Two months after the death of his mother, J.D., the founder of the personal finance community Get Rich Slowly, has announced a major shift in his personal and professional priorities. In a candid update to his readers, he shared that the heavy emotional fog following his loss has finally begun to lift, restoring his motivation to pursue productive endeavors. Following a period of deep soul-searching alongside his partner, Kim, J.D. has come to the conclusion that he must dedicate the upcoming year entirely to his own well-being.
For J.D., this means officially declaring 2023 as the "Year of Me." More than a decade ago, he routinely practiced the habit of assigning thematic focuses to his months and years. Whether he was concentrating on fitness, writing, or dating, he found that dedicating a specific span of time to a singular objective yielded remarkable results. However, that structured habit eventually fell away over the years.
Reflecting on his recent lifestyle, J.D. realized he had spent far too long placing himself second, third, or even ninth in his own life. Starting immediately, his stated aim is to prioritize his own needs for the next twelve months or longer. He acknowledges that this shift feels uncomfortable, noting that putting himself first initially feels selfish and wrong. Despite these internal hesitations, he recognizes that he has allowed external distractions and chronic excuses to interfere with his physical and mental health for far too long. Moving forward, his own well-being is taking precedence.
The realization is rooted in the belief that prioritizing oneself is ultimately a catalyst for becoming a better person for others, including his readership. While this is advice he has frequently offered to others over the years, he admits he struggled to apply the same standard to his own life. For the readers of Get Rich Slowly, J.D. reassures them that the core experience of the site will remain largely unchanged. The transformation is primarily internal, driven by a conscious decision to grant himself permission to put his own needs and desires ahead of everything else.
As part of this new chapter, J.D. is deliberately stepping away from rigid publishing and production schedules. Rather than forcing content, he intends to write only when he has something meaningful to say. This flexible approach allows him to share spontaneous updates, such as insights derived from ongoing life-design exercises, without the pressure of maintaining a traditional corporate blogging output. Longer, focused articles will not disappear entirely, but shorter, more conversational reflections will take center stage during his Year of Me.
2023 — The Year of Me
The decision to reclaim his time and focus comes on the heels of a road trip to California over the Thanksgiving holiday, where J.D. and Kim visited her brother’s family. To pass the time during the long drive, the couple listened to the audiobook The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga. The book, which J.D. suggests might be more aptly titled The Courage to Be Happy, explores the philosophical worldview of pioneering psychologist Alfred Adler.
The book offered a wealth of perspective, prompting J.D. to plan a re-read in Kindle format so he can more easily search and review the standout passages. Because the book is structured as a Socratic dialogue, he found that reading it in a digital format will allow him to bypass the conversational filler and focus directly on the core philosophical takeaways. He has also hinted that a full review or summary of the book may eventually find its way onto Get Rich Slowly.
A Values-Driven Life
Further reinforcing his current mindset, J.D. highlighted a quote that recently resurfaced in his digital reading notes from Stephen R. Covey’s influential book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The passage emphasizes that the ability to subordinate a passing impulse to a deeply held value is the true essence of a proactive person, whereas reactive individuals are driven entirely by fleeting feelings, circumstances, and environmental conditions.
Reflecting on Covey’s words, J.D. realized that he had gradually lost the ability to control his impulses while simultaneously drifting away from his core values. To reverse this trend, he has already begun taking concrete steps to rein in digital distractions, such as removing time-consuming applications like Reddit and Hearthstone from his iPad.
While the changes he is implementing are primarily internal, J.D. remains confident that they will ultimately breathe new life into his writing and help him finalize long-delayed website design updates. By aligning his daily actions with carefully chosen values rather than momentary impulses, he aims to navigate this transitional period with clarity and purpose, maintaining an open and conversational connection with his audience along the way.
