Shadowing Practice: How To Actually Achieve Your Goals in 2026 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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First of January 2025.
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New year, new goals, new you.
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But you've been here before.
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You said the same last year and all the years before that.
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The harsh reality is in one year, 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days,
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525,600 minutes, and 31.5 million seconds for the vast majority of you, nothing will change.
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You'll be where you've always been, the exact same place as today, and the remaining will move backwards.
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Because the truth is, your actions won't change.
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You'll continue doing what you've always done and expect a different result, which according to Einstein is the definition of madness.
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And the saddest part is, by the time this video finds you, many of you will have already given up on your new year goals.
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In fact, 92% of people will give up on their new year goals this year.
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But for you to not be part of this statistic, you'll need to redefine madness.
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You'll have to do something this year you've never done before.
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You'll have to change the way you think about and approach your goals.
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And here are four steps to make this happen.
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Step one, drop your new year goals and start again.
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Because 99% of people set goals the wrong way, meaning the odds are already stacked against you from the very beginning.
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So it's not a question of if you will fail.
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The question is when will you fail?
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And that's because annual goals are ineffective for two reasons.
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Firstly, an annual timeline is too long and kind of irrelevant for most goals.
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Who decided that all your goals need 12 months to complete?
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Secondly, it creates no sense of urgency as you've got the whole year to achieve your goal.
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So in theory, you could start in December and just sit around all year.
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So what's the red pill?
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How should we set goals to maximize our chances of success?
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Step two, the better way to set goals.
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The timeline of a goal should be short enough to create some sense of urgency, but long enough to make meaningful progress.
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And this is where the 12 week year comes in.
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All big companies have an annual plan which sets the direction, but the more important metric is their quarterly performance.
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This allows them to regularly track progress and course correct should things go off track.
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Your annual goal is just the compass, but your 12-week goal is the map which moves you in the right direction.
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Step 3. Be smart.
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Pick your biggest goal of the year.
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Now break it down into four mini-goals, one for each quarter.
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The most important thing, make your goals action-based and not results-based.
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Again, a common mistake 99% of people make.
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For example, if my goal was to get to 100k subs on YouTube by the end of the year, that would be kind of a dumb goal because it's not in my control.
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A more effective goal would be action-based.
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For example, by the end of the year, I will create 36 videos.
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That's 9 videos every quarter, 3 videos a month, and 1 video every 10 days.
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This is specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time-bound.
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I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty smart to me.
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Another example is getting into shape.
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An ineffective goal would be, I want to lose 10 pounds by the end of the year.
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However, a smart goal would be, I'll hit the gym 180 times this year.
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That's 45 days every three months and 15 days every month.
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You can apply this framework to any area of your life.
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Saving money, traveling, relationships, and the list goes on.
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Step four, you become what you measure.
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Now doing this alone isn't enough.
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You need a system to keep you accountable.
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At the very minimum, you need a quarterly review with yourself to track your progress.
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Because you don't become your goals, you become what you measure.
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So measure often and measure wisely.
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And even if you achieve only two out of the four quarters, you'll still be significantly ahead compared to 99% of the population.
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So pick your goal, break it down into four quarterly goals, make it action-based, and measure regularly.
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Because ultimately, a goal without a plan is just a wish.

About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will practice your English listening and speaking skills by engaging with a transcript that discusses effective goal-setting strategies. You will focus on understanding how to redefine your approach to goals, emphasizing action-based techniques and short-term timelines. Through this practice, you will enhance your vocabulary and improve your English pronunciation. By focusing on the rhythm and tone of the speaker, you will develop your shadow speech abilities, which are essential for achieving fluency in English.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • New year goals - objectives set at the start of the year.
  • Annual timeline - a one-year period for completing goals.
  • 12-week year - a strategy focusing on quarterly goal-setting.
  • Action-based goals - goals focused on the actions you will take, rather than results.
  • Measure progress - tracking advancements over time to stay on course.
  • Madness - doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results.
  • Sense of urgency - the motivation to act quickly towards achieving goals.
  • SMART goals - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound objectives.

Practice Tips

To effectively use this video for IELTS speaking practice and improve your English pronunciation, follow these tips:

  • Listen attentively: Watch the video multiple times, focusing on different sections each time to capture the speaker's tone and pacing.
  • Pause and repeat: Use the shadowing technique by pausing after each sentence and repeating what you hear. This will help you mimic the speaker's pronunciation and intonation, improving your fluency.
  • Record yourself: After shadowing, record your speech and listen for clarity and accuracy. Compare your pronunciation with that of the speaker to identify areas for improvement.
  • Use a shadowing site: Consider utilizing resources or platforms that let you practice shadow speech with varied content, which can enhance your learning experience.
  • Engage with the content: Summarize key points or create your own goals based on the video's advice. Practicing speaking about your goals will reinforce vocabulary and concepts.

By incorporating shadowing exercises from this lesson, you will elevate your English language skills and gain confidence in speaking about personal development concepts.

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.