After months of navigating grief and professional obligations, J.D., the founder of the personal finance platform Get Rich Slowly, has announced a significant shift in his personal and creative direction. In a candid update to his readers, he revealed that he is designating the upcoming period as "The Year of Me," a deliberate choice to prioritize his own mental and physical well-being after spending years putting his own needs at the bottom of his priority list.
The decision comes roughly two months after the death of J.D.’s mother, an event that plunged him into a period of mourning and mental fog. As the emotional weight has finally begun to lift, J.D. reports a renewed sense of motivation to re-engage with productive pursuits. However, rather than immediately diving back into the relentless pace of content production and site management that defined much of his career, he has taken time for deep soul-searching alongside his partner, Kim. The conclusion of that reflection is clear: above all else, he needs to center his own health and wellness.
This shift marks a return to a habit J.D. practiced more than a decade ago: assigning themes to his years and months. In the past, dedicating specific spans of time to singular focuses—such as fitness, writing, or dating—yielded strong, fruitful results. Over time, however, that intentionality fell by the wayside as other responsibilities crowded in.
Recognizing that he has spent too long placing himself second, third, or even ninth in his own life, J.D. is making a conscious pivot. Starting now, his primary aim is to put himself first for the foreseeable future. He acknowledges that this decision initially feels uncomfortable, noting that it carries an undercurrent of perceived selfishness and wrongness. Yet, he recognizes that he has allowed external distractions and endless excuses to interfere with his physical and mental health for far too long.
The rationale behind this self-first approach is rooted in the idea that caring for oneself ultimately benefits others. By becoming a healthier, more balanced individual, J.D. expects to be a better presence for those around him, including his readers and loved ones. While this is a common piece of advice he has frequently offered to others, he admits that putting it into practice has been a long-standing challenge.
For the readers of Get Rich Slowly, J.D. suspects the day-to-day experience will remain largely unchanged. The transformation is primarily internal, driven by a deliberate choice to place his own needs and desires ahead of external pressures. While this shift will grant him the permission to focus inward, he anticipates it will naturally generate fresh material and insights for the site, as well as finally bring closure to the long-awaited site redesign.
However, as part of this new chapter, J.D. is intentionally stepping away from rigid publishing and production schedules. Moving forward, he plans to write organically, sharing thoughts only when he genuinely has something to say rather than forcing content to meet arbitrary deadlines. This relaxed approach mirrors the casual, conversational nature of his recent updates, which are often penned spontaneously between personal exercises and calls with friends. While longer, highly focused articles will not disappear entirely, the immediate future will see a more flexible, stream-of-consciousness style of publishing that aligns with his personal boundaries.
2023 — The Year of Me
The philosophical groundwork for J.D.’s new mindset was heavily influenced by recent experiences, including a road trip to California over Thanksgiving to visit Kim’s family. To pass the time during the drive, the couple listened to the audiobook The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga. The book, which explores the psychological worldview of Alfred Adler, focuses heavily on themes of individual agency, interpersonal relationships, and personal happiness.
Presented in the style of a Socratic dialogue, the book resonated deeply with J.D. and Kim, prompting him to plan a return to the text in digital format to skim and extract its core insights. The encounter with Adlerian psychology reinforced his growing conviction that personal transformation requires confronting internalized fears of social disapproval and taking direct ownership of one’s life choices. He has even floated the possibility of publishing a comprehensive review or summary of the book on Get Rich Slowly once he has fully synthesized its lessons.
A Values-Driven Life
Further reinforcing this pivot toward intentional living is a concept J.D. recently revisited through his Readwise highlights, drawing from Stephen R. Covey’s foundational work, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Covey writes that the ability to subordinate an impulse to a value is the essence of a proactive person, whereas reactive individuals are driven entirely by feelings, circumstances, and environmental conditions.
Reflecting on this quote, J.D. realized that he had temporarily lost his ability to control his impulses while drifting away from his core values. To combat this, he has already begun taking concrete steps to reclaim his focus, such as removing digital distractions like Reddit and Hearthstone from his iPad.
While J.D. emphasizes that this transition is deeply personal, it represents a broader realignment with the principles of intentional living that have long underpinned his work. Whether through shorter, conversational posts or occasional deep dives into personal development, his focus for the foreseeable future remains fixed on personal renewal and the courage to live a life driven by carefully chosen values.
