This week, we are celebrating the release of the book The Faith of Elvis, which I co-wrote with Billy Stanley, Elvis Presley’s stepbrother. Here on the podcast, I’m sharing a few lessons I’ve learned from working on this project.

If you were to guess what the most requested image in the National Archives is, what would your guess be? Would it be something related to the moon landings? Maybe something historic related to WWII or the Civil War? Maybe something from the turn of the century?

If so, you’d be wildly off base. The most requested photo in the National Archives was taken on December 21, 1970, in the Oval Office. It shows Richard Nixon shaking hands with Elvis Presley, who was wearing one of his famous jumpsuits along with a giant gold belt buckle.

You might wonder, how in the world did these two famous figures end up in the same picture, and what does it have to do with writing?

Let’s tackle the first question first. On December 19, 1970, Elvis Presley abruptly left Graceland and flew to California to meet his friend Jerry Schilling, who joined him on a flight to Washington, D.C. They were met there by another of Elvis’s friends, Sonny West. Elvis often did things on a whim, and this time he had decided he wanted to get a DEA badge. He had always been a big supporter of law enforcement, and he often collected badges from the police and other officers when he was on tour.

Despite his image as a rebellious rock ’n roll star, Elvis was actually quite conservative. It bothered him that the problem of illegal drugs was getting out of hand, and he wanted to do something about it. His solution, as crazy as it sounds, was to become an official undercover drug enforcement officer. He felt that his status as a public figure could help lend support to the fight against illegal drugs.

Having struck out with the powers that be in D.C., who refused to give him a badge, Elvis decided to go straight to the White House to seek an impromptu meeting with the President himself, Richard Nixon. He directed his limo to pull up to the White House gates at 6:00am and gave a handwritten letter requesting the meeting to the guards, asking them to pass it along to the President. At first, he was rebuffed, but later in the day, he received the call at his hotel that the meeting was on.

And yes, Elvis did get his DEA badge that day. He was immensely proud of it and was excited to show it to his family and friends when he got back to Memphis.

So… what does that crazy story have to do with writers?

It all comes down to taking initiative to get what you want. Do you want a podcast? A book deal? Do you want to write a book series? Do you want to write full-time? What specifically do you want to do in your life as a writer?

Whatever it is, go for it. Take initiative. Get assertive. So many writers just sit passively by, waiting for something to happen to them. You’ve got to get off your duff and start making things happen.

On the wall in my home office, I have a printout of that famous photo showing Elvis and Nixon shaking hands. I hung it as a reminder to get a little crazy, to take action, and to do whatever it takes to make my writing dreams come true. They’re not going to happen for me by accident, and they’re not going to happen by accident for you, either.

Question: What did you learn from this story about Elvis, and about taking initiative as a writer?