Shadowing Practice: Believe in Yourself - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hi guys! How's it going? Uh - it's very late at night which means that I'm a little bit loopy and very tired. But that's okay, I had some stuff in the morning that I needed to take care of.
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Hi guys! How's it going? Uh - it's very late at night which means that I'm a little bit loopy and very tired. But that's okay, I had some stuff in the morning that I needed to take care of.
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Uh - so I'm recording this, uh, in the evening prior so that it will be ready for you guys and not late which is something that I've been doing a lot. Not entirely my fault.
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Youtube has been really messing up on its processing. Things have been taking like three or four times as long as they usually do. Uh, but thank you again guys for your patience.
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Um, also, I'm going to be going to Comic-Con this week so I will have videos ready for that and they should all be scheduled, which means that they'll be more regular than they ever have been because I made them way in advance.
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But, uh, other than that, uh, this past weekend has been interesting because, it's been very self-reflective which is a thing that I do a lot. Um, but, but in this particular case it's been about, you know, my past beyond YouTube. And I often talk about what I think about on Youtube and for what I've done on Youtube. Um... but since I played That Dragon, Cancer, you know I've been thinking about, you know, my, my younger days, back when I still had the *laughs* vibrancy of youth coursing through my veins.
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Uh, but I've been thinking about my dad, and you know, my childhood and, and, and, and me growing up. And, and also thinking back on old videos that I've done of course, Um, but, but in this certain, certain circumstance the one thing that stood out that I wanted to talk about in this vlog was um... the concept of believing in yourself.
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A-and it's a, it's a subject that I've talked about a lot, and it's something that I reinforce um... but those are just words.
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You know, believe in yourself, those are words. It's not an instruction manual on how to be better in your life. And not that I'm qualified to tell you guys how to do, that but I am qualified to tell you guys how I've lived my life.
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And how that's worked for me, um...
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A-and one of the most important things is, something that I constantly need to remind myself of, is that... I don't have anything to prove to anyone.
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And that may seem like a bold claim, because I do have a lot of expectations to meet. Both with you guys and myself, but one of the things that always keeps me grounded is realizing that I don't owe anybody anything. Simply existing doesn't mean that you have a debt that you need to pay to the universe to exist.
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You exist, whether or not you think and let yourself be stressed out by those ideas and this is a very grandiose topic but trust me I'm gonna bring it down into something cohesive that can be understood. But this whole concept of not... owing anyone anything may seem, sensible at its face, but something- it's sometimes it's very hard to get through in your day-to-day life. Because especially in the age of the Internet you're constantly comparing yourself to other people. And you're constantly comparing yourself to other, like, people in your field of study that may be better than you are at what you're doing. They may be a better artist, better musicians, uh, better you know, YouTubers!
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It doesn't matter what subject it is. I- like, you'll often find yourself comparing yourself - to others, and you'll sometimes feel like you owe it to yourself to be that good.
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And that is a horrible way of thinking because, that may motivate you in the short term and you'll be able to like get a lot of "Fuck you!" energy is what I call it.
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Um, but in all honesty, that isn't what really is going to make you go the farthest because when you are constantly trying to meet the expectations of someone else?
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You're letting yourself down. A-and one of the things that's been hard for me to understand in my life is this concept that I don't need to focus on anyone else.
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I don't need to compare myself to anyone, except myself.
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That's why I look back on my life so much, because I'm not comparing myself to other YouTubers, I'm not comparing myself to other artists or voice over artists or actors. If I wanted to do that thing.
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I'm not comparing to other people, I'm comparing to my past self and this may be yesterday, it may be years ago, it may be like my childhood self.
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Those are the only people in my life that I need to compare myself to.
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And hopefully as I go through my life, I'm constantly getting better.
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I can look back on my past self and I can be proud of what I've accomplished in the past, for when it was.
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So you know where you've come from, and you know where you're going.
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Because hopefully, you've got a goal in mind and I actually talked about this in a video called "believe in yourself" where I believe I was riding a bike and talking about this. But I meant it then and I mean it now.
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You have a goal in mind - and this is a goal that just drives you forward.
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It's what you burn for in the middle of the night. It's what you lose sleep for!
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It is everything that consumes your life!
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This goal is what you want more than anything in the world and it's right there waiting for you to take it!
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And it's literally right there!
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It is what you want more than anything in the world and that's what happened to me once I found YouTube. I wanted to be a YouTuber SO badly. And I knew there were dozens, hundreds of other people trying to make Youtube happen. And I- if I had compared myself to them, and held myself to their standard from the get-go, I would never have been anywhere! I would have been wallowing in self-doubt and self-pity at how, "Oh! I don't have as many subscribers as them! I'll never get there!" I set out ONLY to do the best that I could. I could not live if I held myself to their standards and waited for their approval.
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I had to approve myself and I had held myself to my own standards - and my standards are really high!
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My, my standards may not seem high *laughs* when I'm being asinine and childish in front of the camera.
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But my standards for what I do, in my life, are high.
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Because - I've been increasing them every year that I've been alive.
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I expect more out of myself. I expect better out of myself.
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I expect better out of myself every day. And that all comes from the fact that I BELIEVE in what I do. And that's not to say I ignore outside opinions I don't even ignore, like, people that lash out at me for what I've done in the past.
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I don't ignore that! I take that in and I address that for what it is, and I, I influence and shape my life around it. But at the end of the day I make things that I'm proud of.
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I make things that make me laugh.
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I make things that make me smile. And it's kind of a selfish way of thinking, but- and even though I would- like suggest you guys to be selfless and help those around you - at the end of the day you are you. And you have you to take care of!
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And a lot of you guys out there don't take care of yourself!
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You give yourself to others, and you give yourself to others. And, and some of you may do it selflessly and not expect anything back - some of you may expect something back.
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But you give out more than you give to yourself.
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*intense whisper* And you gotta believe in yourself.
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You gotta be good to yourself. You gotta be good to the person that you are.
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'Cause you're all you got. Till the end of your days. Friends may come and go, you you may have lifelong partners, but you'll always have yourself.
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And you have to be happy with what you got. And if you're not happy you gotta make that goal.
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You gotta make that goal, and you gotta make it happen no matter what.
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I'm glad we're out of the *laughs* cliché part where it's just "Do it!" and all that stuff.
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But I mean is so much. I've said it before, I'll say it a million times: I believe in you guys. I'm a walking testament to the fact that you can literally do anything that you want!
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But you gotta believe in yourself.
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So that is the point that I wanted to make. Tonight in, in this vlog more than anything.
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Because it's been on my mind this whole weekend and I-I use these vlogs as just a way to say whatever the hell's on my mind. And take it for what you will, but I hope it helps some of you out there, Just know, that I believe in you. If you don't believe in yourself yet, I do.
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So, thank you everybody so much for watching. Thank you for sticking with my crazy ramblings.
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And as always I will see you in the next video. Bye-bye!

Why practice speaking with this video?

This video, titled "Believe in Yourself," offers a unique opportunity for English learners to enhance their speaking skills by embracing motivational and self-reflective themes. The speaker articulates personal experiences and insights, making it an excellent source for English speaking practice. By engaging with this content, learners can practice the shadowing technique, where they emulate the speaker's rhythm and intonation. This method helps improve fluency and pronunciation while boosting confidence in speaking abilities.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

The speaker uses several key structures that provide learners with rich examples of how to express thoughts clearly:

  • First-person perspective: The frequent use of "I" statements (e.g., "I don't have anything to prove to anyone") aids learners in understanding how to express personal opinions and experiences, critical for IELTS speaking practice.
  • Present continuous tense: Phrases like "I am recording this" highlight how to describe ongoing actions. This tense is vital for engaging conversations about current activities.
  • Conditional sentences: The speaker mentions scenarios like "If I had compared myself to them," providing learners insight into discussing hypothetical situations, essential for effective communication.
  • Imperatives: The use of commands, such as "You gotta believe in yourself," provides learners with an understanding of motivating others and giving advice.

Common Pronunciation Traps

English learners may encounter specific pronunciation challenges in this video. Here are some notable examples:

  • Comparative phrases: The speaker uses "better than," which might cause confusion in pronunciation due to the fast pace. Practicing these phrases can enhance clarity in speech.
  • Colloquial terms: Words like "gonna" and "gotta" are used frequently, which can be tricky for non-native speakers. These informal contractions are commonly found in spoken English and mastering them can improve conversational fluency.
  • Emphasis on intonation: Key ideas are often emphasized through changes in pitch. Students should practice shadow speech by mimicking not just the words, but also the emotional tone to convey similar messages effectively.

By focusing on these aspects, learners can engage with the video more deeply, improving their skills in English speaking practice and overall communication.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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