From 1962-1992, Johnny Carson ruled the airwaves as the King of Late Night. If you were a stand-up comedian in the late 70s through the early 90s, and you were invited over to the couch to talk to Johnny after your 5-minute set, you were now Hollywood royalty.

Everybody comedian on the planet wanted to be like Johnny Carson. In 1992, when Johnny Carson retired, everyone thought that David Letterman would be a shoe-in as the new host. And why not? Letterman’s own late-night show had been following Johnny Carson for the last ten years, and it was no secret that he idolized Carson. And in turn, Johnny personally liked David Letterman more than Jay Leno, who had guest-hosted “The Tonight Show” many times.

The TV world was scandalized when “The Tonight Show” hosting spot went to Leno instead. As a result, Letterman moved to CBS to start his own show opposite Jay Leno.

The next year, in 1993, a young upstart comedian who was a writer for “The Simpsons” got his own late-night show at NBC. For years, he followed Jay Leno in the lineup, even though his style was much more like David Letterman, whom he adored. This, of course, was Conan O’Brien.

In the irony of all ironies, Conan had a brief stint hosting “The Tonight Show” for nearly eight months in 2009-2010, until his low ratings prompted NBC to bring back Jay Leno as the host.

What’s the point of this little stroll down late-night memory lane?

All of these hosts have been victims of what you might call “Carson’s Curse.” In one way or another, they all wanted to be like Johnny Carson, who will forever be immortalized as the greatest late-night host ever.

Even today, people who remember Johnny Carson will watch Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, and other late-night hosts, and remark that they just can’t measure up to Carson… even though it’s been over 30 years since he was the host of “The Tonight Show.”

But let’s be clear: Johnny Carson didn’t put a curse on anyone. Rather, he was so good that everybody wanted to be like him, but nobody could measure up. Instead, over time they developed their own styles with their own audience.

Conan O’Brien alluded to this when he said, “It is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique.”

Is there a writer you look up to? Someone you admire so much that it’s hard not to want to be like them? Maybe you emulate their style or you’re trying to build your platform just like theirs.

Be careful. It’s OK to learn from other writers and their styles or techniques, but the world doesn’t need another JK Rowling, Stephen King, or James Patterson. What the world needs is for you to give the most valuable gift you can possibly offer… and that is uniquely you.

Today’s Challenge: Grab a sheet of paper and write down 3 things that are unique about you. How can you integrate these into your writing?

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In the last weekday episode, we talked about the power of sending handwritten notes. Today, let’s look at another powerful way to personally connect with people.

Since high-speed internet and mobile phones started becoming more powerful ten or fifteen years ago, video has become a more important medium with each passing year. We all love to watch videos, and one of the ways to take advantage of this is to send people short, personalized videos.

There are many reasons to do this. You can thank someone, send a note of encouragement, follow up from a meeting, explain more about a client proposal, add some thoughts after a conversation, or just point out something you appreciate about what the other person is doing.

The bottom line is that a personalized video forges a deep connection with the other person. Why? Because you took the time the create something specifically for them. It is rare, therefore it is effective and valuable.

Many writers are not comfortable on video, but you will need to get comfortable. Learn to make video your friend. People don’t care if you come across as some smooth TV star. In fact, the more real and authentic it feels, the better. The fact that it’s from you is what makes it so powerful.

You would be surprised at the impact that a short, personalized video makes on someone.

Daily Question: Do you feel comfortable on video? Why or why not? What is an area of your writing or business you would like to grow, and how could personalized videos help build relationships in that area?

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This one is for all the 1980s rock fans out there.

In 1985, the music group Heart was choosing songs to record for its 8^th studio album, which was to be named simply, “Heart.” The group normally recorded songs they had written themselves, but they had been presented with a new song written by Martin Page and Bernie Taupin. Page was a singer-songwriter, who had co-written some notable tunes such as Starship’s anthem, “We Built This City.” Taupin was Elton John’s frequent writing partner.

Page and Taupin had written a new tune called “These Dreams,” which had been offered to Stevie Nicks, who turned it down. It found its way to Heart, who agreed to use it for their next album.

When Nancy Wilson went into the studio to record lead vocals for the song, she had a cold that day. This made her vocals sound raspy. The song went on to great commercial success. Later on, producers wanted her to recreate the same vocal style, jokingly asking her if she could just get sick again.

As so often happens in art, the artist’s weakness had become her secret weapon, at least on that song.

What do you perceive as your “weakness?” Maybe you’re divorced. Maybe you have a physical disability. Maybe people have made fun of you for wanting to be a writer. Maybe you didn’t get good grades at school or flunked out of college. Maybe you have failed in a lot of things and you wonder if you have anything of value to offer.

Let me set the record straight: YOU DO. You have so much value, and so much to offer. I want you to begin to look at yourself differently. Turn it around and begin to see your biggest weakness as your biggest strength. It’s what sets you apart and makes you unique.

Don’t run from it. Don’t hide it. Put yourself out there and be proud of the person you are. You have no idea how many other people will relate to that weakness.

Daily Question: What is your biggest weakness, and how can you use it in your writing to help others?

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Sometimes we make a false distinction between writing for money and writing for pleasure. Both goals can be valid and important. What ties them together is that you are adding value to the world through your writing.

When you write for clients, you are adding value to them and their business.

When you write nonfiction, you are adding value to others through your wisdom and knowledge.

When you write fiction, you are adding value to the world by helping us get lost in the story.

When you write in your journal, you are adding value to yourself through personal reflection.

When you write teaching material such as a speech or workshop, you are adding value to others by helping them learn and grow.

We write for different reasons, but the result is the same. It all adds value. It makes you better and it makes others better, too. Knowing that you have incredible power with your writing should be a tremendous motivation to keep going and keep improving.

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1. Buy your friends’ books and give them away. Obviously, this adds value to your friends because you are supporting their writing. But it also adds value to those receiving the books. A double win!

2. Leave reviews for the books you read. Every author, no matter how famous or not, wants book reviews. This is a simple way to give people exactly what they want and feel good in the process.

3. Make introductions between people who should know each other. Many introverted writers don’t do this because they focus on the work and forget that their work is all about people. Make connections between friends and you will multiply your value.

Remember: success as a writer isn’t just about books. It’s also about relationships and the people you serve. If you do these things, you will not only feel a deep sense of joy because you are adding so much value to others… you will also be a great success by anyone’s measure. 

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