What My 8th Grade Teacher Taught Me About Clubhouse 2 Decades Ago

 

8th grade. English class. Never mind the fact that I had a crush on 3 different girls in the same class. (Imagine that pinball-like emotional roller coaster navigating those interactions while also having “Should I start shaving my face?” in the back of your mind.)

 

To add to the everyday 45-minute sitcom that was that class period, we were about to read Shakespeare. Out loud. We had parts to play and Mrs. Hayworth’s classroom was the stage.

 

Looking back, I learned several lessons from that experience that I find relevant to my Clubhouse experience. Take a look for yourself and see if you can also find yourself using these skills. (And no, we won’t talk about the ups and downs of middle school crushes… the entire time.)

 

This is the biggest and grandest and most hearty advisement I can give to anyone either currently on Clubhouse or considering joining the platform. Please for the love, don’t say you have a 7 figure business if you don’t. 

 

Find some way to let us know about you without you saying you know someone you don’t really know. Step around the peer-pressure-driven force to say you have an experience that in reality you don’t - the internet and online world can delay the inevitable reality that it’s a smoke-and-mirror-house-of-cards game. There’s a solution!

 

Just tell the truth. Be who you are. And, if you are unsure, spend some time with people who know you well.

 

That’s what Mrs. Hayworth did for me one day. “Ryan, you’re an athlete, we know that. You know what else? You can read and write, too. Please never stop reading and writing. You’re a writer.”

 

I never looked back. From freelance to copywriting, content on websites to written notes sent to friends and family. I look for ways to show up, and one of the ways I do that is to put pen to paper and words to screen.

 

Doing so helps me show up in real ways elsewhere, too. Like Clubhouse. Having a connection to myself and what really gets me going isn’t selfish - and it’s worth me taking the time to remind you that it’s not selfish for you either. Everyone benefits from us being honest about what we like and want to go after in life. 

 

Doing so in an honest way becomes a mighty rudder in keeping us online in the land of places like Clubhouse with so many winds, and waves, and changes. Set sail and be honest!

 

It was Shakespeare. I knew Sports Center better than I knew Shakespeare. 

 

 

One thing was for sure. I was in uncharted territory and I knew it, Mrs. Hayworth knew it, and pretty sure everyone on the planet knew it.

 

Who cares? It may not feel like it at times, however, it’s a powerful thing to be willing to be a newcomer, and beginner, a novice. No human being on the planet knows everything.

 

 

It’s worth noting that in my own experience, I usually show up to learn something and come away surprised that what I thought I’d learn and what I ended up learning is rarely the same thing.

 

For me, it was supposed to be Shakespeare that I was learning. What the result ended up being was me learning more about how to speak the truth to someone, being brave and willing to learn, and how to further find out what was really important and go after it.

 

This is one of the possibilities available to us. Not only is it something like Clubhouse, but other areas of life as well.

 

(Writer’s note: I did ask out one of the girls and she said yes. Writer’s additional note: We are no longer together. Third note: We are both happy.) 😁

 

I’d like to hear how about some of the interesting ways you are connecting with people within Clubhouse and if you feel like you’re getting the most out of the time investment you’re using to meet people on the app.

 

Have an interesting exchange or take away from a conversation on the app that surprised you? I like hearing a good story - you’re welcome to share with me via email [email protected] - bring the Shakespeare quotes if you’d like, we might just learn something new.