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My new book, out today

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Today I’m releasing a new little book, called On Becoming an Individual (or HOW TO SAVE THE WORLD). It’s all original content, including photographs and mini-essays.

The theme is living a life on your own terms in a world that encourages you to be anything but a free individual.

It’s available free to Raptitude readers who subscribe by email. I’m changing email service providers this week (because the old standard, Feedburner, has been bought and basically abandoned by Google) and so old readers might notice a slight difference in format. 

HOW TO GET IT:

If you already get Raptitude by email:

  • You will be receiving an email today with a link to download the book. (If you didn’t, please contact me.)
  • I’m also going to be publishing an occasional article that’s exclusive to email, which won’t appear on the blog. You’ll get all these.
  • When I release new books or other projects (including something awesome happening this Summer, to be announced soon) you’ll be the first to know.

If you don’t already get Raptitude by email:

  • Go here to get the download link sent to you. If you want the book but don’t want to receive articles by email then you can unsubscribe any time. I understand. But you will be missing exclusive articles that go out by email and don’t appear on the blog. Your address will never be shared. Over 10,000 readers already subscribe by email.

Whether you do or you don’t:

Because I’m changing to a new email provider, my emails might suddenly get misdirected into your spam filter. They’re all from “David at Raptitude.” Once you find it, click the “Not Spam” button, or add the address to your address book so that they don’t get lost.

Gmail users: It may appear in the “Promotions” tab. Just drag the email to the “Primary” tab, and click YES when it asks if you to do this with future messages from me.

primary

That way it won’t get lumped in with unopened Oprah.com newsletters or whatever else is in there.

Screenshots of the book’s interior are available here.

***

a. julie February 3, 2014 at 9:21 am

Congratulations!
Looking forward to reading.

Jon February 3, 2014 at 9:33 am

Turned my blue Monday a less murky shade of blue! Looking forward to it!

Claudia February 3, 2014 at 9:38 am

Congratulations David.
I’m looking forward to reading.
Well deserved success!

Murielar February 3, 2014 at 9:58 am

Congratulations!!! Looking forward too :-D

David Cain February 3, 2014 at 9:59 am

Hey everyone: Can you let me know what your experience of signing up and downloading the book was like? Did everything work okay for you? I’m using a new system and I want to make sure it’s running smoothly.

celia kozlowski February 3, 2014 at 12:22 pm

Downloaded perfectly in under a minute — remarkable given all the (beautiful) pictures and our lousy bandwidth out here in the UK Somerset Levels. Since I have dropbox, it offered me that as a cubbyhole for the download. hugs, cheers, and thanks to my favorite young guru.
celia

Shannon February 4, 2014 at 12:53 pm

For some reason my email confirmation took like 14 hours to arrive. :P But everything else worked fine.

(Thanks for the ebook–I look forward to reading it!)

David Cain February 4, 2014 at 12:54 pm

It turns out the problem was that there were too many people requesting the book at once, and they ended up holding back a ton of confirmations. They sent them out around noon CST today.

Shannon February 4, 2014 at 7:19 pm

Haha, well, congrats on doing so well that you overloaded their service. :D

Henry February 7, 2014 at 4:56 am

Worked fine – got an email confirmation, clicked the link, and was presented with the download page.

Congratulations – another book under your belt!

Al February 9, 2014 at 6:38 am

Quick and smooth sign up and download, many thanks. (Your recent post has got me re-reading D E Harding – so thanks for that too!). best wishes

Brendan Long February 3, 2014 at 10:16 am

Why the email favoritism? I subscribe via RSS, and mixing articles in with my email doesn’t sound useful at all.

David Cain February 3, 2014 at 10:23 am

The difference between RSS and email from the blogger’s perspective is that RSS makes the connection between the reader and the blog depend on certain platforms remaining in place and remaining fashionable. Tons of blogs lost a lot of readers last year because Google Reader shut down, and Feedburner has become unstable. It’s a real nightmare for people who have spent years building a following, only to lose a big portion of it because of some technical change they can’t control. An email list will always be relevant and would survive the shutdown of any particular service.

You are absolutely welcome to continue to follow Raptitude via RSS, and if you want the book but do not want to continue to be an email subscriber I totally understand.

Kat Mosley February 3, 2014 at 11:06 am

Ooooooh — well then I’ll go sign up for the email again. Honestly didn’t realize this was an issue… Live a day, learn a thing.

David Cain February 3, 2014 at 11:11 am

I urge people to do whatever works for them. Most readers prefer email, and from the blogger’s side it is preferable, but please do what gives you the best reading experience.

James Mancini February 3, 2014 at 10:17 am

I am so proud of you. You Rock!
Look forward to reading this very much.

David Cain February 3, 2014 at 10:34 am

Thanks James. Were you able to download it all right?

Bruno Merino-Bailón February 3, 2014 at 10:22 am

Hey, congrats for the new book!

So, the subscription to the mail feed and download of the file was really smooth. No problem at all.

I have two questions:
Why not publish it in a epub format? So we could read it in a ebook reader.
How can I make a donation? :)

David Cain February 3, 2014 at 10:27 am

Thanks Bruno.

I don’t know much about .epub format, but from what I know this book would not be readable on any kind of e-reader because it’s so heavy on the photographs. I will look into different options for future releases.

Jon February 3, 2014 at 10:45 am

running very smoothly…came down from Dropbox in 2 minutes…congrats looks great!

David Cain February 3, 2014 at 11:12 am

Great, thanks Jon. I hope you like it.

Marije February 3, 2014 at 10:52 am

Thank you so much for my beautiful present! Looking forward to spending the evening curled up on the couch with it…
PS Download was flawless (google chrome).

David Cain February 3, 2014 at 12:27 pm

That’s great Marije, thanks for letting me know and I hope you like it.

Susan February 3, 2014 at 10:57 am

Congratulations on the new book; I’m eager to read it! I subscribed about 15 minutes ago and the confirmation e-mail hasn’t shown up in my Gmail yet, including spam and promotions. It might just be slow.

David Cain February 3, 2014 at 12:28 pm

Hi Susan, some others are having this problem too. I’ll be in touch in a bit.

Rob February 3, 2014 at 11:12 am

YEAH!

David Cain February 3, 2014 at 12:29 pm

*high five*

Erika February 3, 2014 at 11:18 am

Just got the email and I downloaded the book on my ipad, it was easy and I opened it in my iBooks and I can’t wait to enjoy!!

David Cain February 3, 2014 at 12:29 pm

Great! Enjoy.

Jules February 3, 2014 at 11:34 am

Hi, David,

I tried subscribing by clicking the link and entering my email address. However, I did not receive a email to confirm.

I believe I may have an issue because I had previously subscribed to the mailing list and then later unsubscribed when I started using the RSS feed instead.

David Cain February 3, 2014 at 12:30 pm

Sorry you are having trouble. I’ll be in touch in a few.

Neil February 3, 2014 at 1:03 pm

I’m in Portland and I hadn’t heard about the World Domination Summit. I was really hoping it’d be about revolution but checking out the website, it looks like one of those rah-rah-money-rah-rah self-help flimflams. I’m surprised you are interested and willing to pay $500. What’s up with that?

David Cain February 3, 2014 at 1:08 pm

The guy who runs it is a well-known and well-liked blogger named Chris Guillebeau. WDS has become a sort of a mecca for bloggers and web entrepreneurs. A ton of people I know have gone and recommended it, and there will be a lot of bloggers there whom I’ve wanted to meet in person for a long time.

Mari February 3, 2014 at 1:53 pm

Hi,
I seem to be having the same problem as mentioned here earlier – I entered my e-mail address, but I did not receive an email to confirm it. Perhaps you can help?
Thanks!

Gaël Blanchemain (@gaelblanchemain) February 3, 2014 at 2:04 pm

I had subscribed by email, downloaded the file locally, went totally smooth, thanks.

Mike February 3, 2014 at 3:01 pm

I’m having the same issue of not getting the confirmation email. I’m looking forward to reading. Thanks!

Luey February 3, 2014 at 3:14 pm

Hi David, I got the email about the book but have not seen the download link email come in. I’ve been a subscriber to Raptitude for a few years now. Should I sign up again? Looking forward to reading the book! Thanks for gifting it to us!

Jonny Hung February 3, 2014 at 4:07 pm

David, you are the fucking man!!

Ciaran February 3, 2014 at 4:42 pm

Heya – looking to grab me a sweet, sweet copy o’ this, but haven’t been sent a confirmation email. I can’t re-signup cos it’s all like “you’ve already done this”. And it’s very generous of you to put something like this out for free. Thanks, man.

Dustin February 3, 2014 at 5:04 pm

Sorry, no confirmation email here either….

Mark Lipski February 3, 2014 at 5:43 pm

Good on you David! May all your dreams come true. I look forward to an excellent read.

Suzanne February 3, 2014 at 5:51 pm

Email subscriber and didn’t get the confirmation in either here or my spam folder. But regardless, I’m so excited and happy to see this. You really are doing remarkable things here.

Ethan February 3, 2014 at 8:56 pm

David,

I’m enjoying your book! Note that there’s a typo on pg 15, 2nd paragraph from the bottom: “chances are you are live in…”. Thank you for sharing this work with us at no cost. Powerful stuff despite an imperfection!

Ethan

David Cain February 4, 2014 at 12:56 pm

Ah thanks Ethan, I’ll correct that.

Jesse February 3, 2014 at 9:15 pm

Got the email swiftly, downloaded the book and read it immediately. Very well done! Helped me revisit the old topic of “what do I want to do with my life” stuff, always a treat for self-help fans ;) I liked the existential perspective you brought, and found it quite novel to look at mother nature as an outside force with its own bias on par with big business, never thought of it that way. I also really enjoyed the notion of the “living edge” and the coral similie. Sorry if I’m annoying, but I noticed two minor typos: “you are live in” and “unspeakable, It is”. Again, it was a great read, thanks for this!

David Cain February 4, 2014 at 1:08 pm

Typo reports are always welcome. Thanks Jesse.

Greg February 3, 2014 at 11:20 pm

David
Wow – Read it and loved it. I want the audio now : ) I may read it aloud and record it so I can be intimately familiar with the clear thinking presented.
To name Mother Nature and Mother Culture as the 2 forces actively influencing me has given me clarity to see the competition to the most important thing – well being. The compass within so simple and true.
Your images were also so poetic and danced with the words on each page.
Well done and thank you. I now have a lovely gift to share with others.

David Cain February 4, 2014 at 1:07 pm

Thank you for sharing it Greg

Jim February 4, 2014 at 12:06 am

David, meet Dave…

http://howtosavetheworld.ca/

David Cain February 4, 2014 at 1:01 pm

Haha! I own howtosavetheworld.co

Free to Pursue February 4, 2014 at 6:01 am

David, Thank you for sharing this book with your followers. What a great gift. I appreciate everything you do. Sincerely, a fellow ‘Pegger.

David Cain February 4, 2014 at 1:07 pm

Thanks fellow pegger! Glad you are liking it.

I’ve been sitting in this chair dealing with this book launch for 20 of the last 28 hours so it’s about time for me to go for a nice skate on the river :)

Gunhild February 4, 2014 at 7:30 am

Read it. This is AWESOME! Great photos. A 1000 thanks, David. X

Jon February 4, 2014 at 9:48 am

a great read David (not to mention delight for the peepers), really well done…congrats…. I like your points on the importance of actually taking action and not falling into the trap of the self help junkie!

Claudia February 4, 2014 at 10:05 am

Hi David.
Downloaded in less than a minute.
Nice photos.
Thanks for sharing this with us.
You’re awesome!

Christine February 4, 2014 at 11:19 am

Merci beaucoup David !

David Cain February 4, 2014 at 1:05 pm

Ok, after speaking with the email provider, I found out that my account had been throttled back because there were too many requests at once. So they delayed sending the confirmation email to many people until about an hour ago. I hope everyone has gotten it by now! Thanks so much for your patience and you can always contact me with any questions.

Kabamba February 4, 2014 at 2:21 pm

Thank you for your work. This is the real thing.

Ana February 4, 2014 at 4:33 pm

This comes at a great time for me. I’ve been reading through your old posts lately as I realised that in order to be the parent I want to be for my daughter I first need to work on myself some more. Be more patient, mindful, aware of my feelings and needs to be able to answer to her needs. I’ve been reading your blog for a while now, and found it all great, but more in theory. Now I have to put it in practice. Thanks for showing me that it is possible and how to do it!

Chris February 4, 2014 at 5:38 pm

FYI.. I was one of the delayed conifrmation email folk, but am happy to report I now have the book waiting for me. Thanks so much David.

Vishwa February 4, 2014 at 11:33 pm

Hey David,
Thanks a lot for your lovely book.

John Nasaye February 5, 2014 at 3:26 am

Finally!! Looking forward to it! Congratulations David. You have encouraged me to finish up my Own Book! Everything worked well and I was able to download the book perfectly! Talk of the internet shattering the boundaries of geography!

Cheers mate!

disiakay February 5, 2014 at 4:31 am

I say “great book”!!, but I need to define “great”…

A book to be felt, not merely read,
a book about Being, not merely living,
a book about realizing, not merely understanding,
a book about communicating, not merely exchanging information,
a book about appreciating, not merely liking,
a book about desiring, not merely wanting,
a book about seeing, not merely looking,
a book that whispers the seeds of what needs to be
growing inside us all at every day break,
demanding to endlessly flourish till weariness temporarily
takes it toll,
a book that does a world of good to whoever
is settling for nothing less than constant inspiration
and exploration within,
a book we should all be able to recite in our own words,
as it is based on fundamental truths familiar to us all,
at least subconsciously,
a book about how obviously the obvious is omitted from our lives
at whatever cost,
a book about the difference between good and best,
labour and work, being taken for a ride and taking a ride…
a book worth experiencing and to whose author I’d like to devote one of my poems to…

Life is no vacation,
it’s realization,
the self’s ultimate
demonstration…
Learn, love, share,
beware, care,
worry,
but never be sorry,
if you are giving it all you’ve got
and you’re not acting like the person you are not…

Need I say more??

David Cain February 6, 2014 at 2:00 pm

:D

Brotherbryan February 5, 2014 at 11:53 am

Easy download. Great content. You, sir, are a great writer AND a gifted photographer. I love your stuff and look forward to each post. Consider me a fan and a friend. If you ever need a landing pad in Michigan – let me know.

David Cain February 6, 2014 at 2:00 pm

I might do that! Thanks for your kind words and I’m glad you liked it.

Gunhild February 6, 2014 at 2:10 am

Just saw that you are going to the World Domination Summit this year. I’m suddenly even more excited that I am going! – all the way from Denmark. I really hope to get a change to talk to you, David, I greatly admire your work :-)

David Cain February 6, 2014 at 1:59 pm

Drop me a line when July is approaching! Will be great to meet you.

Helena February 10, 2014 at 6:57 pm

I’m also going to be in Portland for the WDS and would love to meet you David and have a chat. Totally agree with all of your thinking so would be great to have a conversation in real life.

David Cain February 11, 2014 at 2:40 pm

Hi Helena. That’s awesome, let’s definitely meet. I’m going to be making an announcement shortly before I leave to touch base with anyone who will be out there and wants to meet up.

Partha February 6, 2014 at 5:08 am

Nice. Enjoyed it.

Cheers!

Holly February 6, 2014 at 12:18 pm

Thank you for the book, it was good and I enjoyed reading it. Much of it was good and actionable. Being more fully conscious of the decisions you make and the power the outside world has on your default desires are good. Rejecting comfort is good and clear. The call to action is a nice touch.

I have two pieces of constructive feedback:
* I read it on my phone, and the text was very small. I had to zoom way in and pan around a lot. It was annoying.
* Page 2 felt almost insulting. The claim that “most of our moral and cultural progress” are a result of a certain group that you are able to define, and that they are “freer and better at being happy” doesn’t come across as inspiring to me. And the claim that “these people … will save the human world” just sounds presumptuous and naive. The human world’s biggest problems aren’t corporate culture or consumerism (though those are problems for some of us), but war and poverty and global climate change.

David Cain February 6, 2014 at 1:58 pm

Hi Holly. Thanks for reading.

The pages of the book are 1200×800, and because of its graphic presentation it’s really not meant to be read on a phone.

I’m sorry that you were offended by page 2. I might take a different tone if I were to write it again, but I think it is true. Not everything will be inspiring to everybody. I think the relationship between climate change, global poverty and the status quo of western consumerism are pretty obvious. Many or most wars are caused by economic conditions (civil war, WW2 as examples) which relate directly to whether it’s normal to inherit our values from the status quo, or to look for them ourselves.

I think a growing culture of deviation from inherited norms is the ONLY thing that can possibly prevent serious environmental and economic catastrophes from happening in the next few decades. Different policies under the same general philosophy will not do it. It has to be a culture of individual self-examination. This is the underlying theme of the book, and I really do think it is the most important issue in the world.

Wan February 7, 2014 at 6:00 am

Thanks for sharing the book, David.

Looking forward to read it and learn more from you.

K from India February 8, 2014 at 10:16 am

David, Thanks a Tonne! It was a great read. Loved and consumed each word. Great writing as always. I am sitting miles across the ocean from where you live, sit, think and write…but the impact your words create in my life is …..tremendous!!!. If someday I come to US…I think thats where you currently reside…I am sure I will try my best meeting you! Have a good life. Keep writing..keep writing..keep writing. :)

David Cain February 11, 2014 at 2:46 pm

Good to hear the ideas are resonating with you, K. I’m actually in Canada, but travel to the US a few times a year.

Michelle Kowalski February 9, 2014 at 4:50 am

Hey David,

Not so fast on the ‘do something with this’ part. Inspiration and insight are enough, if you’ve decided your mission in life is simply to be an awed witness to the glory of the universe. To the wonders of nature, of humanity, … of every moment of clarity, every pulsation of sanity and compassion and creativity, every humble triumph over adversity. If all you want to do is celebrate this and sing your celebration to the rooftops, every inspiration is one more gift. To share. All I do is share it, David. Every sweet thing.

Michelle Kowalski February 10, 2014 at 5:28 am

My thoughts on Grace…

HUMMING IS THE NATURE OF GRACE
 
Have you ever been in the company of Grace?
When the path unfurling before you,
the experience assaulting you,
the epiphany embracing you,
the sheer intensity magnitude excitement of it
hurricanes your interior?
 
And beyond the awe that drops your jaw
comes a forever set to your shoulders,
an everywhere glint to your eyes…
as they attune to solid path?
 
And caressingly
from your micro-cellular seas – tossing to vast rhythms
issues a hum, a vibe, a formidable granite peace.
 
While Grace whispers
truly home, truly free;
nothing to fix, nothing to flee;
where you were always meant to be…
as she parts the mists of millennium
so you can see?
 
~~ MMK, March 2004

Fazel Ali February 11, 2014 at 2:01 pm

David you write inspiring stuff! You are a great photographer as well, which is my passion. I really look forward to making something meaningful from the inspiration.

David Cain February 11, 2014 at 2:35 pm

Thanks Fazel. I love photography.

GP February 26, 2014 at 2:06 pm

Ive gone to:

https://www.raptitude.com/on-becoming-an-individual-or-how-to-save-the-world/

but there doesn’t seem to be anywhere to enter an email address to get the book sent to me.

David Cain February 26, 2014 at 2:21 pm

Hi GP,

The email service I use was down due to a DDoS attack and things are just getting up and running. For a while the input form was gone but it should be back now. Sorry about that.

Elizabeth Rose March 6, 2014 at 5:43 am

You’re a great writer with great wisdom and advice, so thank you!

On not accepting ‘truths’ from outside yourself, Jesus, Buddha and all divine specialists speak through your heart. Pay attention. When you become more aware (go into the stillness through meditation or self-hypnosis), you’ll realize that you’re not alone and are always receiving divine guidance. All humans are divinely guided, …and are also divine.

When we realize who we really are, divine spirits having a human experience, with a mission to positively impact each other, collectively, we WILL save the world.

Keep up the great work!
Elizabeth Rose

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