Shadowing Practice: How to Plan Your Life (Interactive Exercise) - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Hi everyone! Welcome back to Lavendaire.
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Today we're gonna talk about how to plan out your life from the big picture to the little details.
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So this video's gonna be a little different.
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It's an interactive exercise, which means you're gonna work along with the video.
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Before I get into it, I'm gonna do a giveaway at the end of this video.
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I'm gonna be giving out, yes, three Artist of Life Workbooks for you guys to help you plan your best year.
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If you don't know what this is, this is a workbook that I created with a bunch of exercises inside.
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Oh, this is my copy where I've actually filled it out.
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But if you want to learn more, there are links there and down below to learn more about this workbook.
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So, when planning out your life, I personally like to start with the big picture, the ultimate life goals.
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What is your grand vision for your life?
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What kind of legacy do you want to leave on this earth?
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These are really big questions and it's very daunting to answer, I understand completely.
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And I understand that, depending on where you are in your life journey, you might not have figured it out just yet.
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Because when I was in college, I had no idea what that big picture looked like.
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So it's up to you.
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If you know what your big picture idea is, then take this time to jot down everything that you want to accomplish in your life.
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What are your big dreams for your life?
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And if you're scared and you feel like this section is too difficult, then just fast forward the video.
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Continue on, and then later you can come back and do this big picture section at the end.
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It's also up to you what timeline you want to use for your big picture goals.
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So big picture can mean five years from now, ten years from now, even fifty years from now.
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So it's up to you what you want to use.
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There's no right or wrong way.
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Whatever inspires you, whatever drives you and motivates you.
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So if you need help in this section, I'd recommend you check out some other videos that I have.
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I have one called "How to Figure Out What to Do With Your Life" which helps you find your ikigai AKA sweet spot on what to do with your life.
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And then another video called "How to Plan Your Dream Life" which goes into an exercise called "Vivid Vision" that helps you really illustrate and paint out the picture of your ideal life.
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Alright, now that you've mapped out your big picture goals, put them in your phone, in your computer, on your wall.
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Put them where you will read them daily, because you want to constantly be reminded of where you're headed, where you're going.
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So your big picture goals are essentially your compass in life.
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They help you steer yourself in the right direction so that you don't veer off your path for too long.
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Sometimes, if we don't have those big picture goals and dreams in mind, we end up just settling in another direction or we get lost and, you know what I mean?
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So you want to focus on what you want out of life and make sure you're taking small steps in that direction.
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It's okay to change your big picture goals because nothing is set in stone.
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So along the way, if you feel like these goals don't suit you anymore, feel free to change them.
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Alright, now it's time to set your yearly goals.
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And I'm sure a lot of you have done this already, but it's good to kind of get a refresh now that you've elaborated on your big picture goals.
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How can you break that down and how can you pick what is the next important steps for me to take in order to get closer to that dream life.
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So just look at your goals, ask yourself: "What is possible for me to accomplish in one year to take me closer to my dreams?" I know that the dreams might seem really far off right now.
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Don't worry about that.
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Just focus on: What's the next immediate step that can take me one baby step closer?
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Write out your goals, and don't forget to dig deep into all the different areas of life.
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Not just career, but also your health, your relationships, personal growth, creativity, spirituality, adventure goals, whether you have travel goals.
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Explore what your dream life looks like in all of these different areas.
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And then decide what goals you want to focus on for 2018.
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Alright, now that you have your yearly goals written down, look at your goals and decide what you want to prioritize to focus on for this first quarter of 2018.
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The quarter is three months, so this first quarter is January through March.
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A lot can be done in three months.
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You just have to plan to focus on something for three months in order to get it done.
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So it's better to focus on one thing, instead of multiple things at once.
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So when you focus on one thing, you can complete that one thing in the set amount of time, whether it's one month, two months, or three months.
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But if you try to attack all your goals at once, then you're gonna take longer to accomplish those goals, and it might feel like you won't pick up momentum because you're like, "Ugh, nothing's moving," or "Everything's moving so slowly." So it's better to focus.
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Pick one, two, or three things max, to focus on for the quarter.
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Alright, now that you've decided what you want to focus on this quarter, it's time to break it down further into your next action items.
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So for each goal or focus you've created for this quarter, break down what are the immediate next step action items I need to take in order to achieve this goal?
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So brainstorm as much as you can think of.
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And don't worry, it doesn't have to be in exact order.
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All that matters is that you're putting all the steps onto paper.
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Alright, now that you have your next action items list going, it's time to prioritize yet again and star the top three action items that you need to do first.
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So prioritize: What is the most important action items that you could take towards these goals?
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Star three of them right now.
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So the action items that you've starred, make sure you put them into your to do list, your planner, whatever your system is, make sure you put it somewhere so that you remember to get it done ASAP.
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Personally, I like to use an app like Wunderlist or Trello to decide what to-dos to do next.
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But it's totally up to you.
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You can use whatever system you want.
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By the way, if you find that some of your goals are more ongoing and lifestyle-based, you can't really break them down into to-do lists and stuff, then those goals should go onto your ideal habits list.
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So for example, if you want to exercise more, eat healthier, meditate every day, those are more ongoing goals and lifestyle goals.
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So those, you would put onto your habits list.
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And for your ideal habits list, I would break it down into daily habits and weekly habits.
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For me, I like to break down my daily habits into morning and evening routines.
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Morning habits would be meditating and writing morning pages.
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Evening habits would be reading and doing skincare.
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And then weekly habits would be doing yoga and exercising two or three times a week.
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Make sure you also keep this habits list on your phone or write it down somewhere so that you see what you're working towards.
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And it's helpful if you create a tracking system to track how often you're doing these habits so that you're accountable for yourself.
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For example, in the workbook we have a habit tracker where I've been ticking off all the times I've been doing these habits, so you actually get a visual for how you're doing towards your goals.
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Lastly I'll leave you guys with this quote: "Most people overestimate what they can do in one year, and underestimate what they can do in 10 years." This means we have kind of a warped perception of time.
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We think that we can accomplish so much in one year, and so we set all of these goals, and then we feel down when we don't meet all of our goals every year.
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But on the flip side, if you look at the past ten years, how much you've accomplished in ten years is quite amazing.
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So if you look forward the next ten years, you can actually accomplish so much more than you think.
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So give yourself a little more time to reach those big picture goals.
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I know that, naturally, we want to get everything done ASAP.
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We want to meet all these goals, we want to be successful like yesterday, basically.
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But great things take time, so be patient, persevere, keep going.
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Maybe don't set so many crazy goals in one year.
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Just really prioritize and handpick what's the most important to you.
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And take it slow.
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Slow and steady, you know what I mean?
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So now it's time to move onto our giveaway.
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If you want a chance to win this Artist of Life Workbook, then comment down below on what is your focus for this quarter.
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And feel free to share more of your goals, feel free to share your big picture goals.
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I'll be picking three winners from the comments section down below.
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And if you win, I'm gonna comment on your comment, so make sure you have the YouTube notifications turned on so that you know that I commented on your message.
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Normally I do my giveaways on Instagram because it's easier to DM people on Instagram.
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I've had people complain like, "Why don't you ever do giveaways on YouTube?" so this time I'm going to try to do a giveaway on YouTube.
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The problem is it's hard to get in contact with you guys because no one really checks their messages on YouTube.
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I mean, we're gonna figure a system out.
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If you won, I will comment on your comment and then instructions will follow.
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Hopefully you reply and then we'll communicate the details later.
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Anyway, if you want a sure chance of getting the Artist of Life Workbook, then you can check out my shop right there in the corner.
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Link is also down below.
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We're gonna probably sell out of these by, I don't know, March or April?
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So if you want a copy, get it in the beginning of the year, before it sells out because I'm not ordering any more stock.
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Just letting you guys know.
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Alright, have a beautiful day.
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Love you guys so much.
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And I'll see you guys in the next one. Bye!
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Planning Your Life: A Practical Exercise for English Learners
Imagine you’re watching a video that guides you through mapping out your life goals—from big dreams to yearly steps. This scenario is perfect for practicing English listening and speaking, as it uses everyday language to discuss personal growth, goal-setting, and self-reflection. Whether you’re preparing for IELTS speaking practice or just want to improve your fluency, this interactive format helps you learn natural phrases while engaging with a meaningful topic.
Useful Chunks & Collocations
- Big picture: Refers to the overall vision, e.g., “Start with the big picture before focusing on details.”
- Jot down: To write something quickly, e.g., “Jot down your goals so you don’t forget them.”
- Break down: To divide into smaller parts, e.g., “Break down your yearly goals into monthly tasks.”
- Veer off: To go off track, e.g., “Without a plan, you might veer off your path.”
- Dig deep into: To explore thoroughly, e.g., “Dig deep into all areas of your life, not just career.”
Your Shadowing Challenge
Shadowing (or shadowspeaks) is a great way to improve pronunciation and fluency. Here’s your task: Watch a 1-minute clip of the video where the speaker talks about yearly goals. Pause after each sentence, then repeat it aloud, mimicking the tone, speed, and stress. Focus on phrases like “What is possible for me to accomplish in one year?” and “Don’t forget to dig deep into all the different areas of life.” Do this 3 times, then record yourself. Compare your recording to the original—notice how close you are to the natural rhythm. This practice, called shadow speak, will help you sound more confident in English, whether for IELTS speaking practice or daily conversations. Remember, shadow speech is about copying not just words, but the way they’re delivered—so pay attention to pauses and emphasis!
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.