I have a soft spot for Project Runway, a reality competition between fashion designers. The contestants have the right mix of lunacy, arrogance and phenomenal talent that makes for great TV.

Every episode features a shocking twist. Two dresses! Only 24 hours! You can only use garbage!

Yeah Kenley, trash.

The camera pans over the horrified designers. “Garbage? Really?” they whine. In confessional interviews, they moan some more. “I thought this was a fashion competition, not a trash competition.” Cut to commercial.

I’m always amazed by how few contestants react positively to these earthquakes. They forget that everyone has to adapt to the changed landscape, and their chances may even have improved. Sure, they would be able to make a better dress with cloth than garbage. But who was hit hardest?

New legislation is written. New technology is discovered. War is waged. Earthquakes have and will happen to your industry. If you lose 50% of your production capacity, don’t cry “tragedy!” Find out how you did compared to your competition. Think about the way the market has changed. You may even have come out ahead.

And as always, make it work.