The systems (such as companies) we see around us exist because they’ve continued to exist. That means they have some ways (such as revenue) of ensuring their continued existence.
I want to say “systems preserve themselves,” but that isn’t quite it.
Systems that preserve themselves, that keep what they have and keep it the same, fall into obsolescence. Large enough, and they hold the whole world back. Eventually, the world changes around them until they’re irrelevant.
Systems that sustain themselves, that keep going, react to a changing world by reaching in new directions. Size and history will enable and constrain that.
I want to sustain my journey, not preserve what I am now.