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 pick up the book this week or anytime in the future, you’ll see a lot of stories about Elvis’s generosity. He was always giving money to people—sometimes to complete strangers—buying cars for others, or helping people out in some way.

Elvis’s famous generosity was actually a point of contention between him and his father, Vernon, who managed Elvis’s business affairs. Vernon would sometimes say, “Elvis, you’re going to put us in the poorhouse.” Elvis would respond, “At least we’ll be driving there in style.”

One of my biggest takeaways from working on this project was the importance of being generous. This is an aspect of Elvis’s life that doesn’t get much attention among all his music, movies, and other facets of his career.

Elvis didn’t see his wealth and power as something to just be consumed. He also used it to help others. How can you and I do the same? How can we show generosity toward other people in our circle?

Let me suggest three simple ways:

1. Leave podcast and book reviews for people. Every podcaster and author wants to have more ratings and reviews. This is an easy way to make a difference.
2. Send handwritten cards to people in the mail. Remember that people’s #1 emotional need is to feel validated and affirmed.
3. Buy and share books that your friends have published. People will always remember who talked about their book on social media or elsewhere. They won’t forget how you made them feel by your support.

Generosity doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. We could all be more like Elvis and show our support for people in our circle.

Question: Which one of the three suggestions I gave above could you practice today?