BORROWED GUILT | Mindset Mastery w/ A.Z. Araujo

In this episode of Do The Work | Mindset Mastery, I want to talk about something that weighs heavier than most people realize and that is the responsibility and guilt that can come with leadership advice and influence.

There are moments where my mind feels full because leadership is not just about business decisions. It is about people. It is about hearing their struggles, their finances, their marriages, their health, and still being expected to show up strong. For years I tried to avoid leadership because I thought it was easier to just tell people what to do. What I learned is that real leadership is about empowering others to trust themselves and take ownership of their decisions.

One of the hardest lessons I had to learn was separating advice from responsibility. When you give advice based on your experience, it comes from integrity. It comes from wanting others to avoid pain or move faster toward growth. But when someone takes that advice, the outcome is not yours to carry. If you take responsibility for their results, good or bad, you actually disempower them and yourself.

I lived this lesson firsthand. After financial failures early in my life, I stopped trusting my own judgment. I leaned on Carla to make decisions and then blamed her when things did not work out. That resentment damaged trust and weakened me as a leader and as a husband. Advice only becomes toxic when it is used as a scapegoat instead of a guide.

I realized that advice is information, not a guarantee. It is up to the person receiving it to make it their own and see it through. If they quit at the first obstacle, it becomes easy to call it bad advice. But most growth happens after things get uncomfortable. Everything meaningful in my life got harder before it got better. Marriage. Business. Leadership. Faith.

I have given advice about quitting jobs, maxing out credit cards, betting on yourself, and rebuilding relationships. I share what I did, not what someone should do. Leaders mirror what people already feel in their heart and soul. The danger comes when someone wants the result without the responsibility of seeing the process through.

Guilt can destroy momentum if you let it sit unchecked. I carried guilt for years over borrowed money, failed ventures, and hard decisions. What finally freed me was understanding that time and integrity bring everything full circle. Debts get paid. Relationships heal. Growth happens. But only if you stay in it long enough.

As leaders, parents, and mentors, our job is not to control outcomes. Our job is to speak truth from experience and allow others to take ownership of their choices. And if you are on the receiving end of advice, your responsibility is not to blame but to commit and see it through.

Reader reflection questions
Where in your life are you blaming advice instead of owning your decision
What advice have you taken but not fully committed to seeing through
How would your growth change if you released guilt and focused on responsibility

Notable quotes
“You cannot take responsibility for the outcome of someone else’s decision.”
“Advice is not a guarantee. It is information.”
“Everything meaningful gets harder before it gets better.”

 

1. Read and Understand the Transcript: * Thoroughly review the podcast transcript to grasp the overall storyline or Storylines and lessons being shared. * Identify the main message, key points, and any personal experiences that are central to the episode. 

 

Important do not use hyphens whatsoever or emojis throughout the entire document. this is an indication that AI was used for the write up. Remove hyphens in the writeup. 

2. Draft the Blog Post Summary: 

* Introduction: Start with a hook that draws the reader in, setting up the story or lesson in a way that speaks directly to the reader. IN a first-person point of view.

 * Body: Summarize the key points of the story, focusing on the lessons derived from the experiences shared. Maintain the flow of the narrative while keeping it concise. 

* Conclusion: Wrap up the summary by reinforcing the main takeaway. Encourage the reader to reflect on how the lesson applies to their own life or work. 

 

3. Omit Irrelevant Content: 

* Exclude any parts of the transcript that do not contribute to the overall message or lesson. Focus on the content that provides value and clarity to the reader. 

 

4. Include Reader Engagement Questions: 

* At the end of the summary, include 3 questions that prompt the reader to think deeply about the episode’s content and how it applies to their own situation. These should be reflective and action-oriented. 

 

5. Highlight Notable Quotes: 

* Pull out 3 notable quotes from the transcript that capture key insights, impactful moments, or memorable phrases. These should be presented at the end of the blog post, either as a standalone section or integrated into the text.

 

6. Maintain Consistent Voice and Tonality: IMPORTANT The blog post summaries should maintain the voice, tonality, words and style of the podcaster, ensuring consistency with how the podcast is presented. This way, the written content will align seamlessly with the spoken content, providing a unified experience for your audience. 

 

7. Additional information. 

Remember, this is for a blog entry summary of the podcast, so you don't have to say welcome to another episode, I'm A.Z. Araujo, instead say in this episode of Do The Work | Mindset Mastery... Do not use the words, profound, delves, delve, unlock or unlocking or essential, no hyphens no emojis.

 

8. It is crucial this is communicated in the voice of A.Z. Araujo. Use his way of communicating and conveying the message. Use his vocabulary as much as possible to capture his personality.

 

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