For the prominent personal finance writer and founder of the digital publication Get Rich Slowly, known simply as J.D., the opening months of 2023 mark a significant departure from standard business routines. Following a period of profound personal loss and intensive introspection, J.D. has formally declared the upcoming twelve months as "The Year of Me," prioritizing personal health, mental well-being, and internal alignment above external expectations and rigid publishing schedules.
Addressing his readership in a candid personal update, J.D. explained that the fog of grief has finally begun to lift, roughly two months after the passing of his mother. This transitional phase prompted weeks of deep soul-searching, leading to the collective realization—shared with his partner, Kim—that his own physical and mental wellness has spent too long resting at the bottom of his priority list.
"I’ve spent too long putting myself second. Or third. Or ninth," J.D. shared with his audience, noting that the shift toward self-prioritization initially felt unfamiliar and counterintuitive. For someone accustomed to putting the needs of readers, projects, and daily obligations ahead of his own, adopting an unapologetic focus on personal well-being felt almost like an act of selfishness. However, he quickly recognized the universal truth underlying the decision: by centering his own health and stability, he ultimately becomes a more grounded, capable presence for those around him.
2023 — The Year of Me
The concept of organizing time around specific themes is not entirely new to J.D.’s personal philosophy. Over a decade ago, he regularly assigned themes to individual months and years, a practice that historically yielded positive results across various pursuits, from physical fitness and writing projects to dating. Yet, as life grew more complex, this intentional habit eventually fell by the wayside, replaced by chronic overcommitment and neglected boundaries.
With the launch of "The Year of Me," J.D. aims to reverse years of putting external demands first. For the foreseeable future, personal health and foundational self-care take precedence as job one.
For the regular audience of Get Rich Slowly, J.D. assures that the core experience of reading the site will remain largely uninterrupted, though the behind-the-scenes dynamics are shifting. While he is officially giving himself permission to place his needs ahead of external obligations, he anticipates that this internal shift will naturally generate richer content and provide the final momentum needed to complete the long-awaited site redesign.
Crucially, this new philosophy includes abandoning any strict adherence to publishing quotas or content calendars. Moving forward, content will be driven by genuine inspiration rather than forced obligation. Short-form updates, conversational reflections, and spontaneous insights will replace rigid production schedules, allowing J.D. the freedom to write when he has something meaningful to share and to remain silent when he does not.
The Courage to Be Disliked
The intellectual foundation for this personal reset was reinforced during a Thanksgiving road trip to California with Kim and her family. To pass the driving hours, the couple listened to The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga, an audiobook that explores the psychological framework of Austrian psychiatrist Alfred Adler.
The book, which J.D. jokingly notes would be equally well-titled The Courage to Be Happy, presented challenging psychological concepts that initially required unpacking but ultimately resonated deeply with his current life stage. Written in the classical tradition of a Socratic dialogue, the text explores how individuals can break free from the expectations of others, overcome past trauma, and take control of their present happiness.
The insights gleaned from Adler’s philosophy helped crystallize J.D.’s understanding of personal agency and the necessity of stepping away from social conditioning that prioritizes pleasing everyone else at the expense of one’s own well-being. Recognizing the value of these lessons, J.D. plans to revisit the material in digital format to extract specific passages for future reflection and has hinted at the possibility of publishing a comprehensive review or summary for the Get Rich Slowly community down the road.
A Values-Driven Life
This renewed commitment to self-direction is further reinforced by core principles of personal effectiveness, a theme highlighted by a recent encounter with a Readwise bookmark from Stephen R. Covey’s classic work, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Covey writes, "The ability to subordinate an impulse to a value is the essence of a proactive person. Reactive people are driven by feelings, by circumstances, by conditions, by their environment. Proactive people are driven by values—carefully thought about, selected, and internalized values."
Reflecting on Covey’s words, J.D. acknowledged that he had inadvertently allowed external conditions and digital impulses to override his core principles, losing the necessary control over his daily habits. Recognizing this drift, he has already begun taking concrete, proactive steps to reclaim his focus, including the removal of distracting applications like Reddit and Hearthstone from his personal devices.
By removing these friction points and realigning his daily actions with carefully chosen values, J.D. is laying the groundwork for a sustainable, healthy future. While the upcoming months may see shorter, more conversational blog posts rather than traditional, exhaustive guides, the underlying mission remains clear: a steadfast return to authenticity, well-being, and personal growth.
