My Thoughts On The Budget
The Australian federal budget was announced the night before last.
And for the past 24 hours, my social media feeds have been flooded with the same thing.
Anger.
Complaints.
“They lied.”
“It’s unfair.”
“How are we supposed to get ahead?”
I understand the frustration. Some of the changes are significant.
But the more I watch the reactions, the more clearly I see something else.
Every government… left, right, or centre… makes decisions in its own best interest.
And a government’s best interest is always to keep growing.
The way governments grow is by making more people reliant on them.
And what I’m watching unfold across my feeds plays directly into that.
Almost perfectly.
As if scripted.
Because every minute spent complaining about what’s been decided is a minute not spent on the only thing that actually matters…
What you do next.
You have no control over what the government does.
None.
You have control over four things. Always. Regardless of what’s happening around you.
Your actions.
Your responses.
Your effort.
Your attitude.
These are your four controllables. And when something changes - politically, economically, personally - these are the only places worth putting your energy.
Let me walk you through how they apply right now.
Actions
You can’t undo the decisions that have been made. But you can decide what you do next. The rules of the game have changed. Make a new move on the new board.
Responses
The incentives and disincentives in the system have shifted. How will you respond? What behaviour does this reward or punish that it didn’t before? Where’s the new advantage worth chasing?
Effort
Will you keep building the life you want, or will you use this as a reason to stop trying? “It’s too hard now” is one of the most expensive phrases you can tell yourself.
Attitude
Are you going to sit in the complaints? Play the victim? Or see this for what it actually is… a new set of opportunities for the people willing to look for them?
Because change always brings opportunity.
Always.
The only question is whether you’re willing to search for it, or whether you’d rather post about how unfair it all is.
So here’s your challenge for today.
Don’t play the victim.
Don’t feed the cycle.
Don’t give away your control to a system that grows stronger every time you do.
Anchor back into your four controllables.
And make your next move.
If you know someone who would benefit from reading this, please forward it to them. It may change the trajectory of their life for the better, and the catalyst could be you.
