for its own sake: This is the second principle of the 21 principles of Miyamoto Musashi. The pleasure if generated by li

25 Chanakya Quotes For Success

Introduction Chanakya lived in 4th Century BC. He was one of the first leadership gurus of India. His ideas on how to identify leaders and groom them to rule a nation has been documented in his most famous book Arthashastra. Chanakya Quotes or Chanakya Niti Quotes can transform your life and prepare you for a big goal. We brought a set of 25 Chanakya quotes in english for you today. You can feel and inculcate ethics of Chanakya through these Chanakya quotes. Read these quotes and become a corporate Chanakya. 25 Chanakya Quotes For Success 1. “The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the directions of the wind. But, the goodness of a person spreads in all direction”  ~ Chanakya 2. “Avoid him who talks sweetly before you but tries to ruin you behind your back, for he is like a pitcher full of poison with milk on top.”  ~ Chanakya Chanakya Quotes or Chanakya Niti Quotes can transform your life and prepare you for a big goal. We brought a set of 25 Chanakya quotes in english for you today.

14 Step Goal Setting Guide: Brian Tracy

Introduction The 14 step goal setting guide by Brian Tracy helps us to achieve our goals faster and easier. Brian Tracy’s goal-setting method is easy to understand and when we use it on regular basis, we will find that these steps leave a very powerful impact on our lives. In the human mind, people feel happy if they are driven to goals but people never get satisfied and they want more and more. Preparation is required to achieve great success, otherwise, when the opportunities come, people will look foolish. 14 steps goal setting guide Step 1: Decide what you want: This is the first step of the 14 step goal-setting guide. Brian Tracy suggests that clarity is the key. You can draw resources that are necessary for achieving your goal much faster if your goal is clear. He wants us to focus on the key areas of our life including our income, family, health, and net worth.  Buy life transforming books of Brian Tracy: Eat that Frog | Goals | No Excuses | Million Dollar Habits Step 2: Writ