Shadowing Practice: FOCUS ON YOURSELF NOT OTHERS (motivational video) - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Today, I need you to embrace what comes hard to day I need you to accept the challenge Today I need you to fall in love with the process There will be plenty of opportunities to get discouraged, to lose your passion and think that it's not meant to be.
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29 sentences
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Today, I need you to embrace what comes hard to day I need you to accept the challenge Today I need you to fall in love with the process There will be plenty of opportunities to get discouraged, to lose your passion and think that it's not meant to be.
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But if you're going to reach your destiny, you have to have a made-up mind.
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If you give up after the first time or the fifth time or the 30th time, what that really means is you didn't want it bad enough.
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There should be something you're believing for that you are relentless.
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You are not moved by how impossible it looks, you're not discouraged by how long it's taking, you don't give up because people told you no, you're attitude is, "If I have to believe my whole life, I am not going to stop believing, I am not going to take no for an answer, I'm not going to settle for mediocrity, I'm going to keep pursuing what put in my heart." and ask ourself, "What do I really want?" What do I really want?
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And write it down.
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Writing causes thinking, thinking creates an image and you get these images And you get this images growing, your building a vision in your mind.
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It's the visionaries.
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That's changed the world.
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Think of that.
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But what keeps that competitive edge What keeps you on top is the ability to think and prepare mentally over and over and over again.
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The body has limitations.
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The mind does not.
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We focus so much on what goes on the neck down that we forget it all starts from here.
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Everything starts from there If you're not mentally ready, you're never really physically prepared.
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And that's where the preparation starts.
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What would your life be like?
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As you look toward the future, if you decided I'm not going to allow my fears to stop me.
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And I'm saying to you, whatever you gotta do, Do it. Because if your don't life is gonna whoop you until you surrender.
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So when you're young and you make mistakes, don't let 'em eat you up, 'cause everybody that done made it done made 'em.
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You got to fail in order to win.
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Hey, look, man.
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To understand how to hit the game when it's shot, you got to miss the game when it's shot.
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You know, you got to be tough because the road to success is always under construction.
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It's never a clear path to success.
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The people who become successful are the people who have a relentless attitude.
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And you just got to hang in there through the bad breaks, 'cause the bad breaks is comin', but they usually come right before the big break is about to happen.
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You get a series of bad breaks and it stumbles up a lot of people.
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My life and my success is to say to anyone, "You can stumble, you can fall, you can get back up again."
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Why practice speaking with this video?

This motivational video provides a unique opportunity for English learners to enhance their speaking skills in a real-world context. Listening to the speaker's passionate words not only inspires but also allows you to practice shadowing technique. By mimicking the speaker's intonation and rhythm, you can improve your fluency and confidence in speaking. Engaging with motivational content fosters a connection to the language, as the themes of perseverance and determination resonate with learners aiming for personal growth. Additionally, this video encourages viewers to think critically about their goals and aspirations while practicing their English, creating a meaningful context in which to learn English with YouTube.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

This video features several key phrases and structures that are particularly useful for learners. Here are a few to notice:

  • "What do I really want?" - This rhetorical question prompts self-reflection and helps learners practice asking questions in English.
  • "If I have to believe my whole life..." - This conditional structure illustrates the importance of commitment, perfect for practicing complex sentence formations.
  • "You got to fail in order to win." - This informal expression conveys a significant life lesson and introduces colloquial speech.
  • "The road to success is always under construction." - This metaphor presents an engaging way to discuss challenges, enriching learners’ vocabulary.

Incorporating these expressions into your speech can help convey determination and resilience, vital traits in any motivational context.

Common Pronunciation Traps

As you practice with this video, pay close attention to words that may pose pronunciation challenges:

  • "Relentless" - The 'r' and 'l' sounds can be tricky; ensure to pronounce them clearly.
  • "Success" - This word can often be mispronounced; focus on the stress placed on the second syllable.
  • "Mediocrity" - A longer word that requires practice to get the sounds right; take your time breaking it down.

Utilizing the shadow speech approach with these vocabulary words can help improve English pronunciation significantly. By repeating phrases after the speaker, you'll solidify both your vocal clarity and confidence in delivering similar messages.

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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