Adapting to changing conditions is an essential part of running your life — and your business. The business landscape changes all the time, and you have to be ready for it. Without adaptability, you are going to find yourself in serious trouble.

Adaptability isn’t just a problem for you. It’s a problem with the entire country. Need proof? I found a startling statistic in a Forbes magazine story — consumers in the U.S. spend more on potato chips than the U.S. government does on energy R&D. Priorities are all wrong, and it’s because people haven’t learned of the value of adaptability.

This guide will help you realize some of the benefits of being adaptable.

Get more recognition.

Whether it’s in the workplace or in the face of major change at home, you will gain more recognition if you react in the right way. Why is this important? Mainly because of a hidden advantage.

People are more likely to trust in you when the going gets tough. They realize how good you are at adapting to new situations. Nobody pays any attention to the person who does nothing but panic all the time. More recognition means more trust, and that means additional responsibility.

Don’t panic.

You may be surrounded by good friends who can help you in a pinch, but this isn’t the behavior of someone who is independent and ready to take on the world. If you learn to adapt, you will react to change in your life better. You will no longer panic and enter a spiral of worry when plans don’t work out how you expected them to.

You will grow.

The number one reason why people don’t grow is because they are unable or unwilling to enter new domains. The only way people grow in a positive way is by taking on new challenges. In some cases, you will grow regardless because these changes will be thrust upon you. But for the most part, you can decide whether to adapt or to maintain the status quo.

The most successful people in the world are always taking the opportunity to grow when and where they can. They don’t just adapt when the time comes. They adapt whenever, wherever.

Encourages creative thinking.

Someone who knows how to solve a problem is always a great ally to have. But what if you are that ally? What if you arethe person who can think outside the box in the first place?

People aren’t born with the ability to think creatively. They develop it over time through life’s experiences. The only way you get life’s experiences is by getting out of your usual rut. Creative thinking is about seeking out ways in which to implement it.

By constantly adapting, you are seeing more facets of life. You are experiencing more. It all adds up to make you a more flexible individual.

Prompts initiative.

There are some changes in life that are unavoidable. The vast majority of changes should be seen as opportunities. You can decide if you want to take those opportunities or not. Embracing adaptability prompts initiative. Both at home and at work, you will make the first move. You will evolve from becoming someone who follows the crowd to someone who makes the crowd follow you. And those people are rare in today’s world.

How do you start becoming adaptable?

Adaptability starts with maintaining an open mind. It is about being willing to embrace change and to be open minded to new things. Without an open mind, you will reject opportunities when they come along.

The best advice you can take away from this guide is to say “yes” more often than ever before. Jump into the darkness and enter new domains more often. It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. By putting yourself in the right place to experience new things, you are going to steadily become more adaptable over time.

It takes time.

This is a lifelong process, and the earlier you start trying to turn your life around, the better. Keep welcoming change, and don’t see the destruction of the status quo as a bad thing. It may seem simple to alter your state of mind in this way, but in practice, you have to be bold, brave and courageous.

Now that you have learned about the benefits of adaptability, you have a decision to make. Will you start adapting to new situations today?