We have a number of ideas about how to manage life's difficulties and get to enjoyment oriented lifestyles that will bring people into new communities and groups and support the creativity of people the world over.
This is about more than a healthy work/life balance, but that plays a part. You can earn enough money and have enough free time, but still be lacking important parts of your life.
Being a StringCutter is not always easy, and not everyone will want or be able to follow advice. Everyone is different, we know that we can't help everyone, and sometimes we don't actually have the right answer. We don't shun those who don't want to follow our recommendations.
Anyone who wants to skip steps, or work without what we'd recommend is still a welcome member of our community. The steps below are just guideline, we encourage exploration and discovering your own paths.
Self respect is one of the first elements required to succeed. No one is perfect, and if you think you are, you simply don't see your flaws. Regardless, learning to respect and love yourself despite your flaws is important. It'll give you the confidence to tackle any problems without breaking down in the process.
External respect is, beyond a basic courtesy level, earned. Navigating situations, being reliable and honest, and learning how to establish and enforce firm boundaries will earn you the respect of others.
Confidence comes from recognising you understand your situation. Once you've learned how to love yourself and gain the respect of most of those around you (there will always be some who refuse to respect you), you will find yourself less likely to second guess yourself. This helps you avoid being manipulated and helps you move more quickly towards goals.
Mental Well Being is tangential to all these aspects. Finding a community that supports you can be hard, as can taking control of the narrative in your mind. We've got a few resources to hand, and a small army of people who have overcome various mental issues who you can talk to.
Unemployed people are expected to fill out job application after job application. We want to try and help gain you the support you need to keep going and, hopefully, eventually, get a job that you are comfortable with. We can't do the leg work for you, but we'll guide you as best we can.
Employment can also be very difficult. Maybe your manager is taking advantage of you, your colleagues are bullying you, you're struggling to understand or complete certain tasks, not being paid appropriately, or, in the worst of cases, your organisation is straight up breaking the law. We want to discuss these issues and help you find the support you need.
The Right Job is also not so easy to find. Even in a comfortable and stable 9-5 career, you may find yourself unhappy and unfulfilled. There's a lot you can do to improve how you feel about your job, but also, you may be the perfect fit for a role you hadn't considered.
Self Improvement is something everyone needs to remain aware of. We don't need to be perfect, but we always want to strive to be better. We want to help you identify and figure out how to overcome problems you may have. Sometimes it'll be easy, sometimes it'll take time, but it's always worth it.
Starting Hobbies can be a great way to spend your free time, meet new people, learn new skills, improve your mental health and make yourself feel better about yourself. We celebrate each other's progress in these, and help each other find resources to progress in our hobbies, be they anything from sports to music to arts and crafts.
Monetising Hobbies is not for everyone, but can offer a great way to fund the hobbies, or just improve your income. It's worth considering, and we can help you navigate the complexities of everything from where to sell items, to completing tax returns.
Local Groups will often exist for most hobbies and pastimes. Finding them can be tricky sometimes, so we want to help with that. Making new friends and sharing experiences is very important to all humans.
Creating Groups is a useful thing to be able to do, especially if your chosen hobby doesn't have any active groups in your area. Reach out to your local StringCutters Branch if there is one, and they'll help you get an affiliated group started. A StringCutter's Branch is a group of people who know the local area and will help start groups. Charity fundraisers, knitting circles, heavy metal bands, music nights, flash mobs, pottery classes, sports events... If you want to do it, a local StringCutters Branch will know about the local area and help you get set up and manage the events.
Starting an Official StringCutters Branch is the most StringCutter thing a StringCutter can do. You will be directly supported by the core StringCutters community. Your role will be to help local communities establish themselves, start new events, and work with venues and businesses to improve the lives of the people in the area. We'll help you to manage everything from laws and finances, to fringe concerns and problems.