Inspiring Women – Chrissy Gruninger
Welcome to the Inspiring Women Series! My intention behind this series is for women of all backgrounds and stages of life to share what makes them love their life. My hope is that, through sharing this, you become inspired to live more of a life that you love. If you are interested in being featured in this series please send me an inquiry at danielle@danielleyeager.com and I will send you more information. I am incredibly excited about this series because I see so many women floating through life not feeling engaged, happy, or loving life. I want everyone to love the life they are living and live to the fullest!
The inspiring woman being featured this month is Chrissy Gruninger, here is her story:
Tell us how you are living a life you love?
I often say… “I’m in love with my life”. Not everyone believes me. They tilt their head to one side and squint their eyes and ask, “Really?”
They ask me: How do I do it, how do I continue to live in such a crazy, upside down place? Why don’t I come home? How am I so healthy and NOT a raging alcoholic ? (truly, those are the most frequently asked questions by concerned family and friends!)
The answer: Because I’m in love with my life! Every day, I get to wake up to the squawk of the scarlet macaws and the howl of the monkeys. I’m greeted by beautiful blue skies in the morning and I fall asleep to the sound of thunder and lightning storms that send my cats running under the covers of my bed. I am always in awe of everything around me. Every experience, every moment, every breath.
But it’s not just my environment that makes me love my life. It is because I’m consciously choosing, every day, to live fully, to live life on my terms. It’s here that I get to work with awesome clients, who are doing good things in their lives and out in the world. That is my purpose, that is my why – to live a happy, healthy and harmonious life and to support others in doing the same.
Living in California, I was mindful and doing my work but I was also so unhealthy. Every day, I had insufferable allergies. In contrast, every time I traveled south, to Central America and even to Cuba, I was healthy. And being in those places made me feel so alive with more energy and freedom than I was experiencing even on my better days in California.
So that is why I moved to Costa Rica. I wasn’t running away or trying to escape something… I was running to good health and a happy life. But I had no idea the challenges that were ahead of me…
What hurdles came up on your way to getting there?
For the first two years of living in Costa Rica, I was lost. I was doing my work, I was healthy (YAY!) and for the most part, loving each and every day. But there was something missing…I wasn’t living as mindfully as I had been in California. I got caught up in a lifestyle that wasn’t really me. It took me awhile to realize that the community I was living in just wasn’t the same as the mindful community of where I had come from. I was surrounded by an expat community of people who, while they were very kind in many ways, often enjoyed living a less than healthy lifestyle (in my opinion). I was also surrounded by people who weren’t doing much with their lives. Some had jobs but for the most part it was for survival, to put food on the table that day. Sometimes, if they had money for that day, they wouldn’t even show up for work. Others didn’t have jobs and wanted to spend every day at the beach. None of those choices fell into what my definition was of living a full and meaningful life.
A well known mantra of Costa Rica is: Make Easy Hard. I can attest, from personal experience, that it’s totally true. Everything from small issues like yellow lemons don’t exist here to having to sit in a freezing cold bank for 4 hours just to try to cash a check because the ATM’s don’t have a slot for making a deposit (and don’t even think that the online banking is set up for taking a smart phone image and depositing it that way! Maybe in another 10-15 years, we’ll get that technology).
It’s also a very different culture. In contrast to my life in California, here in Costa Rica it’s commonplace to be lied to, stolen from, manipulated, harassed and discriminated against…both because I’m a woman and because I’m Caucasian, also known as the “blue eyed tax”. Never before had I experienced people thinking I was lesser than them because of my gender. That was new for me…and a huge challenge.
It doesn’t matter that I have a legitimate business here, I pay taxes here and I’m in the process of getting residency. I’m still a woman and I’m white. Those were major hurdles I had to overcome. I understood that I was a foreigner, living in someone else’s country, and that is why I tried to do everything by the book. I really tried to respect the rules. Unfortunately, none of that seemed to matter.
What has been the biggest help in living a life you love?
Eventually, I acknowledged that I was lost, that I wasn’t living in a way that created more harmony, not just in my life but to the benefit of others. It was then that I took the first step in once again living a wholehearted, full life. I looked within. I remembered my inherent harmony…what was inside me all along. I understood that I had fallen off the path of living a happy, healthy and harmonious life.
I also remembered that I AM a strong, confident and courageous woman…and it didn’t matter if people didn’t think the same about me. I learned that not everyone needs to, or is going to, like me. And I learned to be okay with that. That being bullied, ignored or mistreated was not a result of something I had done but was instead their own insecurities and feelings of inferiority showing up.
What is the best lesson you have learned along your journey?
To make the grass green where I am. When I chose to move, it was for health reasons. And I may have my health now but I have faced other major challenges here. My life is by no means perfect…but it is beautiful. Because I make it beautiful. I show up every single day and I do the work. I have known so many people who think that life will be so perfect if they could just live in “paradise”. But paradise doesn’t really exist. No matter where you go, no matter who you are, there will be challenges. You have to really be in love with yourself first… because external validation and external sources or places are not going to fix what is wrong. If anything, it could make life even more complicated. When you make the grass green where you are (by knowing and loving yourself), it will give you the strength and courage to get through the more difficult times, wherever you may be.
What would you say to someone who feels like living a life they love is impossible?
It’s totally possible. Look within. Believe in yourself. Know who you are and how you want to show up in the world. Then start doing it. Every single day. Even if it’s just taking a few moments to review the goals you’re working towards and the steps you’re taking. Stay focused.
Have the strength and courage to make your own net…knowing that when you leap, you may have to sew that net up a few times. We all fail, we all make mistakes, we all struggle but we must remember to pick ourselves up and keep moving forward. To keep taking risks. You will never know what you’re capable of, if you don’t take that first step.
How are you continuing to ensure you love your life every day?
I show up. Every day. I find contentment amongst the chaos. When life goes awry (which is often), I return my focus to the present moment. I take a few deep breaths (or a lot, depending on the situation). I remind myself of who I am and why I’m here:
I am a beautiful, wholehearted being. I am perfectly imperfect. I am here to live fully and freely. To thrive. To create more happiness, health and harmony in the world and to inspire others to do the same.
Hi, I’m Chrissy Gruninger! Founder of Sanguine Collective and author of 8 inspirational eco and travel books (with 2 more in progress!). I love my life and all that I do … each and every sanguine moment!
I love yellow lemons and peanut butter cups. Neither of which are found in Costa Rica. But I figure that life can never “give me lemons” if they don’t exist and I’ve learned how to make my own vegan peanut butter cups.
My mission in life, everything I do, is to empower others to thrive in an imperfect world. To help people find happiness where they are. To live beautiful, vibrant and meaningful lives. To see themselves as whole and supported. To always find the rainbow. Every day.
To support individuals and companies, helping them show up more brightly in the world and start new trends of how to create more harmony, more wholehearted oneness… producing positive ripples out into their communities and our precious planet.
Let’s connect:
Website: http://www.sanguinecollective.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sanguinecollective
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/instasanguine
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sanguinecollective
I hope you enjoyed Chrissy’s story of following her journey to finding health. Did you gain any insights from her story? If so, please share them in the comments and if you are looking to connect with other women going after their dreams join the free facebook group Your Life. Your Way.
Much love, Danielle