The Joy Project With Julia

With the beginning of the school year approaching, I felt like it was important to talk about healthy ways to hold yourself accountable to living a healthier lifestyle. No solution will ever be perfect, but I found that using the 3 S's was a quick and easy way to check in with my progress and reflect on everything that I learned that day. The 3 S's stand for self, school, and social. These are areas that every student seeks to balance and it is important to make sure your day is full of many intention moments. Please give it a listen if you are striving to find ways to better yourself every day and want to find a way to track your growth. I am eager to follow along your journey this school year!

(Disclaimer: I repeated some words multiple times, and I apologize for how jumbled and fried my brain appears to be a points...live laugh love recruitment season)

If you are eager to go through recruitment, or even still deciding, then this episode is for you! Joining a sorority enables you to be immersed and involved in many involvement opportunities on campus, network with inspiring individuals, attend social experiences, and gain lifelong friends. As someone who was unsure of joining a sorority myself, I hope to provide you with some things to keep in mind as you go through your recruitment journey. The best piece of advice I can offer is to be authentically yourself throughout the entire process. This will help you find a home with women who share similar values to you and will lead you to forming lifelong friendships. Listen to this episode to learn more about what joining the Panhellenic community can do for you personally, academically, and professionally. I have grown so much over this past year, and I can't wait to hear all about you finding your forever home!

Finding a way to acknowledge your accomplishments is important because it gives you a sense of fulfillment. However, it is also essential to recognize minor setbacks and bad days, as they are key moments that contribute to our growth as individuals. There are many healthy ways to reward yourself for positive experiences, milestones, and SMART goals. It is up to you to find positive, healthy, and unique incentives that keep you growing and learning. Additionally, strive to reward others to let them know, 'Hey, you are doing a great job.' What is the joy in a reward if it is not something you get to share with others? Let's start our journey with intentionality towards both ourselves and others!

Each year we are gifted new friendships, experiences, and lessons. Finding Joy in another year is making an active choice to decide which direction you would like to go and taking the steps to make that dream a reality. Since turning 20 years old, I have really taken the time to evaluate what I want for this next year, next decade, and next chapter of life in general. A tradition I started several years ago was writing a letter on my birthday for my future self to open on my next birthday. My younger self writes goals, lessons, and boundaries I will hope to experience in that year, and my older self gets to see how far "we" have come along. In this episode, I will read the letter I wrote on my 19th birthday to be opened on my 20th birthday. I hope my letter reminds you of how much potential you have to grow within a year, you can become what you seek for yourself, and that you should be your biggest hype person. I encourage you to start this tradition with yourself and get ready to find joy in another year!

Hello beautiful people & welcome to season 2!!! I am so so excited to come back better than ever and talk about how to find joy in a fresh start! A fresh start is whenever you decide you want to take an active change to become a better version of yourself! Whether you are going to college for the first time, just had a birthday, or just want to change for the better...this episode is for you!! Get ready to try new hobbies, redefine your look, goal set, & find positive people who are going to support you! Decide who you want to be and get ready to become a better version of yourself! I am so excited to grow alongside you & I can't wait to see you find joy in your fresh start!

Establishing a system filled with repetition and specific goals encourages accountability of our actions and overall growth. Habits = Happiness…so I hope you will join me in working towards removing the negative connotation behind the word “routine”! During this episode, I discuss different types of healthy habits that lead to personal development, how to create a SMART goal, and creative methods to keep yourself accountable. I can’t wait to see you succeed as you find joy in your routines!

We live in a highly competitive society that focuses on creating a “standard” that we should compare ourself to. This is an extremely unhealthy way of living and the constant comparison will lead to dissatisfaction with ourselves, our life, and the people we are surrounded by. Instead of focusing on what everyone else is doing, it is important to recognize what you can offer... because you can offer so much! Each person has their own unique purpose…and once you find that I can’t wait to see the magic you start to make! Strive to be the best version of yourself every single day and surround yourself with people who help you do that! You are customizing your own future: how you live your life, how you seek/spread joy, and how you gain success through happiness. Starting this week, I challenge you to find joy in who YOU are.

Being notified of a life-changing diagnosis can be incredibly daunting. All of the plans you had imagined for your future are forever changed by this diagnosis. This type of uncertainty is overwhelming. You are quickly filled with a sense of urgency and recognize that NOW is the time to start living. This diagnosis forces you to make necessary life changes, prioritize important relationships, and complete life experiences from your bucket lists. Despite the turmoil and fear associated with a new medical diagnosis, it often provides people with a sense of urgency to transform their lives into a life they had always wanted for themselves. It is mind boggling how grief of a life-changing medical diagnosis can halt one’s life. When at this crossroad, we have a choice of how we respond to the new challenges. Some will drown in their grief and sorrows. Others will fight through the adverse events with optimism. 

I am so unbelievably excited to share my first ever interview with the strongest & most selfless human I know...my mom, LuAnn Scarton!!! She is a true testament of how to find joy in a medical diagnosis. I hope you find her story as inspiring as I do.

(tech issues with mic again *thumbs down boo* i am so technologically challenged, so thank you again for bearing with me)

Social media is meant for communication & collaboration...NOT comparison!! Listen to learn more about finding joy in social media. Find your community, explore how you want to express yourself, and identify what steps you should take in order to actually enjoy "the art of scrolling." Follow me on instagram (@julia.scarton) so we can join each other in our mission to seek & spread joy!

Congratulations for finishing finals! As you prepare for your summer plans, take some time to reflect on how you can grow through the transition. Each opportunity you take is unique to you, so fully embrace the good vibes that are coming your way! Can't wait to see you explore, network, learn, and grow this summer!