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The Power of Generosity · The Daily Writer

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Daily Rider Podcast, where we bring you tips and inspiration each day to help you build habits for writing success.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: For more resources, including your free Daily Rider Starter Kit, visit Daily RiderLife.com.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: This week we're celebrating the release of the brand new book, The Faith of Elvis, which I co-wrote with Billy Stanley, Elvis Presley's stepbrother.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: So here on the podcast, I'm sharing a few lessons this week that I've learned from working on this project.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: If you pick up the book this week or anytime in the future, you'll see a lot of stories about Elvis' generosity.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: He was always giving money to people.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: And many times he actually gave money to complete strangers.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: He was buying cars for people, and sometimes actually that was for complete strangers as well, although it oftentimes included family members, staff members, and friends.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Or sometimes he would just help out people in ways that were secretive and that not many people knew about.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: Elvis's famous generosity was actually a point of contention between him and his father Vernon, who managed Elvis' business affairs.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: Vernon would sometimes say, Elvis, you're going to put us in the poorhouse.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: And Elvis would just respond, Well, at least we'll be driving there in style.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: That's one of the one of the lines from the book, which I just makes me laugh every time I read that still.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: One of my biggest takeaways from working on this project was the importance of being generous as a person and also as a writer.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: This is an aspect of Elvis' life that doesn't get a lot of attention because obviously his music, his movies, and other facets of his career, I mean, they're they loom so large in the public mind and in the culture.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: People don't often talk about his generosity, and that's one of the reasons why Billy wanted to do this book.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: Elvis didn't see his wealth and power, however, as something to just be consumed.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: He used it to help other people.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: So how could you and I do the same?
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: How can we show generosity toward other people in our circle?
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: Let me suggest three simple ways that you can do this as a writer.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, leave podcast and book reviews for people.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: Every podcaster and author wants to have more ratings and reviews, so this is an easy way to make a difference in their lives and to do something kind.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, send handwritten cards to people in the mail.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: Remember that people's number one emotional need is to feel validated and affirmed.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: So whenever you do that for someone, especially by sending cards in the mail, which hardly anybody does anymore, whenever you do that for people, it goes straight to the thing that they most want in life, which is basically to know that somebody's thinking about me, somebody cares about me, somebody loves me.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: So send those handwritten cards, they're really important.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: And tip number three is to buy and share books that your friends have published.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: People will always remember who talked about their book on social media or elsewhere.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: And they won't forget how you made them feel by your support.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: It's such a small thing just to buy somebody's book and to post about it on social media or those kinds of things, but man, it just makes a huge difference.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: You know, generosity doesn't have to be complicated or expensive.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: I think we could all be a little bit more like Elvis and be more generous and show our support for other writers who are in our circle.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: So my question for you today is which one of these three suggestions could you put into practice today?
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the new book, The Faith of Elvis, releases tomorrow, October the 4th, and you can find it in all retailers online or in your local bookstore.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you pick it up because I think you're really going to enjoy it.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening, and I'll see you tomorrow.