From the Lip to the Hip is a Pretty Far Distance: Doing What You Say You're Going to Do - Lessons in Character and Integrity

The purpose of "From the Lip to the Hip is a Pretty Far Distance" is to help each of us become people of our word and strive to minimize, as much as possible, the undesirable behavior of not doing what you say you are going to do. Jesus says in Matthew 5:37, in the Sermon on the Mount, "Let your Yes be Yes, and your No be No."

Have you ever met someone who has never experienced having to deal with a person who told them that they were going to do something, and they never did what they said they were going to do? I doubt that you haven't because every single one of us has, most likely, had this happen to them. Even worse, every single one of us has done it to another, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Saying that you are going to do something and never doing it is a universal issue. It is part of human nature.

I recorded Episode 159, "From the Lip to the Hip is a Pretty Far Distance," as the first show in a series exploring why people don't do what they say they are going to do. I invited several guests for follow up shows that I greatly respect and admire to share their wisdom and insights on this subject. They are a very diverse group, offering many very different perspectives on the theme of the book. The interviews I did with the eleven guests in this series were so powerful that I decided to use the transcripts from those shows as the inspiration for what ultimately became this book which you are about to read.

Three and a half years ago, when I first launched Right Thinking with Steve Coplon, Don Green sent me a copy of "Napoleon Hill is on the Air." It is a book that contains transcripts from a series of radio broadcasts that Napoleon Hill did in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1953. The editor of that book stated, "It allows you, the reader, to experience almost verbatim what Napoleon shared directly with his listeners." I have followed in Napoleon Hill's footsteps as I have kept the edited transcripts of my shows as close to the actual broadcasts as possible.

Through the process of converting the transcripts to the chapters of "From the Lip to the Hip is a Pretty Far Distance," I learned a tremendous amount about the difference between conversational dialogue and the written word. I wish to thank Randey and Cindyrae Faulkner for volunteering to edit the transcripts line by line as a gift of love because they wanted this book to be made available to each of you, the readers. I could not have completed this book without the invaluable assistance of Sofia Giannascoli. She has been a Godsend. I would also like to thank my wife, Donna, for being with me every step along the way, as she gave me the love and support that I needed to write this book and also provided countless hours of proofing and editing as well. To each of my guests, thank you for sharing your wisdom and caring so much about other people.

My heartfelt hope and prayers are that "From the Lip to the Hip is a Pretty Far Distance" will transform your life, as it has mine, and help everyone who reads it toward a better life.

Steve Coplon is the Founder/Executive Director of Right Thinking Foundation (RTF), a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to fight and reduce Recidivism. A successful lifetime entrepreneur personally involved in hundreds of millions of dollars of economic development, he has developed a program based on biblical principles and proven business practices needed for success. Following Napoleon Hill's footsteps, whose work he was first introduced to over 45 years ago, RTF's financial education program teaches responsibility and making good choices. Steve has a remarkable ability to connect with people using Napoleon Hill's principle of using Master Mind groups to help make the world a better place. Persevering through severe health and financial difficulties, Steve stays focused on his life purpose of helping other people, a calling which he learned from his mother―he has dedicated his life to serving the underserved. He has gone behind the prison walls hundreds of times as a Statewide Volunteer with the Virginia Department of Corrections. Having presented his Personal Finance and Small Business Ownership seminar in numerous prisons nationally to help returning citizens be better prepared to become productive, contributing members of society upon release. His Personal Finance and Small Business Ownership curriculum is now available to prisons and jails throughout the country. Steve believes that the best way to fight Recidivism is to get to the youth and teach them to make good choices before they go too far out into the world and begin making bad choices that can ultimately cost them their freedom. He has taught financial literacy at An Achievable Dream Academy, a charter school for the at-risk in the public school system in Newport News, Virginia, where he brought real-life experiences to high school students. Steve is the host of Right Thinking with Steve Coplon, a radio show and podcast dedicated to helping anyone experiencing hardship and those who want to be there for them. He has embarked on an unusual goal―traveling to and visiting prisons in all 50 states to deliver his message of Love, Encouragement, and Hope.