Shadowing Practice: Micro habits that improved my life ✨ - Learn English Speaking with Video

What is the issue of the problem?

We live in a world that idolizes instant results and dramatic changes.

So naturally I think this pushes many of us to set these really ambitious goals.

And I don't know about you,

but if I make a really big goal and I don't stick to it,

I start to lose trust in myself.

I start to think I'm the problem.

I lack motivation or willpower.

But what if the issue isn't us?

What if the issue is the method?

Because if there's anything that I've learned,

it's that true progress comes from small daily commitments.

The micro habits.

Just tiny, everyday actions that over time compound into significant change.

And so today I want to share some micro habits with you that have changed my life.

Normally when people talk about micro habits,

they mean flossing your teeth and making the bed.

Those are great too, but I'm going to talk a little bit more about mindset shifts.

And a brief thanks as well to my favorite meditation app in the whole world,

Headspace, for partnering with us on today's video.

We're gonna chat more about them at the end.

I've gotten into the habit of telling myself, no more day zeroes.

What are day zeroes?

In project management terms, it's the planning phase before any real action takes place.

Like how many times have we told ourselves,

I'll start my essay tomorrow.

I'll start exercising tomorrow.

I'll start eating better on Monday.

Even though setting these intentions is great,

I feel like it's those day zeroes that are often holding us back.

The author Dale Carnegie once said,

inaction breeds doubt and fear,

but action breeds confidence and courage.

So I keep reminding myself,

no more waiting for tomorrow when today is already here.

After all, today is yesterday's promise of, I'll do it tomorrow.

So even if the day feels like it's almost over,

there's always time to write one sentence for that essay.

Do one plank.

Prep one quick jar of overnight oats.

It's nothing grand, it's just one thing,

but at least one isn't zero.

From the time that we were just little children,

we've been taught to apologize.

And of course, do apologize if you've done something wrong,

but I feel like it's also become so second nature for us to say sorry for the most trivial things,

even when we've done nothing wrong.

And I think this is especially true for myself and other fellow Canadians.

We're known for saying sorry for just about everything.

But I think over time,

it can really start to diminish our self-worth.

And one of my goals these last years has been to try to increase my self-confidence a bit.

And one micro habit that's been helping in that is to shift away from the default apology to instead saying thank you.

So instead of saying, I'm sorry,

I'm talking so much, I'll say instead,

hey, thank you for listening.

Instead of saying, I'm sorry,

I'm running late, I'll say,

thank you for waiting for me.

It's just so much more empowering.

It makes us feel better about ourselves and it also makes the other person feel valued too.

It's a win-win.

And the same thing goes when we're receiving compliments.

In the past, I used to downplay or brush off compliments thinking I was being modest.

But when someone is offering praise,

they're gifting you with their admiration.

And to dismiss it is to downplay yourself and also to refuse someone's heartfelt gift.

So the next time someone gives you a compliment,

just accept it and say thank you.

This is probably one of my favorite micro habits.

It just makes me so happy.

A while ago, I read this piece by an author,

Kurt Vonnegut, and he was talking about a simple habit that his Uncle Alex practiced.

Whenever a good moment would pop up in life's seemingly routine moments,

Uncle Alex would stop and say,

well, if this isn't nice,

I don't know what is.

It was his way of grounding himself and cherishing the simple pleasures in life that we often overlook.

And ever since I read that,

I've gotten into the micro habit of just vocalizing that sentence out loud.

So if I'm working and the sun is just pouring out onto my face,

I'll actually pause to feel it and I'll say,

if this isn't life, I don't know what is.

And I know the original quote says nice,

but I just like the way life sounds better,

so that's what I've been saying.

If I'm sipping my first cup of coffee in the morning and it's just hitting the spot,

I'll say if this isn't life,

I don't know what is.

If I see a beautiful sunset on my way home or if I hear somebody playing beautiful music,

you get the idea.

Sometimes I get so caught up in the next big thing that

highlighting these little joys has helped me to reconnect with life's daily magic.

We've all been told our whole lives that stress is bad for us

and that we should try to avoid it at all costs, right?

But stress is just an inevitable part of life.

And I'm the kind of person who,

if you tell me not to stress,

I'm going to start stressing about the fact that I'm stressing.

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And so recently, I listened to this audiobook called The Upside of Stress.

101

It's written by a psychologist,

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Kelly McGonigal, and it has been life-changing.

103

So McGonagall suggests that stress isn't the real enemy,

104

but our perception of it is.

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If we believe stress is harmful, it often will be.

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It's kind of like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

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But, and this is super cool,

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by simply reframing how we view stress,

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we can change the whole biological response.

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McGonagall shared several studies where,

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for example, if before an exam,

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students are told that, hey,

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the stress that you're feeling, it's actually helpful.

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The rapid heartbeat, the quickened breathing,

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this is all preparing your body for action.

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If students were told this,

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they actually reported that they felt more focused during the exam and they performed better too.

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And this is all just because they were told that stress could be beneficial.

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And as a result, their bodies acted accordingly.

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Their blood vessels, instead of constricting, stayed relaxed.

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Anxiety and inflammation in the body decreased and even helpful hormones were released.

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And so ever since learning this,

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I've tried to get into the micro habit of reframing my stress.

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Instead of telling myself, I shouldn't feel this,

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I should calm down, I try to instead channel that energy into making things happen.

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Instead of seeing the stress as something that's hindering me,

127

I tell myself, you've found a challenge,

128

but you're excited about this, you've got this.

129

It's a small mindset shift, but it's been transformative.

130

Stress has gone from being something that consumed and controlled me to now actually being an ally.

131

We've all had moments where we impulsively react too quickly.

132

Maybe it's an unexpected comment from a partner,

133

or sudden traffic, a last-minute project change.

134

How many times have we wished that we just took a little pause before diving headfirst into a response or reaction?

135

We all know that speedy reactions can sometimes lead to misjudgments and missed opportunities to understand the big picture.

136

So I've been actively trying to create space between receiving information and formulating a response.

137

giving myself permission to digest and just let the information marinate.

138

I've gotten into the habit of just taking a deep breath anytime I feel emotionally charged

139

and it's almost magical how this simple pause has completely changed the quality of my responses.

140

I think it's made my communication a lot more clear

141

and thoughtful and calm

142

and I do attribute a lot of this also to having learned about meditation

143

because in meditation we're encouraged to acknowledge our thoughts and to sit with them and then to let them go without judgment.

144

And so with that I do want to thank our friends over at Headspace for sponsoring today's video.

145

Headspace is this incredible meditation app that I've personally been using for about a decade now.

146

But before I discovered Headspace I used to think

147

that meditating was really boring and I often just couldn't sit with it for a long time.

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But I think that's why I've appreciated and used Headspace all these years,

149

is that their meditations are guided and they're narrated by some of the most incredible instructors.

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When we train the mind,

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we're learning to listen, not only to our own thoughts and feelings,

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but also to those around us.

153

But even if you feel like sit down,

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eyes closed meditation isn't your thing,

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they have plenty of other mindfulness content on the app as well.

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Things like breathing exercises and sleep content to just general mindfulness activities

157

that you can do while you go on a walk, for example.

158

And because we're on the topic of micro habits,

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meditation doesn't have to be something that takes 30 minutes or an hour.

160

Headspace offers sessions that can be finished in as short as three to five minutes.

161

So if you've ever been curious about meditation,

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I highly recommend giving Headspace a try.

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I promise you're gonna love it.

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And for a limited time,

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they're actually offering a 60-day free trial of the app.

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You can grab it by either scanning this QR code right here

167

or just click the link I'll leave for you in the description box below.

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And I'm curious to know if there are any mindset shifts

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or micro habits that you've implemented in your life

170

if you're willing to share it i'd love to learn about it

171

and i'm sure others would as well

172

so i'll see you in the comments thanks

173

so much for hanging with me today friends i really appreciate it pick up lines signing off

174

and i'll see you in the next video

175

and then i'm gonna kind of go like yeah is it working yeah i mean it is

176

but I almost think it's too funny to get in this video.

177

Ready?

178

Mm-hmm.

179

I have to not laugh.

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Hold on.

📺 Zelfde Kanaal

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Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les

Deze spreekles op niveau B2 is gebaseerd op de video “Micro habits that improved my life ✨”. Deze woorden komen het vaakst terug: habit, stress, micro, meditation, instead. Deze video bevat 180 zinnen en 1725 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 9:11. De spreker praat snel, ongeveer 188 woorden per minuut, dus reken op verbonden en ingeslikte klanken. Slechts 81% van de woorden hoort bij de 3.000 meest gebruikte Engelse woorden, dus de woordenschat is pittig.

Belangrijke woorden in deze video

De 15 moeilijkste woorden uit de video, met uitspraak en betekenis:

Woord	Uitspraak	Betekenis
distress zelfstandig naamwoord	/dɪˈstɹɛs/	druk, stress
microwave zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈmaɪkɹoʊˌweɪv/	microgolf
meditation zelfstandig naamwoord	/mɛdɪˈteɪʃn̩/	meditatie, overpeinzing
mindset zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈmaɪn(d)ˌsɛt/	mentaliteit, ingelsteldheid
compliment zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈkɑmpləmənt/	compliment
pause zelfstandig naamwoord	/pɔːz/	pauze
downplay werkwoord	/ˈdaʊ̯nˌpleɪ̯/	bagatelliseren, geringschatten
breed werkwoord	/ˈbɹiːd/	zich voortplanten
apologize werkwoord	/əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/	zich verontschuldigen, verantwoorden
audiobook zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈɔdi.oʊbʊk/	luisterboek
diminish werkwoord	/dɪˈmɪnɪʃ/	verkleinen, verminderen
formulate werkwoord	/ˈfɔː(ɹ)mjʊleɪt/	verwoorden, formuleren
hinder werkwoord	/ˈhɪndɚ/	hinderen (hinder), moeilijk maken
idolize werkwoord	/ˈaɪdəlaɪz/	verafgoden
marinate werkwoord	/ˈmæɹɪneɪt/	marineren

Phrasal verbs die je zult horen

Woord	Betekenis
calm down werkwoord	bedaren
pick up werkwoord	oppakken, optillen
sit down werkwoord	gaan zitten

Zinnen om te herhalen

Korte, volledige zinnen uit de video die je in alledaagse gesprekken kunt gebruiken:

I start to think I'm the problem.
But what if the issue isn't us?
Headspace, for partnering with us on today's video.
We're gonna chat more about them at the end.
I'll start my essay tomorrow.

Grammatica in deze video

De structuren die de spreker het meest gebruikt, met de exacte woorden uit de video:

Structuur	In de video
Voorwaardelijke zinnen if + zin, will/would + werkwoord — een voorwaarde en het gevolg	if you're willing to share it i'd love
“Used to” used to + werkwoord — een vroegere gewoonte of toestand die niet meer klopt	used to downplay · used to think
Present perfect have/has + voltooid deelwoord — iets uit het verleden dat nu nog telt	I've learned · have changed · I've gotten
Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doet	we've been taught · been told · are told

Uitspraak om op te letten

De spreker gebruikt 76 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals I'm, I'll, I've. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.

De klanken “sh” en “zh”: meditation /mɛdɪˈteɪʃn̩/, diminish /dɪˈmɪnɪʃ/, inaction /ɪnˈækʃən/, preposition /ˌpɹɛpəˈzɪʃən/, cherish /ˈt͡ʃɛɹɪʃ/
Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: apologize /əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/, audiobook /ˈɔdi.oʊbʊk/, impulsively /ɪmˈpʌlsɪvli/, preposition /ˌpɹɛpəˈzɪʃən/, transformative /tɹænsˈfɔɹmətɪv/

Klanken die Nederlandstaligen lastig vinden:

Stemhebbende eindmedeklinker — /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, /v/ niet verscherpen: microwave /ˈmaɪkɹoʊˌweɪv/, pause /pɔːz/, breed /ˈbɹiːd/, apologize /əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/, idolize /ˈaɪdəlaɪz/
/æ/ — opener dan de Nederlandse “e”: inaction /ɪnˈækʃən/, marinate /ˈmæɹɪneɪt/, narrate /ˈnæɹeɪt/, transformative /tɹænsˈfɔɹmətɪv/, admiration /ˌæd.məˈɹeɪ.ʃən/
/w/ — met ronde lippen: microwave /ˈmaɪkɹoʊˌweɪv/, quicken /ˈkwɪk(ə)n/, willpower /ˈwɪlˌpaʊɚ/

Zo oefen je met deze video

Luister de hele video één keer zonder te spreken en noteer de woorden die je niet kent.
Begin op 0,75× snelheid, spreek zin voor zin na en ga terug naar normale snelheid zodra het makkelijk gaat.
Neem jezelf op en vergelijk met het origineel; let daarbij op woorden als distress, microwave, meditation.

Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?

Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop — als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1–2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert — waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.

Shadowing-techniek: lees de volledige stap-voor-stap-gids →

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Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les

Belangrijke woorden in deze video

Phrasal verbs die je zult horen

Zinnen om te herhalen

Grammatica in deze video

Uitspraak om op te letten

Zo oefen je met deze video

Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?