Dealing with unwanted, sudden change is something most people in High River, Okotoks and the Foothills area have had to deal with on a large scale.

Floods and crashing economies are just two of the major events in the past few years that have forced people to make changes.

ATB Financial, Chief Economist Todd Hirsch tackled the topic at the final lunch for the season at the High River Chamber of Commerce.

Hirsch talked about in his new book, Spiders in Space, Adapting to Unwanted Change in 2017, which he wrote with Rob Roach.

In the book there are stories of 15 inspiring Canadians, who he also calls adapters, that were all hit with a very abrupt, very negative event that forced them to adapt.

But these people didn't just survive the changes forced on them, they thrived in their new environment.

Hirsch says the first step is to know your core story.

"You have to know who you are as an individual, or maybe as a business," he said. "Because when that disruptive, that unwanted change happens, that is where you are going to have really to dig down into core of who you are as a company or as a person. That's what is going to get you through it."

Another step is to work hard, which sounds like a cliche.   

"And it is a cliche yet it is a truism. All of the adapters, the 15 we identified in our book, it was tough sledding for a lot of them and they really had to put in that hard work to make it happen."

Hirsch said being open to receiving help is also important to help you get through an unwanted change.

"Sometimes that help might come from unexpected places, looking back on it, it might make more sense, but in the moment be aware of where that help might come from and it might surprise you."

He added in every situation, in the 15 stories in the book, there was always a lucky break or a coincidence of someone being there to help them out.

Another step includes being willing to take a risk.

"That isn't to say every time you take risk it is going to succeed, sometimes you will have to change things because the risk didn't work out."

"You have to be willing to put yourself out on that limb and take the next step. It can be terrifying and it can be very. very frightening but risk taking does bring reward."

And keep your faith realistic.

"On one hand some advice might be for an entrepreneur to shoot for the stars and live your dreams and grab everything you can don't let anything stop you," said Hirsch.

On the other hand he says there will be practical limits to what you can achieve. And some of those might be hard to accept or swallow.

"Those two pieces of advice might be contradictory and the tension between the two can be harnessed and turned into success."