Limited resources
Instead of trying to optimize the limited amount of resources that you have, you should gather more resources. You know what stops people from gathering more resources? Thinking resources are limited.
Like money. Money isn't limited. Money isn't paper or numbers. Money is goods and services. When you make money you don't take away a piece of the cake from someone else. You're creating value (hopefully).
Using the energy from the sun, and the water from the ocean, and the dirt of an unused piece of ground to harvest tomatoes isn't taking away from other people. The economy is not a zero sum game. The better off you are, the better off other people are.
Resources aren't limited. Gather as much as you want.
Also, when someone pays you, you're not "taking" money away from them. You're doing a transaction. Money isn't lost. It's exchanged.