Shadowing Practice: how to RESET after wasting too many days - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Get in divas!
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We're making all of our days count from now on.
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Yes, even the brain rot days.
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If you restarted your life so many times that your own brain doesn't even believe you anymore, then stay with me because the days that you
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so -called wasted will be used to create the plan you make to make all of them count.
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All of it.
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Maybe you're brain rotting right now, but actually that's impossible because we're about to learn something.
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But be honest though, how many times have you decided, okay tomorrow's my 5am green juice matcha productivity day
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and then you wake up and decide no i can't
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when i was depressed and not doing
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so good i was going to bed at 8am waking up at 4pm binge watching old shows over
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and over again eating junk food to the point where i get sick of myself
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and think i will have this gorgeous plan for the next day
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and then i would fail the next day it took me
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so long to realize the plan itself was actually part of the problem
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so learn my mistakes please i want to give you the refresh
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i wish someone else had handed me back then
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and it's very simple three days
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i like to do it over the weekend one task per day
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you can start it at four o 'clock in the afternoon anytime it's fine you can even start it
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when you're in a bad mood or even
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when your house is a mess the only rule is don't count on
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that one good day to make up for an entire bad season the bad season is over starting
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now no more good and bad if we haven't met yet, hi I'm Mei and this channel is about leveling up physically,
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mentally, and spiritually especially if you're rebuilding from a place that felt like rock bottom.
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My community is called Stoic Angels and we do the inner work
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and the outer work at the same time because one without the other won't last.
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Think about it.
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But if that sounds like you and what you like, subscribe because I make these videos for you.
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I also made a pdf guide for you based on this topic.
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It is a companion guide if you will for this video.
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You can do the exercises alongside me in this video
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if you go download it
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and you follow along the rest of the video
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we can do it together the new stoic angels membership is out yes you can try it for free
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and that's also where you can go download the pdf guide too for free
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when you try out the membership
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you also get hundreds of other exclusive content on in -depth
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self -improvement topics audio subliminals to brainwash yourself to become successful
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and journaling exercises to help you notice your hidden patterns help you glow up reach your goals
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so sign up for a free trial at stoicangels .com or click my link in the description
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The first thing that we're going to do is to separate what happened from the verdict.
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So let's grab a piece of paper and write down what actually happened, no adjectives allowed.
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For example, I missed two workouts in a row.
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I spent the weekend doom scrolling on TikTok.
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My project has been sitting there collecting dust since July.
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Whatever it is you're feeling bad about, then look at what you're also implying to yourself on top of the objective.
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I missed two workouts turned into I can never stay consistent.
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I haven't finished my project turned into I'm wasting my potential like whoa like who told you
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that who came up with that do you notice like how many automatic assumptions
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that we make about ourselves right there because these are all assumptions
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and do you notice how different those are one is a fact
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you can work with the other one is a verdict on your whole life
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and your whole personality like oh my gosh like you didn't fold your laundry
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so you must be a failure i mean
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if you ask me like obviously yeah you can't fold your laundry
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while your brain is automatically sentencing
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you to life in prison as a failure your brain is
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like my whole future is collapsing in front of me right now
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and you want me to put a cup in the dishwasher?
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I mean, yeah, yes.
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Because the cup is actually something that you can move right now.
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But your whole life is a bit too heavy to pick up at 4 o 'clock in the afternoon.
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I have ADHD too, which in a nutshell makes everything worse or at least everything more complicated.
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So in order for me to get to where I want to be, I do what I have to do to get things done.
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And no, I do not fold my clothes.
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They go into highly organized piles in my closet drawers.
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And I know some of you guys may think that being hard on yourself is also what keeps you going.
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Like if you go easy on yourself, you'll just lie down and sleep forever.
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Well, that's not true.
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There's a study out of UC Berkeley where people failed a really hard test
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and the ones who are nudged to be more self -compassionate
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about it actually ended up studying longer for the retake than those who are mean to themselves.
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Less cruel and kinder didn't make them lazier.
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It's actually the opposite.
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It actually made them more willing to try again.
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Sometimes our animal brains take over which makes us pain averse.
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I train myself like I'm training a dog.
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You have to encourage yourself to keep going with rewards,
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little treats, but punishment though is useless because it makes you even more scared to do the work.
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So let's try this on for a change.
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This got away from me, now I'm going to make it easier to come back.
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You are taking responsibility without casting yourself as the villain and making judgments about yourself.
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Speaking of making it easier to come back, something that's helped me is having one little routine with a clear start and a clear end.
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So even on the days where my brain is chaos, there's one thing that I do know how to do from point A to point B.
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This part of the video is sponsored by OmniLux and this is the OmniLux Contour Face.
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It uses red and near -infrared light
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and it's FDA cleared to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and each treatment is 10 minutes.
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All you have to do is clean your skin, put on your mask, follow the instructions and you're done.
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Omnilox also recommends three to five treatments a week to start with.
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So what I like is that it's not pretending to be a miracle because you still have to show up consistently.
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If you don't use the mask, it doesn't work, right?
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But when you do show up though, it's 10 minutes on the normal morning or evening, which is easy enough.
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I wear it while I make my morning coffee consistency over one big dramatic overhaul.
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Bonus, I feel nice and cozy when I'm wearing it, and when I'm done with it, I got one thing done for the day,
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which sets the tone for the rest of my days.
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The mask itself is also so portable that I can pack it up if I'm going away and I'm traveling.
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So if you've been curious about red light therapy,
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scan the QR code on screen or use my link below with code MEIALISSUZUKI10 for 10 % off.
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Thank you to Omni Lux for sponsoring this video.
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On day one, we're removing one source of friction because we're doing this one step at a time to make things easier.
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So pick the one thing that yells at you every time you walk past it, like the closed chair.
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Come on, guys.
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We all have the chair
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or the suitcase from a trip three weeks ago that's basically furniture at this point
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or that one excel spreadsheet thingy you've been avoiding on purpose because it gives you anxiety.
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That happens to me a lot too.
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So pick one, set a timer if you want, and give it a finish line that you can see. For example,
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clean my apartment is not a finish line that's practically a fact of life honestly
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but clean the desk so I can put my laptop on the desk is a finish line.
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Here's another example fix my sleep is a wish
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i'm charging my phone in the living room tonight instead of next to my bed is a very clear action
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and if there's any boring basic things you keep neglecting
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or skipping like eat a real meal take a shower change out of the clothes
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you've been sitting in since yesterday
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you do not have to earn basic self -care by being
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productive first in fact those things actually help you become even more productive now here's a warning
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because i know you start cleaning your desk you find an old notebook
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or something and you get inspired 45 minutes later you're comparing planning apps
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and color coding your whole life stop the assignment was clean the desk finish the desk
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you can have a cute iphone widget dashboard transformation later
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and that's also what the stopwatch is for
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so after you're done focusing on that one thing you can stop the timer
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and write down exactly what you just did
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and not what else is left to do
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because your brain will figure out what's left all on its own is
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so good at that but right now we're giving it one piece of proof
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that you just did something day two make one promise small enough to keep
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so pick one thing you want back in your life
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and make it so specific even a stranger can tell you just did
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that so be healthier is too vague walk after lunch is specific get my life together again too vague
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but work on my to -do list before i open up instagram specific enough then right now while you're still
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Go calm and collected, make a bad day version, a fallback plan if you will.
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If the normal version is 20 minutes, do 2 minutes, like what's the 2 minute version?
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If it's cooking dinner, what's the meal you can make while you're basically unconscious?
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Decide this right now because tired 8pm unconscious you is not a proper strategist.
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In fact, tired 8pm you wants fast food and Netflix, I know I do.
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So think about the people you trust the most.
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You don't trust them because they once made some huge promise to you one time, but you trust them because what they say
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and what they do usually matches up self -trust works exactly the same way
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so forget about discipline like think of it as you're rebuilding your credit score with yourself it takes time
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but it's one step at a time and you're gonna get there
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so let's say 10 minutes on the treadmill you do 10 minutes
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if you want to keep going amazing
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but don't quietly move the goalpost to an hour and a half
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and then decide you know what that 10 minutes was not good enough
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That's how every promise becomes impossible to keep
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and that's how we keep disappointing ourselves because our expectations keeps getting moved up like we're moving the goalposts.
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In fact, we can do a million things, right?
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But we can't do everything.
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We need to rest our minds and take our breaks and we need to take breaks.
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Day three, stop rebuilding the same wall and look back on what made days one and days two easier or harder.
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So let's be detectives here.
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Did you forget?
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Were you hungry when you forgot?
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Was the task too daunting or vague?
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Did you pick a bad time?
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Those are four different problems with four different fixes.
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So we're going to work through them one by one.
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If you forgot, put the reminder where your eyes already go to.
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It needs to be visible.
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Too exhausted, smaller action, or a different time.
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Because maybe you do need to rest and that's fine.
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If you didn't know where to start, write the first physical step that you can take.
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If your phone keeps distracting you, then the phone goes into another room before you start.
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Stop answering every obstacle with, I need to try harder.
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You don't need more willpower, but you need something to move.
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This is also why I love tracking things.
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Like for example, yes, I still track my meals sometimes, even though I'm at my goal weight.
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For those who ask what I use, I use Lose It to snap a photo of my meals and then keep an eye on my habits.
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But the point of tracking anything at all, including on all of these trackers to have information
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this is not a report card like for example you can say like i can start later on days
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when i didn't prepare the night before and that's very useful
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but oh my god i forgot i'm the worst tells you nothing
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and it is so unhelpful then we decide what you're allowed to leave behind
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because sometimes a reset fails
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because your heart clearly doesn't want to do it like let's be real about
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that okay like you might still be carrying goals from an
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older version of yourself like the 5 a .m thing
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or some business idea you feel guilty about every time your domain renewal email comes back up.
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Everything I say I mention it from experience.
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Like for example I wanted to be a tattoo artist for a long time.
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I spent months and months learning the skills and I started tattooing myself
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and everything but low -key I didn't want to start doing it on other people.
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So every day that I wasn't practicing kept eating away at me
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and me knowing that I couldn't advance
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because low -key i did not want to tattoo other people like
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that was just
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so crushing to me until one day
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i had to give away all of my equipment to another tattoo artist who could actually use it
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and after that i was free so look at your list
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and decide which things still matter to you which ones only matter
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because you already spent so much time on it and
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which ones belong to somebody else's idea of a good life
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but not yours we're going to choose one thing to continue one to postpone
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and one to stop pretending you're doing that last one stop pretending
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that you're doing it it gives you so much time and
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so much room back because something
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that you decide to release is also completely different from a task
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that you're silently avoiding every day
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because the former is a decision the other is dead weight
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that you carry around without admitting it to yourself and
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if you've been struggling to function for a long time please
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hear me out on this getting support can be part of the reset.
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I have been through depression where someone telling me just be
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more disciplined did nothing for me in fact like my depressed brain was just like what does
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that even mean i hate that
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so a simple three -day plan does not have to carry everything
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and you deserve help before it becomes a crisis now let's run
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it back day one remove one source of friction day two keep one tiny promise to yourself
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and day three fix whatever made it hard that's your reset
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and you can run it back anytime you need to and
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because you will have another messy day i still do all the time.
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The goal for us is not to stop falling off
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but to come back and bounce back without turning one bad Tuesday into a whole month of punishing yourself, beating ourselves down.
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If you want to keep coming back with support, especially support from me, I just launched Stoic Angels,
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my membership platform, and honestly it feels like this is my calling.
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I spent almost a year building the platform but I've been practicing this method for years.
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I've created four modalities surrounding it or methods if you will.
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They all work together.
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Illuminations are in -depth highly research informed lessons
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so you actually understand why you do the things
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you do catalysts are guided sessions we do together in real time for the days
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you can't get started alone excavations are journaling
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and self -inquiry to get to the bottom of what's actually really keeping you stuck
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and transmissions are subliminals and affirmation audio you can put on
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and you're just subconsciously rewiring your brain while you go about your day
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so we're programming our minds rewiring the automatic stuff
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that runs on autopilot and learning it deeply enough to apply it to real messy life.
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This is completely separate from my YouTube and Patreon memberships
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which are going away by the way and you can start your free trial today and find it in my video description.
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Now if you're still here comment your one small reset for today
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that you want to start with something you can actually finish before bedtime.
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I read all my comments
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and in fact one of my goals is I'm going to work harder to respond to you guys in my comments.
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In fact I've been doing that for a while I don't know
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if you guys know this and also if you're someone who keeps refusing to live the same live over and over again,
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make sure to subscribe if you haven't already.
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I believe you knew all angels.
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You got this and I'll see you in the next video.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “how to RESET after wasting too many days”. This video has 240 sentences and 3008 words to shadow. The speech runs for 14:01. The speaker talks fast, about 215 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| desk noun | /dɛsk/ | A table, frame, or case, in past centuries usually with a sloping top but now usually with a flat top, for the use of writers and readers. It often has a… |
| meal noun | /ˈmiːl/ | Food that is prepared and eaten, usually at a specific time, and usually in a comparatively large quantity. |
| membership noun | The state of being a member of a group or organization. | |
| angel noun | /ˈeɪ̯n.d͡ʒəl/ | An incorporeal and holy or semidivine messenger from a deity or other divine entity, traditionally depicted as a youthful, winged figure in flowing robes. |
| reset verb | /ɹiːˈsɛt/ | To set back to the initial state. |
| pretend verb | /pɹəˈtɛnd/ | To speak or behave so as to give a false or simulated appearance. |
| mask noun | /mæsk/ | A cover, or partial cover, for the face, used for disguise or protection. |
| tattoo noun | /tæˈtuː/ | An image made on a body part, usually the skin with ink and a needle. |
| fold verb | /ˈfəʊld/ | To bend (any thin material, such as paper) over so that it comes in contact with itself. |
| rebuild verb | /ɹiːˈbɪld/ | To build again or anew. |
| vague adjective | /veɪɡ/ | Not clearly expressed; stated in indefinite terms. |
| topic noun | /ˈtɑpɪk/ | A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest. |
| audio adjective | /ˈɔ.di.oʊ/ | Focused on audible sound, as opposed to sight. |
| clock noun | /klɑk/ | A chronometer, an instrument that measures time, particularly the time of day. |
| automatic adjective | /ˌɔː.təˈmæt.ɪk/ | Capable of operating without external control or intervention. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come back verb | To return to a place. |
| go away verb | To depart or leave a place. |
| show up verb | To appear, arrive, or attend, especially suddenly or erratically. |
| write down verb | To produce or set (something) down in writing; to record something. |
| bounce back verb | To recover from a negative situation without seemingly any damage. |
| come up with verb | To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it. |
| eat away at verb | To erode. |
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I train myself like I'm training a dog.
- Were you hungry when you forgot?
- Did you pick a bad time?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | has been sitting · you've been avoiding · you've been sitting |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was depressed · is called · are nudged |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | ones who are · those who are · over which makes |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | haven't met · haven't finished · you've been |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 75 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I'm, we're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: assumption /əˈsʌm(p).ʃ(ə)n/, unconscious /ˌʌnˈkɑnʃəs/, friction /ˈfɹɪkʃən/, punishment /ˈpʌnɪʃmənt/, transformation /ˌtɹæns.fɔɹˈmeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: automatic /ˌɔː.təˈmæt.ɪk/, complicated /ˈkɑm.plɪˌkeɪ.tɪd/, anxiety /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/, inquiry /ɪnˈkwaɪ(ə)ɹi/, consistently /kənˈsɪstəntli/
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 desk, meal, membership.
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.