Shadowing Practice: Fighting Workaholism: You Are Not a Success Machine - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
109 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
as a social scientist I'm intensely interested in addictive behaviors a lot of people watching
2
this video right now they're watching it because they want an edge
3
and that's great I admire that you're strivers so am I
4
but strivers in the striving process
5
they open themselves up to one of the most deleterious addictive behaviors known to mankind and that's workaholism people
6
People will work hard, it will create dysfunction in their relationships, they will exhibit hiding behavior where they're sneaking around.
7
You don't believe it?
8
Well, ask yourself, do you sometimes sneak into the bathroom to check your email, your work email?
9
Do you snap shut your laptop computer on a Sunday afternoon when your partner comes home?
10
Yeah, yeah, well you're doing it too.
11
People get defensive when people question how much they're working, well that's classic addictive behavior.
12
Now, I have found in my own work that workaholism actually isn't the primary addiction.
13
It's a secondary addiction.
14
The primary addiction for most strivers is an addiction to success.
15
Success is achieving something of merit and being rewarded for it.
16
Many strivers, many of my students, me, look, I'm guilty here.
17
We feel fully alive when amazing things are happening and we're able to create value.
18
And we don't feel fully alive when we're not doing those things, quite frankly.
19
It's a real reward to see something come to fruition, to get that deal, to finish that book in my case,
20
to teach a class that goes incredibly well, to get that compliment.
21
A lot of that success addiction behavior is neurophysiological as a matter of fact.
22
You find that people actually get dopamine in a way, that's a neuromodulator that's implicated in all forms of human addiction,
23
that they get dopamine specifically when they feel that they're succeeding at work.
24
And while they keep seeking those rewards, they keep seeking success, and seeking success is hard.
25
You have to excel, and you have to excel compared to other people, and that means you need to outwork other people,
26
and that leads to the work addiction.
27
The underlying problem is success addiction.
28
Behind that, there's actually something even more profound, which is a tendency to reduce yourself to nothing more than a success machine.
29
That's a problem.
30
That's a moral problem, as a matter of fact you're more than a success machine.
31
You're not a robot.
32
Neither am I.
33
But when you see yourself as the most excellent person, so very special, you've objectified yourself.
34
You've taken away a big piece of your humanity.
35
Here's basically how I sum this up.
36
If you're exhibiting workaholic behavior, you need to deal with it.
37
But then the next question is, okay, how do I stop?
38
How do I stop?
39
Is there a 12 -step program?
40
Is there some detox center that I can get into?
41
And the answer
42
The answer is no, although a lot of people do need to seek help from mental health professionals for this.
43
The answer to this is to actually build your team on
44
the people who are going to give you the opportunities to do things that are actually more satisfying than that.
45
You need to actually take the people that you love the most and that perhaps you've been neglecting and ask them,
46
what do you think I should do?
47
What do you actually think I should do instead of that?
48
But for workaholics, the primary relationship, love relationship in their life is with work.
49
That's not a good love relationship because work can't really love you back.
50
Work takes.
51
Work doesn't give.
52
That means usually you need to cultivate the relationships with the people that really can love you back.
53
Who are these people?
54
Well, I recommend that people actually start to develop a serious spiritual life, a serious spiritual practice, whether it's a religious experience or not
55
that depends on different people maybe
56
that means reading the wisdom literature getting in touch with the stoic philosophers
57
you know studying the works of Johann Sebastian Bach I don't know going back to the faith of your youth
58
but something that gives you a relationship with the divine people who are married is doubling
59
and tripling down on the on the metaphysical beauty that actually can
60
and should be your marital relationship that might be the first time in years you've actually been able to work on that.
61
With your children, that was a big one for me, I'm telling you.
62
I mean, I can't tell you the number of times
63
that I spent that 14th hour in the office instead of my first hour with my kids when they were little.
64
Why?
65
Because I had to be special instead of happy, right?
66
Workaholic special, that's for sure.
67
And they got, you know, they got revenge.
68
You know what they did?
69
They grew up and I wasn't there for a lot of it.
70
Well, now, now it's not going to be that way.
71
I have deeper friendships than I ever had before, and I recommend that people actually start to develop these real friendships.
72
You know, the problem that CEOs have is they have lots of deal friends, but not that many real friends.
73
Deal and real.
74
You know the difference.
75
Deal friends are incredibly useful.
76
Real friends are useless.
77
They're just people who love you.
78
Cultivating those friendships can be the most exciting adventure that you've had in a really, really long time.
79
The bottom line is basically this.
80
What substitutes for work?
81
The answer is love with humans.
82
That's what it comes down to.
83
Because happiness is love, full stop.
84
Okay, how?
85
Give me the algorithm, man.
86
And I get it, you know, I want that too.
87
And so I do have a lot of rules of thumb that I suggest.
88
Real friendship has to extend beyond your spouse, for example.
89
So real friends are people that you just love.
90
You don't need anything from them and they don't need anything from you.
91
You really are not going to be getting the benefit
92
that you need from your relationships if your only real friend is your spouse.
93
And that's typically the case with a lot of strivers.
94
So making real friendship, what we call companion and love with a spouse is critically important, but you need at least one more.
95
At least one more person.
96
And so working on that is critically important.
97
Only one more is, it might be the right number for introverts.
98
Extroverts, on the other hand, need more friends than that.
99
Start with your spouse, if you're married, then move on to one or two
100
or three people with whom you can make a real connection and start investing in that relationship.
101
And that means if, you know, that person lives in Atlanta, get on the plane, man get on the plane.
102
Say, let's go do something for half a day.
103
What do you say?
104
And they'll be like, you're coming here to do that, to see me?
105
You're like, yep, it'll be super fun.
106
I guarantee that you actually do that.
107
But that's where the investment starts.
108
And those are the numbers that we're trying to talk about.
109
And anybody can do that.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
C11
Leading with Courage in an Age of Uncertainty
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
Deliver Hard News with Compassion
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C148
You Need to Be Bored. Here's Why.
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B21
How to Find a Mentor Who Can Accelerate Your Career | Christine vs. Work
Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
C17
Turn Anxiety into Action
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B2Stand Out in a Job Interview | The Harvard Business Review Guide
Business EnglishInterview EnglishUniversity Students
C12
Leisure's Not a Luxury. It's a Requirement for Top Leaders
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C15
How to Be Creative on Demand
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C15
Commander's Intent Enables Great Leadership
Business EnglishWorking Adults
C13
The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C13
What Makes a Great Leader?
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C14
Can Work Make You Happy? Should It?
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C13
Use Strategic Thinking to Create the Life You Want
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C14
If Your Team Never Fails, It Isn’t Learning
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C14
How AI Is Changing Strategy—and 4 Skills Leaders Need Next
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C16
A Smarter Way to Delegate: What to Keep vs. What to Hand Off
Business EnglishWorking Adults
C13
Identity Crisis: Why Defining Yourself by Your Career Is a Problem
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C13
Lean Into Imposter Syndrome, Don't Give In to It
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C14
A Plan Is Not a Strategy
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B23
How to Get Good at Small Talk, and Even Enjoy It
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
C12
74 sentences
The lost art of accomplishment without burnout | Cal Newport for Big Think +
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C12
190 sentences
If You're Ambitious but Lazy, Watch This (You're Not Actually Lazy)
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C14
232 sentences
How to Train Your Brain to Enjoy Hard Work | Andrew Huberman
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C122
36 sentences
Why successful people set habits, not just goals | Wendy Wood
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
141 sentences
Mark Manson: Self-control is a complete illusion
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C13
189 sentences
You're Not Obsessed Enough
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C16
286 sentences
The Psychology of People Who Want to Do Everything
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C17
29 sentences
This one trait differentiates people who succeed and people who fail | Robert Herjavec
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B231
496 sentences
Your phone addiction is keeping you from achieving flow state | Arthur Brooks
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B212
154 sentences
How to stop GIVING UP on your routines and ACTUALLY stay consistent
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
C12
95 sentences
DOPAMINE NATION by Anna Lembke | Core Message
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C13
364 sentences
It's Boring, But These 5 Habits Will Change Your Life.
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Fighting Workaholism: You Are Not a Success Machine”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: relationship, addiction, success, behavior, strivers. This video has 109 sentences and 1207 words to shadow. The speech runs for 6:27. The speaker talks fast, about 187 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 17 of its 109 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| addiction noun | /əˈdɪkˌʃən/ | A state that is characterized by compulsive drug use or compulsive engagement in rewarding behavior, despite negative consequences. |
| friendship noun | /ˈfɹɛn(d)ʃɪp/ | The condition of being friends. |
| spouse noun | /spaʊ̯s/ | A person in a marriage or marital relationship. |
| reward noun | /ɹɪˈwɔɹd/ | Something of value given in return for an act. |
| addictive adjective | /əˈdɪktɪv/ | Causing or tending to cause addiction; habit-forming. |
| spiritual adjective | /ˈspɪɹɪt͡ʃuəl/ | Of or pertaining to the spirit or the soul. |
| incredibly adverb | /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/ | In an incredible manner; not to be believed. |
| exhibit verb | /ɪɡˈzɪbɪt/ | To display or show (something) for others to see, especially at an exhibition or contest. |
| sneak verb | /sniːk/ | To creep or go stealthily; to come or go while trying to avoid detection, as a person who does not wish to be seen. |
| critically adverb | /ˈkɹɪt.ɪ.kə.li/ | In a critical manner; with, or in terms of, criticism. |
| excel verb | /ɪkˈsɛl/ | To surpass someone or something; to be better or do better than someone or something. |
| adventure noun | /ədˈvɛn.t͡ʃə/ | A feeling of desire for new and exciting things. |
| moral adjective | /ˈmoɹəl/ | Of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behaviour, especially conforming to principles of rectitude. |
| compare verb | /kəmˈpɛɚ/ | To assess the similarities and differences between two or more things [“to compare X with Y”]. Having made the comparison of X with Y, one might have found it… |
| guarantee noun | /ˌɡæɹ.ənˈtiː/ | Anything that assures a certain outcome. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come down to verb | To reach by moving down or reducing. | |
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. | |
| grow up verb | To mature and become an adult. | |
| take away verb | /ˌteɪk əˈweɪ/ | To remove something and put it in a different place. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- You don't believe it?
- You've taken away a big piece of your humanity.
- Here's basically how I sum this up.
- How do I stop?
- You know what they did?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have found · you've objectified · You've taken |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | profound, which is · people who are · people who love |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 36 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, don't, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: algorithm /ˈælɡəɹɪðm̩/, thumb /ˈθʌm/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: addiction /əˈdɪkˌʃən/, friendship /ˈfɹɛn(d)ʃɪp/, dysfunction /dɪsˈfʌŋk.ʃən/, fruition /fɹuˈɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: incredibly /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/, critically /ˈkɹɪt.ɪ.kə.li/, humanity /hjuˈmænɪti/, philosopher /fəˈlɑsəfɚ/, deleterious /ˌdɛ.ləˈtɪɹ.i.əs/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like addiction, friendship, spouse.
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.