By Editorial Staff
For over a decade, J.D. Roth, the influential voice behind the personal finance powerhouse Get Rich Slowly, has served as a beacon for readers seeking structure, frugality, and life-planning strategies. However, in a candid update to his readership, Roth has signaled a significant departure from his established rhythm. Following a period of profound personal loss, Roth has announced that he is pivoting his focus toward a self-centered philosophy he calls "The Year of Me," a move that promises to reshape not only his personal life but the editorial direction of his long-running publication.
Main Facts: A Shift in Priority
The announcement comes two months after the passing of Roth’s mother—a period he describes as being defined by a "fog" that hindered his typical productivity. Now, having navigated the depths of his grief, Roth has emerged with a renewed, albeit unconventional, sense of purpose.
The core premise of "The Year of Me" is a deliberate, uncompromising prioritization of his own physical and mental well-being. For years, Roth admits he has allowed his own needs to slide to the bottom of his priority list, often settling for ninth or tenth place behind the demands of his work and external obligations. By declaring 2023 his "Year of Me," Roth is attempting to reverse this trend. He asserts that this is not an act of narcissism, but a necessary psychological realignment. By placing himself first, he believes he will ultimately become a more effective and stable presence for those around him—including his partner, Kim, and his loyal audience.
A Chronological Look at the Transition
The evolution toward this decision did not happen overnight. To understand the current trajectory, one must look at the timeline of events that led to this declaration:
- The Decade-Long Precedent: Over ten years ago, Roth pioneered the concept of "theming" his years and months. This period was characterized by intense focus on specific goals, ranging from physical fitness and writing to dating. These experiments were largely successful, yielding measurable results, yet the habit eventually fell by the wayside as his professional life expanded.
- The Period of Bereavement: Following the death of his mother, Roth entered a state of emotional stasis. The ensuing weeks were marked by intense introspection and soul-searching.
- The Thanksgiving Revelation: During a road trip to California over the Thanksgiving holiday, Roth and his partner listened to the audiobook The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga. The concepts presented in the book—rooted in Adlerian psychology—provided the intellectual framework for his current decision.
- The Immediate Implementation: Following his return, Roth began taking tactile steps to reclaim his focus. This included the deletion of distracting applications such as Reddit and Hearthstone from his personal devices, signaling a transition from impulsive consumption to value-driven living.
Supporting Data: The Philosophy of Self-Prioritization
Roth’s decision is underpinned by two primary intellectual pillars: the design-centric methodology of Designing Your Life and the psychological principles found in The Courage to Be Disliked.
The Adlerian Influence
The Courage to Be Disliked challenges traditional notions of trauma and human interaction. By exploring the worldview of Alfred Adler, the book posits that individuals have the power to define their own futures, independent of past influences or the expectations of others. For Roth, the book’s title is slightly misleading; he suggests it should be titled The Courage to Be Happy. The central argument is that to be truly effective in one’s values, one must be willing to endure the discomfort of potentially displeasing others.
The Shift to Proactive Living
Roth cites a poignant passage from Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to explain his current shift in perspective:
"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."
Roth acknowledges that he had become "reactive," losing control of his impulses and neglecting his core principles. His current "Year of Me" initiative is, effectively, a return to "proactivity." By curating his environment—removing digital distractions and setting new boundaries—he is attempting to re-center his life on internalized values rather than external stimuli.
Official Stance: What This Means for ‘Get Rich Slowly’
For the regular readers of Get Rich Slowly, the primary question remains: How will this affect the site’s content?
Roth has been explicit in his communication: there will be no strict publishing schedule. Moving forward, he is abandoning the pressure to force content creation. If he has something of value to share, he will publish; if not, he will remain silent.
"I’m giving myself permission to put my needs and desires ahead of everything else for 2023," Roth stated. However, he remains optimistic that this personal evolution will paradoxically lead to better content. He expects that his focus on self-improvement will naturally create more "fodder" for his writing. Furthermore, he has signaled that this period will finally allow him the mental bandwidth to complete the long-awaited "de-design" of the Get Rich Slowly website—a project that has sat in limbo while he balanced other responsibilities.
Implications and Future Outlook
The implications of Roth’s announcement are two-fold. First, on a personal level, this represents a high-stakes experiment in self-care. By openly declaring his intention to be "selfish," Roth is inviting his audience to hold him accountable while simultaneously warning them that his output will be dictated by his own internal compass rather than market demands.
Second, the shift highlights a broader trend among long-form creators. As the digital landscape becomes increasingly saturated with content-mill-style publishing, there is a growing movement toward "slow content"—writing that is personal, sporadic, and driven by authentic experience rather than algorithm-friendly schedules.
Roth’s commitment to this new path is already visible. While he intends to continue writing long-form, focused pieces when inspiration strikes, he is also embracing a more conversational, shorter format for his updates. This modular approach to blogging suggests that the site may move away from being a rigid repository of financial advice toward a more nuanced, essayistic exploration of living a well-balanced, values-driven life.
As Roth continues to navigate his "Year of Me," the true test will be whether this change in philosophy leads to the sustained clarity he seeks. For his readers, the takeaway is clear: the man behind the site is undergoing a fundamental recalibration. In the short term, this may mean fewer updates, but in the long term, it suggests a more authentic, intentional, and perhaps more impactful voice emerging from one of the internet’s most enduring financial archives.
Whether one agrees with the philosophy of "The Year of Me" or not, it serves as a timely reminder of the necessity of self-reflection. In an era where individuals are constantly pulled in a dozen different directions, the ability to pause, look inward, and re-align one’s daily actions with their core values is a rare and vital skill. J.D. Roth is betting his year, and perhaps his legacy, on that realization.
