One way to stay afloat in stormy waters is to work a negative situation to your advantage instead of trying to fight it. Someone recently told me a story about how their family friend, a Muslim from India, who had become an American citizen soon after 9/11. The friend owned two motels in a small Midwestern town, where at the time, racism was an issue. Everyone knew the owner was Muslim, and he was hurting for business.

So, at one of his motels, he hired a local white guy to man the front desk, put up a sign that said "Under American Ownership," and doubled the room prices. Guess what? Business began to boom at the "American-owned" motel, and now, the guy is rich. Instead of taking the situation personally and giving up, he worked it to his benefit – and he essentially screwed over the bad guys without having to tell a single lie.

While it's an extreme example, the takeaway is that complaining isn't going to get you anywhere when it feels like the world is working against you. If you look hard enough, you can find a silver lining – a move to make that will bring good to you or someone you consider to be on your team.

You can bet that if the Trump administration's moves somehow lead to a housing market meltdown, I'll be taking advantage of it by buying a condo or two when the prices drop. For credit unions, the key silver lining in this tumultuous political climate appears to be the likely lifting of regulations. If it becomes easier to make loans, credit unions will have an excellent opportunity to grow their business and help people in their communities, from families suffering from financial hardship to aspiring small business owners who are just one loan away from achieving their dreams.

Even if the big picture starts to look bleak for America – something that no one wants – focus your efforts on what you can control and what really matters. That is, do as much good as you can for your credit union, your credit union industry friends, and the members and communities you serve.

Now that we've lived through a year in which the unexpected became the norm, 2017 may also be a good time to start thinking differently. Ask any credit union industry expert what credit unions must do to thrive in the future, and these two things are often on their list: attract millennials and develop cutting-edge technology. But everyone already knows that.

In a recent CU Times panel discussion with payments and technology experts on what credit unions can expect in 2017, one participant, Infusion Chief Strategy Officer Tim Keith, said something that struck me: Since credit union technology will never match the biggest banks' technology, it's more important to focus on credit union differentiators, such as the value of financial products. And, don't focus so much on millennials – other demographics, like retirees, need your help too.

"Technology is not going to save credit unions," he said. "It's a necessary component of strategy, but what differentiators are still there? You can see they make auto loans in a profitable way. Another competitive advantage is offering better value in savings yields. So if you invest in all the technology but don't offer the value, it doesn't matter." His comments were a reminder that switching your focus from the obvious to something new can lead to surprisingly beneficial results.

As we begin a year in which uncertainty is certain, the best way to cope is to take control of the things we can. So go ahead, start that new marketing project or charitable giving initiative. If the regulatory climate warrants it and it makes sense for your credit union, be bold in the lending space. And if taking control also means sticking to your diet/exercise/apartment-purging New Year's resolutions, more power to you. Being one of the few motivated souls left in the gym at 6 a.m. come February is always something to be proud of.

Natasha Chilingerian is managing editor for CU Times. She can be reached at [email protected].