In a candid announcement that marks a departure from his usual financial-focused discourse, J.D. Roth, the founder of the influential personal finance platform Get Rich Slowly, has signaled a profound personal shift. Following a period of mourning and reflection after the death of his mother, Roth has declared 2023 his “Year of Me.” This shift, he suggests, is not merely a lifestyle choice but a deliberate attempt to realign his daily actions with his core values, prioritizing physical and mental well-being over the relentless demands of content production.
The Catalyst for Change: A Period of Reflection
The decision to pivot arrives two months after the passing of Roth’s mother—a life event that naturally forced a period of introspection. For many, such a loss acts as a lens through which the trivialities of daily routine are stripped away, leaving only the essential.
For Roth, the aftermath of his grief was characterized by a "fog" that hindered his creative and professional output. However, as that fog has begun to lift, it has been replaced by a newfound clarity regarding his trajectory. Supported by his partner, Kim, Roth has identified a long-standing pattern of neglect toward his own needs, a habit he describes as having placed himself in the ninth or tenth position on his own priority list for too long.
Chronology of a Personal Paradigm Shift
The timeline of this transition began in the weeks following his mother’s death, as Roth engaged in what he terms “serious soul-searching.”
- Pre-2010s: Roth previously utilized a system of “theming” his years and months, a strategy he credits with significant successes in fitness, writing, and personal development. Over time, however, this disciplined approach fell by the wayside.
- November 2022: During a Thanksgiving trip to California, a long drive provided the opportunity to listen to The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga. This intellectual engagement served as a secondary catalyst, reinforcing his desire to break free from external expectations.
- December 2022: The decision was finalized to shed the self-imposed pressure of rigid publication schedules.
- January 2023 and Beyond: The formal commencement of the “Year of Me,” characterized by the removal of digital distractions and a return to value-driven living.
Supporting Data and Philosophical Foundations
Roth’s journey is not being navigated in a vacuum; it is bolstered by specific psychological frameworks and literary influences.
The Adlerian Approach
Central to his current philosophy is the work of Alfred Adler, as popularized by The Courage to Be Disliked. The book’s core premise—that individuals have the autonomy to define their own happiness regardless of the judgments of others—has resonated deeply with Roth. He notes that the title is somewhat misleading; it is less about courting disapproval and more about finding the courage to pursue one’s own path, even if it risks social discomfort.
Designing a Life
Roth is also actively engaging with the Designing Your Life methodology, a framework often associated with Stanford University’s d.school that applies design thinking to life planning. By utilizing these exercises, Roth is attempting to treat his own life as a project that requires intentional architecture rather than passive endurance.
The Impulse vs. Value Metric
Roth highlights a critical passage from Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:
"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."
This quote serves as the operational manual for his current year. Recognizing that he had become “reactive”—letting environmental triggers and digital impulses dictate his time—Roth has begun the work of reclaiming his agency. Practical steps have already been taken, including the deletion of habit-forming apps like Reddit and Hearthstone from his mobile devices, effectively pruning the digital "noise" that hindered his proactivity.
The Implications for Get Rich Slowly
A primary concern for the loyal readership of Get Rich Slowly is how this internal change will manifest in the content they consume. Roth is quick to reassure his audience that the site will continue, though the delivery mechanism will change significantly.
A Departure from Scheduled Content
The most immediate change is the abandonment of a strict publishing calendar. Historically, digital media requires consistent output to maintain search engine visibility and audience engagement. Roth is intentionally opting out of this cycle. He notes that he will no longer "force" content. If he has something of substance to say, he will share it; if not, the silence will be intentional.
The "Year of Me" as a Catalyst for Quality
Roth argues that this pivot will, paradoxically, make him a more effective contributor to his community. By prioritizing his own health and needs, he expects to arrive at his writing desk with more genuine insights. This is a common, if rarely practiced, piece of advice in the self-help industry: one must be a vessel of health and stability before one can meaningfully serve others.
Furthermore, this period of personal focus will provide the time and mental bandwidth to finalize the long-awaited “de-design” of his website, a project that has lingered in the background while he attended to other, less critical tasks.
The Broader Societal Context: The Costs of High-Performance Culture
Roth’s public admission reflects a growing trend among digital creators and entrepreneurs who are beginning to push back against the "hustle culture" that dominated the early 2010s. The expectation of constant availability and relentless content production has led to widespread burnout, even among those who built their platforms on the principles of financial freedom.
By openly discussing his need to prioritize himself, Roth is modeling a form of vulnerability that is often absent in the personal finance space. He acknowledges that the transition feels "selfish" or "wrong" at times, a feeling common to many high-achievers who equate productivity with self-worth. By reframing this self-focus as an essential component of long-term sustainability, he challenges his readers to assess whether they, too, are neglecting their core values in favor of reactive impulses.
Conclusion: A Shift Toward Intentionality
The "Year of Me" is not an abdication of responsibility, but a recalibration. For J.D. Roth, the year ahead is an experiment in living more intentionally. Whether this manifests as shorter, more conversational blog posts, or deeper dives into the books and philosophies that are currently shaping his mindset, the underlying message remains the same:
The pursuit of wealth, while noble, is ultimately hollow if the individual behind the bank account is not operating from a place of health and value-alignment. As Roth prepares to navigate this transition, his audience is invited to observe not just a change in a website’s output, but a transformation in the life of its creator. It is a reminder that the most important investment one can make is often in the self.
