Shadowing Practice: "I Learned From People's Mistakes" | Monday Inspiration | Jack Ma | Goal Quest - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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I think if you succeed every mistakes become a legendary
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if you fail that's just a garbage you know I'm saying I think everybody has great stories
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everybody had a lot of mistakes everybody have a lot of problems but But very few people listen to you.
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One day when you become successful, people listen to you and say, wow, you're great.
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I'm not that great.
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I was born in a normal family and I'm not good at schooling.
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Of course I tried to study hard, but as a boy, you know, my school was not that good at that time.
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So I failed looking for jobs, looking for joining university, joining good schools.
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But I never give up.
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And I think there's one thing I learned, why you should have a chance to be successful.
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Everybody should get used to fail but not get used to be accepted by other people.
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Why other people should help you?
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You should earn the right to be helped.
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So the thing I learned is that don't give up.
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My opportunity has not come yet.
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When everybody complain that is the opportunity I always thought
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when I was young when I was graduate in the high school
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or university I thought Bill Gates took up my job you
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know Bill Gates did all the successful things Larry Harrison from
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Oracle they they took all the wonderful opportunities IBM benefit we people have no opportunity
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and I think I aim too high I should aim to support
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and help the people around me do tiny things I never thought I could be today
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after 18 years Alibaba become today's size
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not because I'm smart I don't think I'm a smart person But I work with a lot of smart people.
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And most smart people, they always want to do successful things.
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Quick, easy things.
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And I think it's not easy to be successful quickly.
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Every time, everything we do, we prepare for 10 years.
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I know I'm not smart.
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If we want to be successful, we have to win 10 years later.
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If we want to be successful, we have to work with smart people.
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If we want to be successful, we should make a lot of mistakes and never give up.
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A lot of people, they make mistakes, they have problems, they give up.
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We never give up.
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We learn from mistakes.
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And I think when we fail, the message, the experience that I want to give you, the advice I want to give you,
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you will judge when this person will be successful or not by when he fail, he thinks it's his fault or the other fault.
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If he thinks my fail because of the others, this guy has no chance.
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Those people who fail always think, hmm, it is my fault.
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I did not do it properly.
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I should change here or change there.
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These guys have opportunities.
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So I learn a lot from those people who fail.
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I learn a lot from those people who make mistakes.
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I learn a lot from my mistakes.
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So this is what I, when I, this is my life attitude.
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When I fail, I say, see, I will fail.
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When I succeed, I say, well, I never know, I could be successful.
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This makes me very positive and optimistic.
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And because of so many mistakes, too much failure that make me never complain because I get used to
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that we are making mistakes every day even to today we
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made stupid decisions almost every day nobody knows we thought it's smart
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but finally proved stupid
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but we learn we do again we learn we do again that's the way that's the life attitude you

Context & Background

In this motivational talk, Jack Ma reflects on the importance of learning from failures and mistakes in the journey to success. Growing up in a modest family and facing numerous challenges, including difficulties in education and employment, he emphasizes resilience and the need to persevere. Ma shares insights on how embracing failure and understanding personal responsibility can become powerful catalysts for growth. His perspective encourages listeners to see mistakes as valuable lessons and opportunities for improvement rather than obstacles that discourage them.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • "Don't give up." - A reminder to maintain perseverance despite challenges.
  • "I learned from my mistakes." - Acknowledging the value of experience gained through errors.
  • "It is my fault." - Taking personal responsibility for one's actions and outcomes.
  • "Aim to help those around you." - Encouraging a focus on support and community rather than solely personal ambition.
  • "Success takes time." - Recognizing that achievements require patience and consistent effort.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To effectively improve your English speaking skills using the shadowing technique, follow these steps while engaging with Jack Ma's speech:

  1. Listen Actively: Start by carefully listening to the video without any distractions. Focus on Ma’s tone, rhythm, and pronunciation.
  2. First Shadow: Play the video and speak along with Jack Ma. Imitate his voice as closely as possible. Don’t worry about making mistakes—you’re in the practice phase.
  3. Break It Down: Divide the speech into smaller segments. Concentrate on one phrase or sentence at a time. Repeat until you feel comfortable with each one.
  4. Record Yourself: Use a recording device to capture your voice as you practice. This allows you to compare your speech with the original, helping you identify areas for improvement.
  5. Reflect and Adjust: After shadowing, consider what sounds challenging. Focus on those areas and practice specific sounds, intonations, or phrases that you found difficult.

Utilizing a shadowing site can facilitate your practice by providing transcripts and audio, which is essential for intensive English speaking practice. Regular use of this technique will instill confidence in your ability to convey thoughts clearly and effectively, much like the inspiring message conveyed by Jack Ma.

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.