Meaningful Life
Lagom is a Swedish word that has no direct English equivalent. It means “just the right amount“. The Swedish-English dictionary defines lagom as “enough, sufficient, adequate, just right“. Lagom is also widely translated as “in moderation”, “in balance”, “optimal” and “suitable”
Importance of Lagom in Swedish Culture
Lagom forms a huge part of the culture in Sweden. One of the Swedish proverb, “Lagom är bäst”, means, “The right amount is best” but is also translated as “Enough is as good as a feast” and “There is virtue in moderation”. It permeates the Swedish society and language, from work and family to home decor, food, taking care of the environment, finances, and more. Its like practicing it everyday in all aspect of life.
How to live Swedish way ?
1. Be Positive: The first advice that the Swedish lifestyle provides us is having a balance as a true goal and the “enough” as the ultimate goal. Swedish people know how to be positive in every situation, learn from every experience , aspire to live fairly and in harmony with the surrounding. Swedish people don’t aspire for excess in life but for moderation.
2. Do Exercise and Sleep: The second piece of advice Swedish lifestyle gives us is to find time for exercise and rest, both activities that purify the mind and help to deal with everyday life in a positive spirit. Find time to relax and unwind, indulge in little joys, carve out a corner of peace to recharge, are all different solutions to get away from the worries of daily work or family.
3. Sustainability and Environment friendly: The third advice, and one of the important pillars of the Lagom philosophy, is to recognise the importance of recycling. Swedish know how to reuse or recycle and give new life to used objects but also to reconvert old furniture or old things with creativity, imagination and taste. Lagom lifestyle focusses on sustainability, saving energy and the reuse of materials with respect to the environment. This applies to everything from ingredients used in kitchen, choice of food, fashion or furniture at home.
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4. Simple but functional living: Lagom means in harmony, moderation, utility and versatility, and all these indications also apply to the house, to which the fourth advice of the Swedish philosophy applies. There are a few rules to organise your home in accordance with the Lagom philosophy. Firstly make use of natural light in your home , place the reading desks near the windows and save electricity. Then choose wood both in the furniture and in the coverings, as it is a warm material and it is processed with a low release of pollutants. Use cushions and blankets of handmade materials such as wool and cotton and always opt for neutral colours as they create a warm and serene environment. In a Swedish lifestyle plants are important for home as they free air from pollutants and add serenity to home. If your home has a garden where you grow your own fruits and vegetables you are living a Lagom way.
5. Imperfection is also beauty: The last piece of advice that Swedish way of living gives us is to stop running after perfection. You will be frustrated if you make a goal that is unattainable. Thus focus on steps and try to have a balance. The true happiness is to immerse oneself in one’s life with joy and preserve the strength to face every day with serenity, living and working with harmony, simplicity and awareness.
Lagom in its most powerful form means “optimal”. It signifies the ideal state for each one of us where we feel contented and happy in our lives. Lagom changes its meaning in different situations. It can mean anything from optimal to appropriate to manageable. Once you understand this, then it is easy to understand how Lagom works in different everyday situations. You can also practice and make it a part of your life. Because this is the way Swedish people have been living from years and thus also making their country one of the happiest country in the world according to the annual World Happiness Report.
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