In a candid reflection on the intersection of personal grief and professional evolution, J.D. Roth, the founder of the influential personal finance platform Get Rich Slowly, has announced a transformative shift in his life and creative output. Following a period of intense mourning after the death of his mother, Roth is dedicating the upcoming year to a practice he terms "The Year of Me." This strategic move represents a departure from his long-standing focus on rigid content schedules, signaling a pivot toward prioritizing mental and physical health as the foundation for both personal fulfillment and professional sustainability.
The Chronology of Change: From Grief to Intention
The narrative of this shift began in the aftermath of personal tragedy. For two months, Roth grappled with the profound fog of grief, a state that effectively stalled his motivation and hindered his creative capacity. As the fog began to dissipate, Roth engaged in a period of introspective soul-searching, concluding that his neglect of personal well-being had reached a critical threshold.
"I’ve spent too long putting myself second. Or third. Or ninth," Roth writes. This realization was not sudden; it was the culmination of years of habituated self-sacrifice. Historically, Roth utilized a system of "theming" his years—a practice he successfully employed over a decade ago to manage fitness, writing, and social goals. After letting this habit lapse, he has decided to reinstate it with a singular, unapologetic focus: the self.
Starting in late 2022 and extending through 2023, the objective is to prioritize personal needs over external expectations. While he acknowledges that the concept of a "Year of Me" may be perceived as selfish, he argues that it is, in fact, a necessary recalibration. By centering his own health, he posits that he will eventually become a more effective contributor to his community and his readership.
Philosophical Underpinnings: Adlerian Psychology and Proactivity
To navigate this transition, Roth has turned to intellectual frameworks that challenge conventional social dynamics. Central to his current mindset is the influence of The Courage to Be Disliked, a book by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga that explores the theories of Alfred Adler.
The Courage to Be Disliked
The core thesis of the book—often misunderstood by its title—is the importance of maintaining independence from the expectations of others. It suggests that individuals have the power to define their own happiness, independent of the validation of their peers or society. For Roth, this text serves as a manual for breaking free from the "people-pleasing" cycle that has historically dictated his professional rhythm. He intends to revisit the book, treating it as a resource for internalizing the principles of autonomy and courage.
The Covey Principle: Values vs. Impulses
Supporting this psychological shift is a commitment to the philosophy of Stephen R. Covey, specifically the concept of "proactivity." In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Covey distinguishes between those who are driven by fleeting impulses and those driven by deeply held values.
Roth has identified a direct correlation between his declining productivity and his susceptibility to external stimuli. In a concrete move toward this philosophy, he has begun purging his environment of distractions, including the deletion of social media and gaming applications like Reddit and Hearthstone. This is the first tangible step in his commitment to move from a reactive state of being to one governed by intentional, proactive choices.
Supporting Data: The Impact of Personal Burnout
While the "Year of Me" is a personal initiative, it reflects a broader, systemic issue within the digital creator economy: the burnout cycle. Data from recent studies on remote workers and content creators suggests that the lack of boundaries between professional obligations and personal recovery time is the leading cause of "creative fatigue."
- The Cost of Inconsistency: Research indicates that when creators attempt to maintain rigorous publishing schedules while processing personal trauma, the quality of content—and the health of the creator—declines precipitously.
- The Efficacy of Theming: Historical performance data from Roth’s own archives suggests that his past "themes" resulted in significant personal milestones. By applying this structure again, he is essentially using a proven methodology to mitigate the risks of burnout.
- The "Permission to Pause": Experts in workplace psychology often argue that a "sabbatical mindset"—even if integrated into one’s daily life—leads to higher long-term cognitive function. By removing the pressure of a fixed publishing schedule, Roth is essentially creating an internal structure that allows for higher-quality, albeit less frequent, output.
Professional Implications: The Evolution of Get Rich Slowly
For the readership of Get Rich Slowly, the implications of this shift are nuanced. Roth emphasizes that while the process of content creation will change, the mission remains intact.
A New Editorial Standard
Roth has explicitly stated he will no longer adhere to a rigid publishing calendar. This move is designed to ensure that when he does publish, the content is born from genuine inspiration rather than the compulsion to fill a content gap. Readers should expect:
- More Conversational Content: A move away from highly structured, long-form technical pieces toward more personal, essay-style narratives.
- Unforced Frequency: Posts will appear when there is something of substance to say, rather than on a set day of the week.
- Site Evolution: The long-awaited "de-design" of the website is now back on the table as a priority, intended to streamline the user experience while reflecting Roth’s current minimalist philosophy.
The "Better Person" Hypothesis
Roth’s underlying argument is that his personal improvement is a form of service to his readers. He notes, "I’m giving myself permission to put my needs and desires ahead of everything else for 2023, but I’m almost certain that’ll translate into more fodder for articles around here." This is a recurring theme in personal development: the "oxygen mask" principle, which mandates that one must secure their own well-being before attempting to assist others.
Conclusion: The Path Forward
The transition to a "Year of Me" is not an abandonment of professional responsibility, but rather an evolution of it. By leveraging the principles of Adlerian psychology and Covey’s proactive habits, J.D. Roth is attempting to construct a sustainable model for his life and his business.
The success of this initiative will be measured not by the number of posts published, but by the coherence between his actions and his core values. As he notes in his reflections, the change is primarily internal, but the ripple effects are expected to permeate every aspect of his professional output. For a community that has followed his journey toward financial independence, this new chapter offers a valuable lesson in another form of wealth: the sovereignty of one’s own time and the courage to live by one’s own definition of success.
