There’s No Such Thing as Perpetual Growth

Perpetual growth doesn’t exist in nature. Animals grow until they reach adulthood, then they stop. Plants grow until they blossom, then they stop. Even air will expand until it takes up all available space, then it’ll stop.

The world has physical limits. Only abstract concepts (like love, hate, and yes, money) have no limits — unless they are somehow tied to the physical world.

Humans, therefore, built their abstract systems on the idea of perpetual growth. Countries are expected to keep increasing their lifestyle, economies are expected to keep expanding, businesses are expected to keep growing in market size and profit, and so on. These things are all possible until they hit the limits of the physical world — at which point continuing to grow becomes destructive (and, eventually, self-destructive).

You can keep growing a country or a business in size until you take up all available space. After which, if you keep growing, you’ll start harming the environment (and, eventually, yourself). You can keep earning more money until you reach your limit of available customers, clients, and partners. After which, earning more will require engaging in immoral, unethical, or outright illegal activities.

“More” is a four-letter word. Think before you decide to keep pushing for more. Nothing is meant to last forever — not in the same shape and form anyway. How long can the current factors that keep your business growing continue to fuel it? Certainly it won’t be forever; too many factors will change over time.

Knowing when to stop is a superpower. You will stop growing for sure — either voluntarily or not. So it’s best to plan for it yourself and manage your business accordingly, rather than reach that point without realizing it and either try to push through or scramble to adjust on the spot — both of which are quite risky.