Sisu definition: an emphatic persistence and perseverance – plus the willingness to live life to the fullest.

My friend has cancer. A liver tumour causes him chronic, severe pain and pressure. He told me how hard it is to live in constant pain. It’s difficult to sleep, and yet he doesn’t have the strength to stay awake because the pain relievers makes him so exhausted. And it doesn’t matter if he sits or stands – there’s no comfortable position for him.

But my friend fights this cancer, even though he’s under constant care. He had to accept his situation and give his life over to his doctor’s hands – to have the courage to ask for help. Near the end of his care programme, a large part of his liver was removed, leaving only a small part left to live with. Soon after his care was completed, he started feeling better. His doctors couldn’t remove all of the cancer because it was so widely spread, and gave him half a year to live – one year, max.

Well, he was still alive and fighting half a year after doctors thought he would be dead. He didn’t let cancer control his life. He accepted the pain. He accepted that in time, his doctors would increase the pain medicine’s dosage so much that he could no longer drive a car. And he accepted that each increase in dosage meant that he had even less time to live his life with meaning.

If you can’t change the situations in your life, accept that. Ask for help. Change what you can, but accept the things that are not possible for you to change.

My friend is unstoppable. He wants to live even though he knows he doesn’t have much time. He wants to help other people, especially his friends. He says that even as his death grows closer, he will never give up.

In these rare moments when we realise we’re not immortal and we’re truly going to die one day, we often start to see our lives in a different light. We prioritise things differently when these situations arise and give us pause. Sometimes we need another person in our lives or an accident to make us stop and think about how we live our lives.

But you don’t need to wait for life’s crises – you can prioritise important things in your life at any time. Taking time to reflect on your life is a very important task, and everyone should make time for life planning regularly. Some people set goals and priorities frequently, while others do it only when there are no other options.

Anyone can be unstoppable by taking control of their life. You are unstoppable when you are the master of your own life. An unstoppable person lives a healthy life style. The unstoppable you loves life, lives for the moment and has dreams. The unstoppable you sets goals and gets closer to your dreams milestone by milestone. Being unstoppable is about failing, being sorry and learning from mistakes. The unstoppable you accepts your own limits and is realistic. Being unstoppable is about having strength, keeping life in balance and possessing what we Finns call “sisu” – an emphatic persistence and perseverance – plus the willingness to live life to the fullest.