Shadowing Practice: inspiring words from Oprah Winfrey - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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In this world, there are a lot of things that are beyond our control.
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In this world, there are a lot of things that are beyond our control.
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But what you do have control over is how you react to whatever happens in your life.
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What I now know is that we all become exactly what you believe.
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So if you believe that you can do all things because you have been endowed by a power from on high,
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given to you by the grace of God,
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You believe that, you walk into the world,
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understanding that whatever problems you may encounter,
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you still have God to lean on.
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As I grew, my perception and understanding of what God means grew with me.
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I expanded my view of what it means to be a citizen of the universe,
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to be a part of the energy field that is omnipotent,
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omniscient, all-knowing, and all-present in all things.
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And so my confidence comes from knowing that there is something greater than myself,
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that I am a part of and is also a part of me.
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I call that God, but I do nothing without that understanding understanding.
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How I think one masters one's life is to understand that you are co-creating that life with the ultimate creator.
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Not understanding that puts you at your own pitiful, meager little will.
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And everything is left up to you.
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And you can't do it.
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You cannot survive You cannot survive in this world by yourself just believing in yourself.
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You're not big enough to do it.
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I'm not big enough to do it.
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Nobody's big enough to do it.
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You have to understand that your very presence here as a human being on Earth came from something greater than you.
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And not just your parents who wanted to have a child.
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The fact that that egg was hit by that particular little sperm in that particular moment and you were created
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Wow How amazing is that?
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Of all the different choices That had to happen in order for you to be here now What a celebration that is
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So when you recognize the mystery of that creation,
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all the circumstances that had to configure and reconfigure themselves,
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all the questions that we don't have answers to,
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you have to know this.
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The fact that I'm here matters.
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The fact that you're there matters.
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This is no accident.
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None of us are.
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When you do well, people notice.
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When you do your best, people notice.
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And so wherever you are, always do your best.
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And doing your best puts you at the next level.
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Nothing about my life is lucky.
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Nothing.
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A lot of grace, a lot of blessings,
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a lot of divine order.
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But I don't believe in luck.
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For me, luck is preparation,
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meeting the moment of opportunity.
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There is no luck without you being prepared to handle that moment of opportunity.
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And so what I would say for myself is that
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because of my hand in a hand and a force greater than my own,
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I have been prepared in ways that I didn't even know I was being prepared for.
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And the truth is, for me and for every person,
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every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for the moment that is to come.
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A lot of people don't know their purpose.
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And if you don't know your purpose,
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your immediate goal is to figure that out.
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Because otherwise you're just wandering around here.
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So the moment you can figure out what it is you're supposed to be doing,
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the sooner you are able to get about the business of doing that.
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The universe speaks to us always.
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First, in whispers.
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And a whisper usually in your life feels like, hmm, that's odd.
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Or, hmm, that doesn't make any sense.
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Or, hmm, is that right?
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It just really feels like that.
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It's that kind of subtle.
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And if you don't pay attention to the whisper,
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it gets louder and louder and louder.
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And I say, it's like getting thumped upside the head.
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You don't pay attention to that.
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It's like getting a brick upside your head.
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You don't pay attention to that,
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the brick wall falls down.
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Life is about growth and change.
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When you are no longer doing that, that is your whisper.
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That is your whisper that I am supposed to do something else.
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I am interested in seeing what the rest of the world has to offer me.
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Anybody pretending to be anything other than who you really are,
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you will never ever reach your personal potential.
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You cannot do it.
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I have known for a very long time
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that I am a blessed person and
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that to whom much is given much is also required
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that you can't have all of this and not use it for something
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that is for the greater good your intention rules your life
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and determines the outcome every time it would happen I would say to my team well doesn't matter because Every season,
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somebody else was coming out.
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One talk show, two talk shows, three talk shows.
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There have been over 100 talk shows since we started.
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But every time, I would feel like,
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all right, got to step up our game,
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got to step up our game.
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The way you step up your game is not to worry about the other guy in any situation,
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because you can't control the other guy.
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You cannot control the other guy.
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You only have control over yourself.
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So it's like running a race.
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The energy that it takes to look back and see where the other guys are takes energy away from you,
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and if they're too close, it scares you.
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So that's what I would say to my team all the time.
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Don't waste your time in the race looking back to see where the other guy is
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or what the other guy is doing.
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It's not about the other guy.
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It's about what can you do.
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You just need to run that race as hard as you can.
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You need to give it everything you've got all the time for yourself. For yourself.
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What I know is, you got to take responsibility for the space you hold here.
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And understand that the third law of motion,
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which says for every action,
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there's an equal and opposite reaction, that is my religion.
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That is the fundamental construct of my religion.
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And by that, I mean,
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I know that every thought that I think,
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every thought that I have that moves into action is going to create an opposite and equal reaction.
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So everything that I put out into the world is going to come back.
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It's the golden rule on steroids.
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The golden rule on steroids.
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It's true.
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That as you do unto others,
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they will do unto you.
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It's already done.
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There's an energy feel.
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There's an energy flow that I strongly feel in my own life.
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And I know lots of other people who do.
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You're either in flow or out of it.
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And if you're in flow, it's like this.
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It's like this.
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All the time.
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It's like this.
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It's like flowing with the stream.
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And the flow is in direct proportion to the center of yourself,
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where God abides, where universal energy abides,
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where the divine within you abides.
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how far you are from the center,
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from the divineness of yourself,
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from your connection to source energy,
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that which created you, is how out of sync you are with your life,
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regardless of what you call it.
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When you can align with that, nobody can touch you.
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Gary Zukav calls that authentic power.
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In his book, Seat of the Soul,
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he says, When your personality comes to serve the energy of your soul,
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that is authentic power.
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And that's the only real power that is,
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because you're going to lose everything else.
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I don't care how beautiful you are,
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one day your breasts are going to sag
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and your eyes are going to bag and you're not going to be as beautiful.
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And it doesn't matter how much Botox and how many times you get yourself pulled up
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and how many hairdos and how many makeovers or what you do,
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you know, that doesn't last.
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It's just like the most beautiful flowering tree.
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Everything passes, and it's time.
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It doesn't matter how much money you have,
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how much power you have,
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how high you sit on the Forbes list,
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how many times you make the most influential list.
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All of that changes.
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All of that changes.
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But what is real, what is lasting,
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is who you are and what you were meant to bring.
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What is the gift you were meant to give?
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And nobody can take that away from you.
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Why practice speaking with this video?
Practicing speaking through Oprah Winfrey's inspiring words is an enriching experience for English learners. This video emphasizes the importance of mindset, self-belief, and recognizing the greater forces in our lives. By engaging in shadow speech while she speaks, learners can gain insights not only into the content but also into effective speech patterns and emotional expressions. This method enhances fluency, boosts confidence, and helps learners articulate their thoughts more clearly.
Additionally, utilizing the shadowing technique allows learners to mimic the rhythm, intonation, and pacing of a natural speaker, which is essential for mastering conversational English. By doing so, students can improve their pronunciation and reinforce their comprehension of complex ideas.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
The video features several key grammatical structures and expressions that are beneficial for English learners:
- Conditional Statements: Phrases such as "If you believe that you can do all things" exemplify how conditional structures can express possibilities and outcomes, tailoring thoughts to prospective actions.
- Passive Voice: The speaker states, "you have been endowed by a power," which showcases how passive constructions can shift focus from the doer to the action itself, a crucial aspect of English grammar.
- Present Perfect Tense: Expressions like "I have been" signify experiences that connect the past with the present, a fundamental component learners can practice through shadowspeak.
- Metaphorical Language: The use of terms like "a hand in a hand" enhances vocabulary, adding depth to speech and encouraging learners to think beyond literal interpretations.
Common Pronunciation Traps
As learners engage with the video, they may encounter some pronunciation challenges:
- Words like "believe" and "together": The vowel sounds may be tricky for some learners; practice making the 'ee' sound in "believe" clear and distinct.
- Intonation in questions: Notice the rise and fall of Winfrey's tone, especially in reflective questions. This can impact how learners express curiosity and engagement.
- Pausing for effect: Oprah often pauses to emphasize her points, which can help convey emotion. Practicing this in one's own speech can make communication more impactful.
Through this exercise, learners can deepen their understanding of the English language, not just in vocabulary or grammar, but in the nuanced ways we communicate our thoughts and feelings. By practicing with this video, they are not just learning to speak but are also enhancing their ability to resonate with others in meaningful ways.
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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