Shadowing Practice: Focus on Yourself | Let Them Go - Learn English Speaking with Video

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223 sentences

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all right listen up i need you to hear this

because it could change everything for you you are wasting too

much energy on people who don't deserve it you are stuck

replaying conversations in your head worrying about what they think waiting for validation

that will never come and while you're caught up in all

that noise your life is passing you by enough it's time to focus on you,

you are wasting way too much time and energy on people who don't deserve it.

And you know it, you feel it every time you bend over backward for someone who wouldn't lift a finger for you.

Every time you replay a conversation in your head, trying to figure out if you said the wrong thing.

Every time you shrink yourself to make someone else comfortable.

Let me ask you something.

When was the last time you put yourself first?

When was the last time you stopped worrying about what they think what they might say

or whether they'll approve of your choices you have built your life around other people's expectations

and it is draining you i get it i've been there

it's easy to get stuck in this cycle of wanting to

be liked wanting to keep the peace wanting to prove yourself

to people who deep down will never truly see you you tell yourself you're being loyal, that you're just trying to be a good person.

But let's be real.

You are betraying yourself in the process.

The truth is not everyone is meant to go where you're going.

And some people, they don't even want you to succeed.

They like you small.

They like you doubting yourself.

They like that you second guess your choices because it keeps you right where they want you stuck.

And here's the worst part you're letting them win the more

you worry about their opinions the less time you spend building

your future the more you seek their approval the further you drift from your own goals

and the more you try to fix please

or convince them the more you lose yourself this is not

your job your job is to grow to push yourself to wake up every day

and do the things

that make you proud of yourself not them i know it's

hard i know the idea of letting go is terrifying you think

but what if i need them what if i regret it what

if i end up alone

but let me tell you something being alone is better than

being surrounded by the wrong people being alone gives you the

space to finally hear your own thoughts to trust yourself to figure out what you really want

and when you do that you become unstoppable think about it have you ever noticed

that every time you try to level up the wrong people

suddenly have a problem with it you start setting boundaries

and they say you've changed you focus on your goals and they call you selfish

you stop tolerating their negativity

and suddenly you're the bad guy that's not a coincidence people who benefit from your self -doubt will always resist your growth.

And if you keep trying to hold on to them, if you keep making excuses for them, you will stay exactly where you are,

exhausted, frustrated, and stuck in a cycle that never changes.

So here's what you need to do.

Cut them off.

Stop explaining yourself.

Stop waiting for their validation.

Stop expecting them to change the moment you start focusing on

yourself some people will leave let them some people will judge

you ignore them some people will try to make you feel guilty don't fall for it

because the truth is the right people the ones who genuinely

care about you who want to see you win who push

you to be better they won't need an explanation they'll support you they'll respect your boundaries.

They'll celebrate your success, not resent it.

So stop making yourself small for people who can't handle your growth.

You don't need their permission to become the person you're meant to be.

You already know what you need to do.

You've known for a while.

You know you need to walk away from that toxic relationship.

You know you need to stop making excuses and finally take action on your goals.

You know you need to stop overthinking and just make the damn decision, but you don't.

You hesitate.

You sit there overanalyzing, doubting yourself, waiting for the right moment that never comes.

You tell yourself you need more time, more confidence, more clarity.

And while you're waiting, life keeps moving.

Opportunities slip by.

Days turn into months months turn into years

and nothing changes let me tell you something you are one decision away from a completely different life

but hesitation is killing your potential every time you pause every

time you let doubt creep in every time you sit there

and overthink instead of acting your brain wins and your brain It's designed to keep you in the same patterns.

It loves comfort, even if that comfort is destroying you.

That's why you struggle to make changes.

That's why you keep falling back into old habits.

That's why you say, tomorrow I'll start, but tomorrow never comes.

Because your brain is running the same script it always has, and it's keeping you stuck.

This is where the five -second rule comes in.

It's simple, but it's powerful.

The next time you feel hesitation creeping in, the next time you catch yourself waiting, overthinking, or making excuses, you count down,

five, four, three, two, one, and then you move.

No thinking, no debating, just action.

Because the longer you wait, the harder it gets.

I learned this the hard way.

There was a time in my life when I couldn't even get out of bed in the morning.

I felt stuck, overwhelmed, completely lost i knew i needed to change

but i just couldn't make myself do it one morning as

i lay there hitting the snooze button for the 10th time i saw a rocket launch on tv

and i thought what if i launched myself out of bed like that rocket

so the next morning instead of thinking instead of giving myself

time to hesitate i counted down five four three two one

and i got up just like that and that tiny moment changed everything

because once i saw

that i could take control in one second i started using

it everywhere i used it to stop overthinking to speak up

when i was scared to finally take action on things i'd been avoiding for years

100

and every time i used it i realized something confidence isn't

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what you need before you act it's what you build by

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taking action think about it you don't wake up one day magically confident confidence comes from proving to yourself over

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and over again that you can do hard things

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that you can trust yourself that you don't need to wait until you feel ready

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because let me tell you a secret you never will you weren't ready for half the things you've already survived

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and yet here you are you weren't ready for that job

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that challenge that unexpected twist in your life and yet you figured it out you will always figure it out, but only if you stop hesitating and start moving.

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The next time you're sitting there debating whether you should send that email, make that phone call, say yes to that opportunity,

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five, four, three, two, one, go.

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The next time you feel yourself falling into old habits, talking yourself out of something that could change your life,

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five, four, three, two, one, break the path.

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And the next time you think, I can't, I'm not ready.

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What if I fail?

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Five, four, three, two, one.

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Do it anyway, because hesitation is the problem and action is the cure.

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You've spent so much time waiting for closure, waiting for an apology, waiting for someone to finally see your worth.

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You keep hoping that if you explain yourself enough, if you prove yourself enough if you hold on long enough things will change

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but they won't and deep down you already know

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that let me tell you something you don't need closure you

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don't need them to understand you don't need their approval to

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move forward what you need is to stop wasting your energy on people

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and situations that no longer serve you every time you replay the past in your head.

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Every time you tell yourself, if only, or what if, you are stealing time from your future.

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You are giving your power away to people who don't deserve it.

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And for what?

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So you can stay stuck in a cycle of frustration, self -doubt, and regret?

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No, you are better than that.

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You are smarter than that.

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You have dreams, goals, and an entire future waiting for you.

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But you will never get there if you keep looking behind you.

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The truth is growth is uncomfortable.

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When you start focusing on yourself, when you start setting boundaries, when you finally decide that your peace matters more than their opinions,

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some people are going to be upset.

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Let them be.

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Not everyone is meant to go where you're going.

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You know who's supposed to be with you?

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The people who don't need to be convinced.

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The ones who respect you without you having to fight for it.

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The ones who see your value without you having to prove it.

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The ones who don't get defensive when you set boundaries, but instead celebrate your growth.

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And guess what?

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Those people, they will only show up once you make room for them.

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But as long as you keep holding on to the wrong ones, as long as you keep obsessing over the past, you're blocking what's meant for you.

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I know it's hard.

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I know the idea of walking away feels terrifying.

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You think, what if I regret it?

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What if I lose something good?

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But let's flip that question.

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What if you don't?

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What if by walking away, you gain peace, you gain clarity,

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you gain the freedom to finally focus on yourself without the weight of trying to please people who will never be satisfied?

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You have to stop giving your energy to people who drain you.

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You have to stop explaining yourself to people committed to misunderstanding you.

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You have to stop living your life based on what someone else thinks because here's the harsh truth.

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They're not thinking about you nearly as much as you think they are.

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While you're losing sleep over their opinion, they're out there living their life.

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So why aren't you?

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It's time to redirect all that energy, the energy you've been using to analyze their words, their actions,

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their behavior it's time to take all of it

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and put it into yourself work on your goals hit the

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gym start the business read the book take the class travel learn something new wake up every day

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and pour into yourself so much

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that you don't even have time to think about them

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when you grow you naturally outgrow the people and places

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that aren't meant for you and that's not a bad thing it's a sign

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that you're evolving that you're stepping into the version of yourself

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that isn't willing to settle for less than what you deserve

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and let me tell you something else the people who truly

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matter the ones who are aligned with your future they're not

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going to resent your growth they're going to support it they're

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going to push you higher they're going to inspire you to be even better

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but you won't find them if you're still stuck in the past

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so stop waiting for an apology that's never coming stop hoping

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they'll change stop holding yourself back just to make other people comfortable it is time to take all of

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that energy back and build the life you deserve

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if you don't make a change right now where will you

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be in a year still stuck still waiting still telling yourself

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the same excuses you don't need more time you don't need more motivation You don't need someone to come save you.

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What you need is to decide.

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The problem isn't that you don't know what to do.

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You know exactly what needs to change.

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You know you're wasting time.

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You know you're playing small.

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You know you're making excuses for why you're not showing up for yourself.

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And yet, instead of taking action, you hesitate.

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You wait for the perfect moment.

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You wait until you feel ready.

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But guess what? that moment isn't coming.

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Let me tell you something.

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The people who are successful, the ones who build great lives, the ones who wake up feeling fulfilled, they aren't waiting for the right moment.

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They don't feel ready.

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They don't have all the answers.

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They just start.

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They decide that where they are is not where they want to stay.

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And they take action, even when it's messy, even when it's uncomfortable, even when they're scared out of their minds.

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You have spent too much time sitting on the sidelines of your own life watching other people chase their dreams

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watching other people take chances watching other people build the kind of life you want

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and you sit there wondering why not me well why not what's stopping you i'll tell you you are

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you are the one making the excuses you are the one

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talking yourself out of opportunities You are the one coming up with reasons why now isn't the right time.

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And I get it.

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It's easy to do that.

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It's easy to put things off, to tell yourself you'll start next week, next month, next year.

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But let's be real.

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How many times have you said that?

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And how many times has it actually happened?

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If you don't change something today, a year from now, you'll be in the exact same place, feeling the exact same frustration,

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making the exact same excuses and you do not want

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that your time is now not tomorrow not next week not

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when things feel easier now and don't you dare say

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but i don't know where to start

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because that's just another excuse you don't have to know everything

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you don't have to have it all figured out you just have to take the first step

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and then another and then another that's how real change happens not in huge leaps but in small, consistent actions.

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You don't need.. permission.

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You don't need a sign from the universe.

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You don't need anyone to validate your dreams.

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You need to decide that you are done waiting, done making excuses, done living a life that is less than what you deserve.

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So here's what you're going to do.

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The next time you catch yourself hesitating, the next time you start overthinking, the next time you feel fear creeping in you count down

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five four three two one go make the call send the email sign up for the class

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say yes to the opportunity show up for yourself in the way you wish you had all these years

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because if you don't no one else will your time is now and it's up to you to take it

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Focus on Yourself”. This video has 223 sentences and 2581 words to shadow. The speech runs for 15:52. The speaker talks at a natural 163 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 91% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
overthink verb		To think or analyze too much.
hesitate verb	/ˈhɛz.ə.teɪt/	To stop or pause respecting decision or action; to be in suspense or uncertainty as to a determination.
boundary noun	/ˈbaʊndɹi/	The dividing line or location between two areas.
hesitation noun	/ˌhɛzɪˈteɪʃən/	An act of hesitating
replay noun	/ˈɹiːpleɪ/	An act or instance of replaying (of playing something, such as a game, again); a replaying of (something).
creep verb	/kɹiːp/	To move slowly with the abdomen close to the ground.
resent verb	/ɹiˈzɛnt/	To feel resentment over; to consider as an affront.
terrify verb	/ˈtɛɹɪfaɪ/	To frighten greatly; to fill with terror.
validation noun	/ˌvæl.əˈdeɪ.ʃən/	The act of validating something.
clarity noun	/ˈklæɹ.ɪ.ti/	The state or measure of being clear, either in appearance, thought or style; lucidity.
frustration noun	/fɹʌsˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/	The feeling of annoyance at impossibility from resistance or inability to achieve something.
apology noun	/əˈpɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/	An expression of remorse or regret for having said or done something that harmed another: an instance of apologizing (saying that one is sorry).
scare verb	/skɛɚ/	To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way.
drain noun	/dɹiːn/	A conduit allowing liquid to flow out of an otherwise contained volume; a plughole (UK)
closure noun	/ˈkloʊ.ʒɚ/	An event or occurrence that signifies an ending.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
wake up verb	/ˌweɪk ˈʌp/	To stop sleeping; to awake.
figure out verb		To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce.
walk away verb		To withdraw from a problematic situation.
come up with verb		To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it.
count down verb		To announce the passage of time to a precisely timed expected event.
end up verb		To bring to a conclusion.
fall back into verb		To return to old habits; to return to an unhealthy or unhappy situation.
get out of verb		To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

When was the last time you put yourself first?
You know who's supposed to be with you?
You think, what if I regret it?
What if I lose something good?
What if you don't?

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result	if you don't no one else will your
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	people who don · someone who wouldn · people who deep
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	are stuck · be liked · is meant
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	have built · i've been · you've changed

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 94 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you're, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: hesitation /ˌhɛzɪˈteɪʃən/, validation /ˌvæl.əˈdeɪ.ʃən/, frustration /fɹʌsˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/, closure /ˈkloʊ.ʒɚ/, expectation /ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: hesitation /ˌhɛzɪˈteɪʃən/, validation /ˌvæl.əˈdeɪ.ʃən/, apology /əˈpɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/, uncomfortable /ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/, misunderstand /mɪs.ʌn.də(ɹ)ˈstænd/

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 overthink, hesitate, boundary.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: Focus on Yourself | Let Them Go - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?