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B2
I heard this secret that successful people make decisions very quickly.
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I heard this secret that successful people make decisions very quickly.
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They say it's to create momentum,
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build confidence, and preserve all that precious energy we spend on overthinking.
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As a person with a backlog of to-do list tasks and a bad habit of overthinking,
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I think it's time I tried this out for myself.
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So this is the TV room.
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I've wanted to DIY this room for a long time now.
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It's where we watch movies and kind of hang out,
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but it has looked the same for the past three years.
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And when I first moved in,
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I kind of just made it good enough.
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But other than that, I'm not attached and I think that let me just zhuzh it up.
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Okay.
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This is the plan.
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As you can see, it's the same living room.
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It's several different ways.
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We're going for calm, maybe a bit of Nancy Meyers in there.
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Just a cozy space.
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But the thing that I want to do the most is to add wall buildings.
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I did the trim in my office myself.
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At least I'm not completely new to DIY.
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But at the same time, I'm a little nervous.
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Because if I want to complete everything on my 20s bucket list.
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Then I will basically need to get this done within less than a week.
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So that's great.
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I love that.
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Save on some time.
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We're going to clean this room up now empty every time
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i want to start a new project i take forever to get things going
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weighing out my options and making sure i'm fully prepared to start mentally physically
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and emotionally i did my calculations
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and we're gonna need a lot of wood of course it's good to think things through in most cases
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but i think i do it a little too much my
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parents on the other hand are the opposite i'll mention an idea i'm just starting to think about
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and by the end of the day they'll already have started working on it.
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I want to channel that energy.
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Less overthinking, more doing.
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This is what happens when it does not fit in the car.
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And that is how you cut in the Home Depot parking lot.
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Alright, so I pretty much got all my supplies.
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I have level, I have wood that we got from the Home Depot,
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and I also got this,
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this is No More Nails.
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And oh god, wait, how do you even use this?
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Yeah, I'm just gonna start...
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I'm just gonna start.
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Oh my gosh.
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The most important thing is that we're going to be able to make the wrong one.
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Often the biggest reason we overthink our decisions is because we're afraid to make the wrong one.
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But I think all it does is delay the inevitable.
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Guys, I fucked up!
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It's literally a fail.
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At some point you still have to choose,
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and by then you've only wasted time that could have been spent adjusting.
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I'm the y- You keep looking It stays black Yeah,
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I said I'm the y- But it don't fit In theory,
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we know having a lot of options is a good thing.
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We can customize our lives exactly how we want,
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but in reality, too many options can get overwhelming.
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Born it like a man,
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born it like a brain Stories no one ever listened This is what you came from Instead of feeling excited by possibility,
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we end up with choice paralysis,
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trying to weigh out all the options against one another.
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That's when the overthinking starts, and nothing gets done.
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Okay, day two.
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Um, day two of the DIY.
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Oh my gosh.
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Well, a couple of updates.
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The first one is that this is taking way longer than I thought it would.
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I was able to put up some wall moldings yesterday
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and ended up working late into the night to try and get some progress done.
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I did make a couple of mistakes.
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I still have to do another wall and a half
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and then I have to prime them and then I also have to paint this whole room.
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Even when I think that something will take X amount of time,
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it literally takes like every single time and takes more than that.
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What am I doing wrong?
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I don't know.
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I don't know.
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I always thought people who moved fast were just extremely confident,
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they know it all, and wondered if they just got a memo that I didn't.
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When we overthink, we think we're doing ourselves a favor,
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minimizing mistakes and feeling as prepared as we possibly can.
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We take our time, think it through,
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and still, somehow, we could choose wrong.
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But I realize it's more about being able to just run with it,
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Adapting, pivoting, learning as you go,
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and trusting you'll figure things out,
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whatever the outcome will be.
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Sometimes I can feel like this cycle,
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where I'm going as fast as I can and it's still not enough.
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It's frustrating, but those are the moments that teach you how to adjust,
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how to move smarter instead of just faster.
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Over time, those small, quick choices compound into momentum,
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and that's the difference between staying stuck and growth.
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Alright, so this is what we're working with.
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So, you can just actually go and start right here.
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Rank gets deeper Soon enough I'm gonna meet my reaper Is this all we get?
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A couple cheap laughs in a deep regret Baby,
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you are just a little thing I'm lost to Telling of the pain I've caused you Giving it to someone brand new
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Okay, our progress, all the moldings are up on the wall Now,
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we just have to paint.
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We're finally painting today.
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We're done with all these moldings.
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The most time consuming thing was priming and caulking everything and just the prep.
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The prep in general just takes so long.
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We're finally ready to paint.
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And let's just get it done.
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Koryu has arrived.
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We're getting put to work.
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We'll start with this.
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It's too cold.
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It's great.
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Thanks.
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Oh yes.
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Hold on.
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Cause I'm just alone, I'm just the one thing I've ever wanted After many quick decisions this week,
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I can confidently say successful people might just be onto something With the self-imposed timeline,
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I didn't even have time to question anything It was just one thing after another
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But I'll also say it takes a hundred times more effort The truth is,
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decisions aren't permanent, but we'll take something from it and change course if we need to.
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And the best thing about deciding quickly is that you can figure all of that out faster too.
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Okay guys, we did it.
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I literally can't believe we did this transformation.
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Near the end, I barely documented,
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I was just trying to finish it.
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The stairs literally sent me into psychosis,
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but we got through it.
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Aria and my parents helped me out
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and I literally could not have done this in the time frame that I did without them.
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So shout out to them because I would have still been working on this right now.
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I was able to use majority of the furniture I already had or swap in some pieces.
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The only thing that changed was the couch.
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I know the green couch is iconic,
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but it honestly was not comfortable.
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Purely aesthetics.
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So now this feels more like a room you want to watch movies in.
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There's still a lot of things that I want to add like curate more artwork on the walls
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Maybe even some wallpaper who knows?
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I'm proud how it turned out and Yeah That was nuts
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Honestly for wanting to do this for the past two and a half years and getting it done
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Within less than two weeks.
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I'm kind of impressed.
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I don't know how to feel about that,
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but I am impressed nonetheless first task done
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So glad that's done, right?
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Right?
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Like I was saying, you deserve a break.
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Okay, we've worked hard, you worked hard,
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you did the thing, just take a break, right?
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What's this?
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Oh no. No, no. No. We're not.
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No. Absolutely not.
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Why practice speaking with this video?
This video offers a unique opportunity for English learners to practice their speaking skills in a relatable context. The speaker shares personal experiences about DIY projects, which many can connect with, making it easier to engage with the content. By shadowing the speaker's dialogue, you can enhance your fluency and confidence in conversational English. The informal and spontaneous style encourages you to focus on shadow speaking, allowing you to mimic natural speech patterns and improve your pronunciation.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
Analyzing the grammar and expressions used by the speaker can significantly aid in your learning process. Here are some key structures showcased in this video:
- “If I want to complete everything on my 20s bucket list…” - This structure focuses on conditional sentences, emphasizing future intentions and plans. It's a useful format for making hypotheticals or discussing goals.
- “I think it's time I tried this out for myself.” - This phrase uses a simple present tense for expressing thoughts and plans. It's a common way to articulate personal decisions in English.
- “I want to channel that energy.” - The verb channel suggests directing focus or feelings purposefully. This expression can help learners to talk about motivation and inspiration effectively.
- “Less overthinking, more doing.” - This concise phrase encapsulates a motivational mantra. It can be helpful for understanding the importance of action over excessive contemplation.
Common Pronunciation Traps
As you practice alongside this video, pay attention to some words and accents that might pose challenges:
- “DIY” - Often pronounced quickly, it's essential to enunciate clearly to ensure understanding.
- “Nervous” - The contrast between the 'n' and 'v' sounds can be tricky; practice shadowing this word until it feels natural.
- “Calculations” - The syllable count can make this word difficult to pronounce smoothly. Focus on the flow from one syllable to the next.
Using a shadowspeak approach in your practice, you can overcome these pronunciation challenges while enhancing your overall speaking ability. Whether utilizing a shadowing app or simply recording and listening to your own attempts, integrating these concepts will lead you towards fluency.
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.
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