111: Growing into Your Authentic Self with Mutale Bingley

Ever wish you could create an entirely different life from the lives of the people around you? Mutale Bingley did just that. Born and raised in Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia in Africa, she didn’t want to have the voiceless life so many females around her seemed to have as they dealt with poverty, abuse, and HIV Aids. In this episode, Mutale shares her story of getting to the U.S. and finding her authentic self through her struggles to acculturate in a new country, and how she continues to nurture her authentic self through quiet morning practices that help her live the story she was born to live.

What You'll Learn in this Episode:

• How we often give up pieces of ourselves to win acceptance.
• The art of co-creating the life you envision.
• Why it’s important to validate our own thoughts.

Nuggets of Wisdom from Mutale:

“There’s no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” – Maya Angelou (I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings)

“I, like Maya, am a creative writer. I know that with an equal amount of persistence and dedicated effort, my work will eventually be ready to submit to a publisher. To whom much is given, much is expected.”

“I think the most important thing for me is living mindfully. Infusing deliberate intentions into your life. There is a saying, ‘The extent to which you can admire someone else's house is the roof.' The only thing you can admire in someone’s house is their roof; you have no idea what is going on the inside. And I know, as an immigrant, part of what I had to go through was an acculturation, which means I had to lose part of myself to win acceptance in a foreign country. I had to show up as people sort of expected me to show up in order to win favor in employment, in order to win favors in friendship even. All along the way, I struggled with the fact that there were pieces of myself that would were being lost, that were not really me. I really am ok with who I am. I really love who I am.”

“When I am really focused and dedicated, I have more clarity. I am more intentional and more mindful in how I live.”

What does it mean to be a Vibrant Happy Woman?

“The SUN makes me vibrant and happy. Vitamin D is a great energy booster. Cherishing every moment as it unfolds and living an intentional life daily to be more authentically the love of my life. Choosing daily to practice self love.”

“Happiness isn’t a feeling. Feelings are temporary. They come and go like waves. Happiness is not found in material things or in our jobs. Happiness is something that permeates from within and is cultivated from within.”

Links From This Episode:

• Follow Jen Riday on Instagram
• Follow Mutale on Instagram
• Jen on Facebook
• Mutale on Facebook
• Overcoming Fear
• The Fear Cure by Lisa Rankin
• Vibrant Happy 5 (get five self-love tips every Thursday!)

…and never miss an episode again by signing up for the Vibrant Happy 5 (includes free guided meditation from Jen), which is a weekly digest of quick n' easy bullet points listing everything Jen created the previous week (including Vibrant Happy Women episodes and Happy Bits), plus other self-love-related goodies you'd enjoy. Make your inbox more positive and inspiring by signing up here.

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