PORTLAND, Oregon — For J.D., the founder of the prominent personal finance blog Get Rich Slowly, the opening months of 2023 mark a significant internal pivot. Following a challenging period marked by the loss of his mother two months ago, the fog of grief has finally begun to lift, and with it has come a renewed sense of motivation to pursue productive endeavors.
In a personal update shared with readers, J.D. revealed that after spending the past several weeks engaged in deep soul-searching, he has reached a firm conclusion alongside his partner, Kim: above all else, 2023 must be designated as "the year of me."
2023 — The Year of Me
The concept of thematic years is not entirely new to J.D.’s routine. More than a decade ago, he established a habit of assigning themes to specific years and months. He recalls that the practice proved to be both enjoyable and remarkably fruitful, yielding great results whenever he decided to devote a designated span of time to a single focal point, whether that involved fitness, writing, or dating. However, after a couple of years, the practice eventually fell by the wayside.
Now, after spending a prolonged period placing himself second, third, or even ninth in his own life, J.D. has made the conscious decision to put himself first for the foreseeable future. Recognizing that this shift may initially feel uncomfortable, selfish, or even wrong, he acknowledges that he has allowed external distractions and obligations to interfere with his physical and mental well-being for far too long.
For J.D., the realization centers on the understanding that prioritizing his own needs is not an act of isolation, but rather a necessary foundation for becoming a better person for others, including his readership. While it is advice he has frequently dispensed to others over the years, acting upon that knowledge has proven to be a difficult hurdle.
For the readers of Get Rich Slowly, J.D. suspects the daily experience of the site will remain largely unchanged, with the true transformation occurring internally. By granting himself permission to place his own needs and desires ahead of everything else, he anticipates generating fresh perspectives and content for the platform, alongside the long-awaited completion of the site’s ongoing de-design.
Concurrently, J.D. is deliberately stepping away from rigid publishing or production schedules. Moving forward, content will be driven by inspiration rather than obligation, allowing him to share thoughts organically—much like the current update, which followed a recent life-design exercise and a pocket of free time before a scheduled call with a friend.
The Courage to Be Disliked
This internal reassessment has been reinforced by recent literary explorations. During a Thanksgiving road trip to California to visit Kim’s family, the couple spent the hours on the road listening to The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga. The book, which explores the psychological worldview of Alfred Adler, left a lasting impression, prompting J.D. to note that it might more accurately be titled The Courage to Be Happy.
Though navigating the book’s Socratic dialogue format presented some challenges during an audiobook listen, J.D. plans to revisit the material in Kindle format to extract its core wisdom and key passages. He has also hinted that a full review or summary of the book could eventually make its way to the pages of Get Rich Slowly.
A Values-Driven Life
The philosophical shift toward personal well-being also aligns with reflections on core values and proactive living. Highlighting a passage from Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People via his Readwise account, J.D. underscored the distinction between reactive behavior driven by environmental conditions and proactive behavior grounded in carefully chosen values.
Reflecting on Covey’s assertion that the ability to subordinate an impulse to a value is the essence of a proactive person, J.D. realized he had temporarily lost control over his impulses while drifting away from his foundational principles. In response, he has already begun taking concrete steps to regain control, such as removing distracting applications like Reddit and Hearthstone from his iPad.
As the Year of Me gets underway, J.D. intends to maintain this values-driven approach across his personal and professional life. While long-form, focused articles will remain a part of the platform, readers can expect a mix of short updates and conversational reflections as the site adapts to this new chapter.
