Shadowing Practice: How Do You Know if You Made the Right Decision? | 3 Filter-Questions - Learn English Speaking with Video
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So let's say you've decided to change roles at work, to move houses, or to start or end a relationship.
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And then you start thinking, What if I've made the wrong decision?
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And then your mind is on overdrive thinking about everything wrong with the decision that you've just made.
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How do you know if you've made the right decision?
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If this is something that you can relate to, give this video a like and leave me a comment.
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In this video, I'm going to share with you three questions to ask yourself every time you're faced with uncertainty about that important decision, whatever the decision is to you.
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They'll help you to cut through that mind clutter to determine whether you've made the right choice, or to guide you to get clarity around what the right path is.
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You want to think of these questions as a three screen filter
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that you can pass your decisions and your big choices through to gain clarity on whether it's the right move.
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Hi, I'm Sade Zerai and I help professionals to hack their careers, overcome their limiting beliefs and confidently create the extraordinary life they deserve.
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Now, what tends to happen when you're faced with making important decisions is
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that your brain can get into a pattern of over -analysis.
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And since your brain is also designed to protect you from harm, it starts to alert you about all of the possible things that could go wrong.
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all of the what ifs.
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Your brain, if left unchecked, has a natural tendency to dwell on the risks and the threats, It's designed to magnify what you focus on.
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Almost like that weird thing that happens when you're fixated on a new style of clothing or a new car model.
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and then you start to notice it everywhere.
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So what happens is when you start to focus on all the things that could go wrong, You actually prime your radar to notice things that confirm all of these beliefs that things will go wrong.
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And so these confirmations can actually end up convincing you to not even take that leap.
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to not make the move.
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to not make the change.
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because of the possibility that it might not work.
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But here's the harsh reality.
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You're never going to have a guaranteed outcome.
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You'll never know for sure if you'll reach success by taking one direction or another.
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And there are always going to be these what ifs, especially if you look for them.
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So sometimes it's about making a decision that's not 100 % right.
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because you can't know.
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Sometimes it's about being satisfied with 70 or 80 % and not holding yourself to an impossibly high standard.
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What I recommend to the professionals we work with when they're deciding whether or not to make a decision, whether or not to pursue a particular path, is to ask themselves these three questions.
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These questions which I'm about to share with you become
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that filter that you use to pass all of your decisions
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and your big choices through to help you gain clarity about whether it is the right thing for you.
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So first up, the first question: will this path help me grow?
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You always want to be making decisions and following paths that help you grow as an individual.
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This may mean through challenge, through tests, through obstacles.
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It might mean that you have to be pushed outside your comfort zone and take more of a risk.
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But you know that in doing so, even if you don't get the exact intended outcome of success that you're looking for, You will be challenged as an individual,
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which will force you to grow and strengthen your character.
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So this is that very first question that you need to ask yourself.
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Will I challenge myself and accept that leadership position?
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Will I be able to gain experience in that new industry?
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Will this help me grow?
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Next up, the second question you need to ask yourself is this: Is my decision based on ego?
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Are you doing it because you're chasing a title, a position or status, or something else that makes you feel good because it makes you feel superior to others?
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It makes you feel important, significant, validated, Here's the thing.
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We know from research that chasing titles and status won't make you happy.
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And it's actually a red flag that could indicate that you're trying to get some sense of fulfillment
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from something that won't bring it in the long run.
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It's called the hedonic treadmill, where we think that external things will bring us happiness, but when we actually achieve it,
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we eventually just bounce back to how we felt before.
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There's no real lasting change to our happiness.
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The other red flag here is approval.
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Are you making a decision to do or to not do something just
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because it's what others think you should or shouldn't do?
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We all have an innate deep -seated emotional need for approval and validation.
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And it can actually be one of the strongest and most powerful motivators for behavior.
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This approval brings a huge amount of psychological safety and inner peace.
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But it's not the right reason to be basing decisions.
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You need to be invested in it for the right reasons.
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because they want me to, doesn't qualify.
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And the third question you want to ask yourself is, does this thing I'm deciding to do, this new job, this new country, this new path, Does it excite me?
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Does the thought of it energize me?
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Even if you're a little anxious about what could be and the uncertainty, there has to be some spark, something deeply exciting about whatever it is you're doing.
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This is how you know that it's actually aligned with what you want deep down.
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Now, there are also two other considerations that you want to keep in mind.
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First.
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Does my decision intentionally hurt anyone?
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If it does, are there things you can do to minimize the hurt?
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This will be personal to each individual, so you need to figure out what is right for you and what's right for the people around you.
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And the second question, do I have the means to make it happen?
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This one's probably more specific to people looking to, for example, start their own business.
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Let's say you have a full -time job, a mortgage and a car loan, but your passion is to run a business, so you might quit your full -time job, but then you have no savings to live off or use as capital.
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And you're probably being a little bit negligent if you do
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that because you won't be able to pay your bills next week.
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Planning is important, and if now isn't the right time, then that's totally okay.
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At least you have the intention.
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It took me over five years of running a business concurrently
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with working full time before I was in a position to go all in.
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And even then, we made sure that we had savings as a contingency
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and to use as capital to inject into the business.
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You just need a little wisdom and foresight.
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So, a quick recap of the three part filter questions to ask yourself.
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1. Will this path help me to grow?
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If yes, then Is my decision based on ego, title, or status?
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If no, ask, does it excite me?
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If you get to this question and you say, "heck yes, it excites me," then you have to follow your gut instinct.
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Now, things may go wrong, but you have to be okay with that.
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The best part about 99 .9 % of life decisions are that they are reversible.
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excluding having children or skydiving without a parachute.
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So think wisely about those.
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But with everything else, While it may take time, it can be reversed.
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You can come back from a decision that doesn't go to plan.
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But you will know that in taking that path, You learned something new.
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You expanded your mindset.
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You actually challenged yourself and tried something different.
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And you will always take that growth with you.
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So there you go.
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I hope you found this useful and that you can actually apply the three question filter to your next big decision,
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whether it's related to your career or even just a major life decision that you're needing to make.
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Of course, it's not going to apply to 100 % of your decisions, but the principles are there to really just help guide you whenever you come to a decision in your life.
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In the comments, let me know your favorite strategy to determine
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if you've chosen the right path when it comes to you making important and really big life decisions.
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And of course, please like this video
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and subscribe make sure you hit the bell icon too
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so you find out when the next video is released it really supports my channel
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and it means a lot i'm Sade Zerai i will see you next time Bye.
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Bye.
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Who Is This Video For?
This video is perfect for intermediate to advanced English learners aiming to refine their speaking skills while exploring critical thinking. Whether you’re practicing shadowing to mimic natural speech patterns or seeking to expand your vocabulary with real-world phrases, the dialogue’s conversational tone and relatable content make it ideal. It’s especially useful for those looking to balance language practice with personal growth, as the topics of decision-making and self-reflection add depth to your learning.
Words & Idioms Worth Stealing
- Overdrive: "Your mind is on overdrive" – means thinking intensely. Use it to describe busy mental states, e.g., "I was on overdrive preparing for the presentation."
- Cut through the clutter: "Cut through that mind clutter" – to simplify complex thoughts. Great for problem-solving contexts: "Let’s cut through the clutter and focus on the main issue."
- Hedonic treadmill: A psychological term for the cycle of chasing external goals without lasting happiness. Useful in discussions about fulfillment: "He’s stuck on the hedonic treadmill, always wanting the next promotion."
- Prime your radar: "Prime your radar to notice" – to train your attention. Example: "Reading news daily primes your radar for current events."
How to Get the Accent Right
The speaker’s clear, conversational tone is ideal for shadowing practice. Focus on reduced speech in phrases like "what if I’ve made" (link "what if" to "I’ve" smoothly) and "it’s designed to" (shorten "it’s" to a soft "its"). Pay attention to intonation in questions like "Will this path help me grow?" – the rise on "grow" emphasizes curiosity. To master this, use a shadowing app or shadowing site to replay segments, mimicking rhythm and stress. Practice the phrase "over-analysis" – stress the second syllable ("an-AL-y-sis") to match the speaker’s clarity. The shadowing technique works best here: repeat sentences immediately after the speaker, focusing on pacing and natural pauses. This will not only improve English pronunciation but also help you internalize fluent, confident speech patterns.
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 | you've decided · I've made · you've just made |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is also designed · be pushed · will be challenged |
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.