that it does hurt your growth
No, it doesn't.
Maybe someone told you that, I see that you believe it. I am telling you - it does not. Mathematically the income from curation is the EXACT SAME no matter your VP.
The only difference is giving out more votes worth less compared to less votes worth more. Some people like to see their votes worth more. But the total value of votes you give out is the same, and your curation is the same. That's why VP exists, its a dynamic system that only lets you give out the exact same value no matter how many votes you give out.
I am telling you that you believe a myth. Its wrong. I have posted and proven this mathematically several times. Its not true. Please consider that I might be right about this - because I am. I work very hard to dispell this myth because I prefer people understand the truth about how things work.