Kelly Trepp, Author

I read a book recently that reminded me if we are always waiting for the next good thing -- a "better" house, a "better" job, a "better" location, a "better" spouse, the next vacation, your child's next developmental milestone -- you are never fully in the moment and, therefore, you never fully appreciate what you have. We live in a society that teaches us that bigger is better, surplus is superior to enough, wants are more important than our needs, and the next step will make us happier than where we are. But what happens when you reach that next step? Is all that glitters gold? Does chasing happiness bring us joy? Or does reaching that next step leave us in search of the next best thing? The next hit? The next high? What would life look like, then, if we put our focus on where we are? If we chose joy in any and all circumstances? I'm not saying that we should not have goals to improve ourselves or that we do not deserve to be happy. W...

With the new year right around the corner, you are undoubtedly about to face a flurry of New Year's resolutions plastered across your social media feeds. You may even be scribbling your own goals and resolutions in your daily journal, or sharing them with a loved one for accountability. Goals are great. I think we should all set goals and regularly reassess them and measure our progress... but when it comes to setting that New Year's resolution, I have a challenge for you. As the hours turn to minutes, and the seconds tick by on the countdown to our new year and new selves, I want you to ask yourself what it is that you want from 2019. Do you want to be the perfect mom (does that even exist)? The perfect spouse? The perfect disciple? Do you want a perfect body? Maybe you want to find the perfect job or the perfect house or the perfect [enter object here] that will finally make you happy. I have chased the perfect body. I have chased the perfect wife. I am constantly...

I recently witnessed an instance of bullying carry out on Facebook... between adults. That's right! A good old fashioned hurtful anonymous message and a battle of the wits that rivaled my high school experiences unfolded before my very eyes at the ripe old age of 30. Should we be surprised that bullying still happens among adults? Probably not. Why not? Why am I not shocked and outraged? Because bullying still exists in our schools today and within the highest levels of government and bullying is a learned behavior. Where do today's youth learn this behavior? You guessed it! From us. They learn this behavior from us. So what are we to do about the issue of bullying? As I watched this event unfold, I read the comments of people calling for revenge, justice, police reports, and -- my favorite -- toe pokes! What is a toe poke, anyway? All of these adults were outraged that a strong, beautiful woman was being bullied for her successful weight-loss journey. Rightly so. But ...