Choosing Not to Grow is Growth Too
23 Aug, 2023
Recently, I picked up the book Anything You Want by Derek Sivers. It's about CD Baby—biz that Derek deliberately didn't grow!
Okay, I know what's running in your mind now. And trust me, I had the same question: Why would anyone on earth choose not to grow their business?
I gave it some thought and came up with a few reasons but none of them were convincing. 🥲
And while I was still battling with this question, I bumped into a video of Barbell Biryani, a Telugu Fitness YouTube channel.
I don't know that YouTuber's name (he never revealed). So to keep things simple, I'm gonna call him "Barbell" in this blog post.
Okay, back to the video. So, Barbell said he's gonna reduce the frequency of videos on both his YouTube channels for a while. (Yes, he's got another channel too)
And guess what? My lill' brain now entertained another question: Why would anyone choose to make fewer videos when their YouTube channel is on fire? 🤔
Stressing my messed-up mind, I found out that both the questions were related! Barbell kinda chose not to grow! Okay, just for a while, but still!
Watching the video further, I discovered that Barbell has a lot on his plate lately, so he decided to slow down a bit. Makes sense!
But Derek? He didn't grow his biz at all! He only embraced natural growth! And never made any deliberate effort to accelerate things. Why? Why would you do that, Derek?
To find the answer, I re-read the introduction of the book. And guess what? Derek did mention why he did what he did!
Derek chose not to speed up things with CD Baby 'coz he was already living his dream life being a musician. And he just wanted to help other musicians. Making loads of money was never his goal! (Yeah, I overlooked this part. Don't be like me! 🙈)
I tried to relate both Derek's and Barbell's stories. And some magic happened! ✨
I discovered 3 convincing reasons why one would choose not to grow their business.
- Not the utmost priority
In life, you gotta deal with different things—health, academics, job, family, friends, and a lot more. And your biz may not always top the priority list.
- To avoid burnout
When you have already got a lot on your plate, trying to grow your biz would be biting off more than you could chew.
- Just want natural growth
Not chasing something, just going with the flow—yeah, why not? If that's what keeps you happy.
And these reasons led to my answers:
Barbell chose to make fewer videos 'coz YouTube is not his utmost priority lately and he wanna avoid burnout.
Derek chose not to grow CD Baby 'coz he just wanted to go with the flow, embracing natural growth.
And guess what? These answers made me realize a few things:
Prioritizing things + taking care of your mental well-being is growth too. That's what Barbell did!
Going with the flow + embracing natural growth is growth too. That's what Derek did!
Both Barbell and Derek chose not to grow their business but you know what? They did grow—just in different areas of life!
And finally, these realizations led to an incredible insight:
If you know WHY you are doing WHAT you are doing, then choosing not to grow is growth too! 💫
So yeah, got the reasons, answers, realizations, and a bonus insight! Finally, happy me! 😄
P.S. Hey, I may be wrong. So, feel free to disagree. And you can always drop your thoughts at [email protected]