THE NEVER ENDING STORY | Mindset Mastery w/ A.Z. Araujo

In this episode of Do The Work | Mindset Mastery

I found myself reflecting on how much can shift in a single weekend. What started as a quick one day trip to see a UFC fight with my daughters turned into a reminder of why I do what I do and why the pressure I carry matters. Being in that arena, watching my girls take it all in, seeing their excitement, their curiosity, and their joy brought me right back to when they were little and would sit next to me watching fights on television. Those were our moments. And now to experience it at this level with them reminding me of our past and showing me what is possible in our future felt powerful.

That moment became the backdrop for what hit me on Monday morning. The anxiety. The pressure. The feeling that everything I have built could fall apart in a single moment. It is a feeling I know well, and one that most business owners know too. It shows up even when your life feels like it is firing on all cylinders. It shows up even when everything is going right. And it hit me hard. It was one of those mornings where the weight felt heavier than usual, and even though I pushed through, I had to acknowledge that it was real.

What I know now is that this feeling never fully goes away. It is part of the territory when you are building something meaningful. It is part of being a small business owner, a leader, a provider, a person with visions that reach far beyond where you stand today. The fear and anxiety are not signs that something is wrong. They are reminders that growth requires courage. They are reminders that expansion always demands more from you than the last season did.

So I journaled, I prayed, I meditated, and I pushed my morning meeting back. Not to avoid it, but to acknowledge it and move through it. Because as uncomfortable as it is, it does not stop me. In fact, it forces me to move. The effort is what makes all the difference. Some days the effort flows effortlessly, and other days it drags. The point is that I keep showing up.

What shifted everything for me was hearing Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, speak openly about waking up with fear every single day. He talked about knowing that he must face it head on and take action anyway. Here is a man leading one of the most successful companies in history, speaking the same language that so many of us whisper to ourselves in silence. That interview hit me hard. It reminded me that none of us are broken for feeling fear. We are human. And the people who rise are the ones who continue to move despite it.

And it reminded me of why I never let myself forget the lowest points of my life. The years where I felt like I failed my family. Where I felt less than. Where I struggled to see any progress at all. I keep those memories close not because they define me, but because they drive me. They remind me that I never want to go back. They keep me sharp. They keep me aware. They keep me grateful for the chance to lead, to grow, and to build.

Everything we experience is part of a never ending story. The fear. The doubt. The breakthroughs. The wins. The losses. It all plays a role in shaping who we are and who we are becoming. And even though it is uncomfortable, I now understand that these feelings are gifts. They create the environment that forces us to expand and forces us to pay attention. They create the space where we learn to respond instead of collapse.

As we approach the new year, many people treat December 31 as the finish line and January 1 as the beginning. But it is not. Life and business do not reset. They continue. Your momentum does not disappear because the calendar flips. Your fear does not disappear either. But neither does your grit. Neither does your ability to rise. And when you consistently take the right actions, the results always follow.

I believe 2026 is going to require more from all of us. More courage. More effort. More discipline. More vision. And while that is intimidating, it is also exciting. Because everything I have ever wanted has always been on the other side of the unknown. And this next season is no different. The anxiety I felt this morning is slowly shifting into excitement, because I know what we have built, and I know what we can create when we move with purpose.

Every time I put my effort into something, I get what I want. That has always been true. And I am leaning into that once again. It is time to rise into the next level of who we are becoming.

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Reader Reflection Questions

1. Where in your life are you allowing fear or anxiety to slow your momentum instead of using it as a signal to take action
2. What memories or past struggles do you need to revisit so you can use them as fuel rather than as anchors
3. How can you shift your current pressure into purpose and use it to build the next version of your life or business

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Notable Quotes

1. Everything has a beginning point and a storyline of what it is you want out of every situation
2. The only way to resolve this is through sheer effort and taking action
3. I will never forget how I felt during my hardest moments because those memories keep me sharp and keep me moving

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