In this episode of Do The Work | Mindset Mastery, I open up about something I wrestle with constantly and that is the tension between pressure and gratitude. Running a business, leading a household, being a husband and a father all come with responsibility. That responsibility can quietly turn into suffering if I am not careful about where my mind goes.
I talk about how easy it is to get trapped in comparison, future goals, past mistakes, and the weight of everything I think I should be doing. My mind moves fast. Too fast at times. When I let it run unchecked, it creates pressure that feels overwhelming. Not because life is bad, but because I stop being present. I stop checking myself. I forget how far I have come.
Marriage and family play a big role in this conversation. What people see from the outside is never the full picture. Carla and I carry a lot together. We take on the challenges of running a large operation, supporting agents, and navigating life as partners. Sometimes the stress leaks into the home. Sometimes we say things we do not mean. I have learned that the real suffering does not come from the situation itself but from holding onto anger, shame, and resentment instead of processing it and moving forward.
I share honestly that positivity does not come naturally to me. It is something I work at every day. I wake up and my mind wants to go negative. So I fight back with intention. I listen to books and podcasts focused on awareness and discipline. I move my body. I create space to slow my thoughts down. These practices help but even then it is easy to forget to check the thermometer and realize I am overheating mentally.
One moment that stopped me in my tracks came from listening to a story on a podcast while cleaning my car. A forest ranger survived being crushed under a fallen tree in the rainforest. After hours trapped under rubble she survived with barely a scratch. The next morning she was lying in a hammock saying one simple phrase over and over. I am alive. Hearing that broke me open.
That moment pulled me back to being seventeen years old after weeks in the hospital not knowing if I would live. I remember driving home and seeing the world differently. The sky was brighter. Everything felt beautiful. I was overwhelmed with gratitude just to be here. I was alive. Somewhere along the way I forgot how powerful that realization is.
I reflect on how easy it is to move from praying for a life to rushing through it once you have it. I remind myself that everything I have today was once a prayer. The suffering I create now is unnecessary. It comes from living in the past or racing into the future instead of standing firmly in the present.
The solution is not complicated but it does require honesty and action. Be here. Tell your spouse you love them. Tell your kids how proud you are. Call your parents. Look in the mirror and say you are proud of yourself. When I focus on what I can do right now everything else eventually takes care of itself.
Life is good right now. The work is learning how to believe that and live from it.
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