Roy Lantz Transcript

October 26, 2007

Kent Gustavson : Hello, and welcome to sound author’s radio. I have a special guest to start off the show today. It’s a fellow named Roy Lantz. He calls himself possibilitarian. He specializes in quotavations. He is a motivational speaker, an inspiring author and a customer service and presentation skills trainer. Are you there, Roy?

Roy Lantz: Yes, Kent. Hey, I’m here!

Kent: Fantastic! And what exactly does it mean, pitching ringer after ringer in the game of life?

Roy: Well, horseshoes is such a great metaphor. The game of horseshoes, for the game of life. Because in the game of horseshoes, you’ve got to perform well when you’re in the pit. Otherwise you can’t win. You can’t hope to do well in the game. The game of life sometimes finds us in the pits, too, at one time or another.

We need to perform well at those times when we’re not feeling so well, when we’re in the pits. So, I thought, gosh, that’s a terrific metaphor for the game of life.

Kent: Are you a horseshoe player?

Roy: Yes, I am. I don’t have the greatest game, but I’ve got a pretty good game. I’ve got horseshoe pits in my backyard. I’ve been playing for about 30 years. I’ve got a pretty decent game going, yes.

Kent: What do you do on a daily basis? What is your job?

Roy: Well, I’ve got a little speaking and training business, based in Atlanta that I started in 1986. We just this summer celebrated our 21st anniversary. Many years ago, Ted, I was looking for a definition of my purpose in life and part of what I do is to teach people and help people identify what their purpose is.

I established, gosh, back in the mid ’80’s that my purpose is to use my optimism and enthusiasm to teach and inspire others so that the world of all those lives I touch, directly and indirectly, will be a better one. That’s a mouthful, but that’s 27 words that kind of describes what I try to do with my business.

Kent: We all know “Chicken Soup for the Soul.” Is this a similar book to that? Why don’t you tell me a little bit about how the book is made up, and how it might compare to other inspirational books.

Roy: OK. Kent, how about let’s start with where the title came from. As I mentioned, I started the business in 1986. That was also the year that my first book was published. It’s called “The Care and Keeping of Customers.” And it contains dozens and dozens and dozens of specific helpful things, I think that people can do to provide better customer service.

And I thought, well, why not take that to the next level. I’ve got some life experiences to share. Some very specific things that could help people. And I’ve been working on a book to do that for quite a while. I didn’t have a title for it. I didn’t know exactly. where the book was going.

Well, I was doing contract speaking for a company that had an office here in Atlanta. But, the company was based in Norway. We had a company picnic, Kent, one Saturday. Everybody was having a pretty good time. Except, I couldn’t help but notice that people that were coming away from the horseshoe pit, nobody came away smiling or laughing.

Everybody seemed depressed and disgruntled. Some of them looked angry. And I learned that the boss, who was this big, strapping stereotypical Scandinavian guy, kind of like yourself, huh? He was from Norway, and he was killing everybody. He was beating everybody in playing horseshoes.

Well, as I mentioned earlier, I’m not great, but I’ve got a pretty decent game, so I went down to challenge him. I was doing great. I kept getting ringers. I was throwing ringer after ringer and I beat him pretty handily, much to the delight of my co‑workers.

They were shouting, and cheering me on, “Go Roy! Yeah! Yeah!” That was a Saturday. The following Friday, he fired me. So, that’s where I got the title, “Never Beat the Boss at Horseshoes”, from.

Kent: So this was from personal experience.

Roy: Yes. That helped me put together some of these other things that I had been thinking about. I had many, many more stories than 102. But, I didn’t want another 101 Ways book, so I thought I’d put together 102 very specific things, in the form of little individual stories that hopefully, readers can relate to.

Then, practice right away. A practical application. And I think that’s the difference. Somebody asked me once, was my book like “Chicken for the Soul?” I decided that it’s more like a “Double Stuffed Oreo for the Spirit.” Because it’s something that you can immediately get something from.

You enjoy that, double stuffed oreo. You always want to have another one, when you have one and you get immediate results. Unlike sometimes chicken soup takes a little longer to make you feel good. So that’s where the title came from and how it relates to chicken soup.

Kent: So let’s hear a little bit from it. Can you read us one?

Roy: Oh! Yes! Terrific! One of my favorites, Ken, is called, “On Saving Worm.” All of these stories are two to three minutes. They’re brief vignettes. Can I take just a second and outline how the stories unfold?

Kent: Absolutely.

Roy: Because they all have the same format. They start with, and you mentioned quotavation. And I appreciate that. because a quotivation is a quotation, but it’s a quotation that each story starts with. It’s a quotation, but I call it a quotivation, because it sets up the little story.

Then the story, after we’ve got the quotivation, provides the inspiration, I hope. Which elicits a response, which hopefully will provide the motivation. So, we’ve got a quotavation that provides inspiration, that elicits a response, to provide motivation. What I’m looking for, Ken, with each story, is for the reader, when they finish, to go, “Ah, ha!” or maybe go, “Ooooo!” or say, “Hmmm…” or chuckle.

I want to move, in some way, after the story. And then all the reader has to do is provide the perspiration to do whatever the story suggests, and go out and get results. Does that make sense?

Kent: So, we’ve got quotivation. Then we’ve got inspiration?

Roy: The quotivation sets up the story, which hopefully provides the inspiration. Yes.

Kent: Then we’ve got the motivation.

Roy: Which comes from the response I hope the reader will have when they read the story.

Kent: As long as there’s the perspiration.

Roy: And they have to provide that. And perspiration is just another way of saying they have to do something.

Kent: Let’s listen…

Roy: Are you ready for “On saving worms?”

Kent: I am.

Roy: OK. The quotivation ‑‑ here’s the little quotation or quotivation that starts it. I love this. Because of some act to beast or man the world is better because I lived today. That’s from Ella Wheeler Wilcox. Then we get into the actual brief story.

I cannot tell you how many worms are alive today or at least had their slimy little lives prolonged because of this quotivation ‑‑ and the quotivation being the one I just read to you. You’ve undoubtedly observed that the number of worms surfacing on sidewalks and roads after a rain is astounding.

When my job follows a rain I make sure that as many worms as possible are returned to the dirt. I am probably one of the more highly regarded humans in the worm world. Now I’m not bragging but I think my worm rescues are very much in the spirit of Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s sentiment ‑‑ that’s the quotivation again that we started with.

And besides, regardless of how my little invertebrate buddies feel about it, it makes me feel that I have made the world in some small way a better place. Perhaps helping extend the life expectancy of worms is not your idea of ensuring “the world is better.” Well there are literally countless opportunities each day to do some small good.

Why not take advantage of them? Pick up a piece of litter. Offer a sincere compliment. Smile at a stranger. Let someone pull in front of you in traffic. Hold a door open. Make it a point to be polite or any other kindness to beast or man that you can think of. You’ll feel good. The world will be better and the worms ‑‑ well leave the worms to me.

And that’s the end of the story.

Kent: Leave the worms to you.

Roy: Yes. And I’m doing a good job by the way. I’m still recognizing worm. We’re on our way to Panama City Beach, Florida right now and they haven’t had a rain lately and from where I happen to be sitting outside but I will look for stranded worms and if I see them I’ll rescue the little guys.

Kent: I tend to be a rescuer of moths at my house. I have a soft spot for moths. The little willy‑worms too.

Roy: What do you do when you ‑‑ do you take them outside and release them or what do you do?

Kent: I grab them in between my two hands and get someone else to open the door and set them free. So let’s hear one more segment from “Never Beat the Boss.” Where is it available? “Never Beat the Boss at Horseshoes” is available by your publisher right?

Roy: A couple of different places. I think the best place to get it ‑‑ because we always have a good inventory, although we’re getting ready to go into the second printing and I’m please about that.

Kent: Great.

Roy: The best place is from our website roylantz.com.

Kent: roylantz.com.

Roy: Right. It’s also available through publisher website. The publisher is magnoliapinespress.com. The publisher is Magnolia Pines Press. It’s a small Atlanta‑based publishing house. magnoliapinespress.com.

Kent: And then you’re also available for speaking engagements right?

Roy: Yes. We speak and again the programs that we do are detailed on the website and that’s also a good place to get in touch with us to talk about perhaps doing a program, yeah. Thank you for asking that.

Kent: One more little reading from the book and then we will say goodbye.

Roy: OK. Well let’s ‑‑ you know what? Let’s do the last one. The very last one because I think there’s some good food for thought. The last of the 102 stories is called “Never Beat the Boss.” The quotivation is “Never Beat the Boss at Horseshoes” by Roy Lantz.

Ah, Churchill, Dickens, Booker T. Washington, Twain, Elvis, Mother Teresa, Goethe, Lantz… Lantz? It is I’ll admit a bit of a stretch to even appear to place myself in such a gust company. But while we’re appearing presumptuous let’s add one more name to the list, yours.

You see Churchill, Dickens, Booker T. Washington, Twain, Elvis, Mother Teresa, Goethe and everyone else cited in “Never Beath the Boss at Horseshoes” have two things in common. Each is quoted here and each has had a profound impact on others. Though you may not be quoted here, you and I too, have had an impact on others.

Sometimes petite, sometimes profound. We have “because of some act of beast or man” as noted in “Any Ape”, made the world a better place. When, where and how often it happens, who’s to say? But be assured that as you’ve been playing the game of life, it has happened. Hopefully, you’ve recalled positive events from your life as you’ve experienced each inning.

Keep in mind that the game of life unlike the game of horseshoes has no predetermined end and that’s part of what makes it such an exciting game. It’s nearly impossible to always pitch a ringer when playing horseshoes and for certain it’s impossible to always win in either game. And besides, as the Greek philosopher, Longinus noted in the 3rd century, “In some attempts it is glorious even to fail.”

That ends the story part and then the book goes on to some practical applications. It has a complete index of quotations by author and then there are recommended readings for 15 minutes a day that can really help people with any time they’re feeling down in life.

Kent: “Never to Beat the Boss at Horseshoes: 102 Ways to pitch ringer after ringer in the game of life” by Roy Lantz. You can find it at www.roylantz.com.

Roy, thank you so much for joining me.

Roy: Thank you, Kent, and keep on saving those moths.

Kent: I will keep on saving those moths.

Roy: Alright, bye.

Kent: Goodbye. After the break we’ll be speaking to Ralph Wattly about “Pop Goes the Poetry’. We’ll see you soon.

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