Shadowing Practice: Joe Rogan Rants about Happiness - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Now these people that live this life, Do they have something they're working towards?
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Do they have an idea that they're working towards?
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I mean when you when you press them on it and ask them like why are you here?
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Do you ever plan on leaving?
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Do you ever see yourself going somewhere else?
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That's a really good question.
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I asked them all those questions.
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So, no, they felt like that was their calling.
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They're calling.
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They were doing what they were supposed to be doing.
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Hmm. And...
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that they were committed to that lifestyle.
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So no, they weren't, uh, There was no thought of going back.
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There have been monks that have left the monastery.
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Just wasn't the right lifestyle for them.
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Mm -hmm But the monks that were there when I was there, 50 years, they were committed and they're not going anywhere.
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When you say that's what's confusing to me like I understand that they're enjoying and I understand that they're
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they like that life, but that it's a calling.
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Like the calling to do nothing. Or just think.
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Sacrifice.
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Mm -hmm serve God.
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Live a life of purity.
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This is not...
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I couldn't do it, but I think that's kind of the mindset around it. And, um...
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step away from the regular life that they were living.
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What's interesting is that they weren't born into the monastery.
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Right.
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A lot of these guys made this decision in their 20s, 30s.
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You know, so...
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What were their jobs before they did it?
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All over the board.
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all over the board, literally.
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Uh...
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One guy, I mean one of the monks was a lifeguard as a teenager.
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Wow.
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I mean just all over the board.
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So, but regular jobs, just always felt connected to God and connected to this higher...
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living a life just, you know, under these terms.
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Well, what's fascinating to me is that you're saying that they're so happy, because if you get a...I mean, how many people are in this monastery?
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uh.. eight and they're all male Yes.
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Eight men.
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If you get eight random men in their, you know, what's the youngest age?
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35. 35 up to 70 is.
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You get eight random 35 to 70s and ask how many of them are happy.
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actually truly happy.
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Maybe two.
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Right?
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How many people do you think are happy?
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Well, they just did a study.
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There's a famous Harris study on happiness in this country.
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I think 67 % of people are unhappy.
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That is fucked.
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Here's what here.
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I did this, Joe.
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You'll, this is a good test.
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Maybe you'll, you'll want to do this.
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I did this when I was speaking at an event for 500 wall street people.
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recently and it was fascinating.
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I'll take you through it.
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You can tell me if you're comfortable with it.
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But if you take all the areas of your life and put them in a blender, Okay, so take where you live,
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your relationships, your finances, your health, everything, everything.
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Put it in one fucking big blender and blend it up.
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And on a scale of one to 10, with a 10 being the Dalai Lama of happiness and a one.. being a guy that's at rock zero,
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being someone that's at rock bottom, What's your happiness number?
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Me?
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Yeah, I'm pretty fucking happy.
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I don't know.
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I wouldn't do it that way.
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I definitely wouldn't give it a number.
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Okay.
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Because I feel like that you're making something You're turning like a constant state of thinking and expression and consideration,
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you're turning it into a number.
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I just I don't like that idea.
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I don't like that idea
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because I think it's a management issue I think a lot of what happiness is a management issue
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and decisions that you're making right now Like you could be in a shit state of mind right now, but you could make some decisions to adjust that
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and over the next couple hours You'll get to a much better place
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and these constant management decisions They waver in
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and out of your life on a daily basis like this idea
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that you could have a good mindset then also you'll be happy that's what horseshit.
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Like, It's that's like it's like the tide it comes in
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and it comes out there's gonna be days where you're just not feeling
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so good physically
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and that's going to affect the way your happiness level is
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it's never static it's never the exactly the same true but
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if you look at it overall at 30 ,000 feet
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and you had to give yourself a grade we happy as fuck is what I would say okay I'm pretty happy Okay, so I'll take that.
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I'll take that.
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Most people in that room, raise their, I said if anyone is seven and, you know, for anyone listening that wants to do it, raise your hand if you're, you know,
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Seven or below I don't want to put anyone on the spot
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and majority the room stood up right being a seven
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and thinking you know Like sevens a pretty happy number but a seven
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If my son comes home with a 70 on a test, It's a C minus.
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- Right.
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- And all I'm saying is, what's interesting about the test though, if you do actually go through the process, for those that like go through and get a number in their head or whatever,
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or do want to give their self a grade, your brain automatically goes to a 10.
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and then subtracts the two or three things pop in that make you, that bring your happiness down.
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It's a great way to identify
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What's making you unhappy and
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that you know what I mean right like you started at 10 you're like oh fuck my relationship
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or this or
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that Usually it triggers an automatic like this is what's fucked up in my life response right
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and you can it helps you identify But it's interesting we have benchmarks and in so many things in our life.
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You have an IQ test.
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You have tax brackets to measure your...
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your wealth or financial statements.
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You have IQ tests, like I said, you can get on a scale to measure your weight.
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But you're right, happiness is one of those things.
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It's like, how do you benchmark it You know what I mean?
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It kind of fluctuates and...
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It's like hunger.
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I mean, it's something that goes in and out.
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It's always there.
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But happy as fuck is a good answer.
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Yeah, but this is something I've cultivated for a long time and avoided things that make me unhappy.
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And figured out what those things are and been very rigid about eliminating them from my life.
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And one of the big ones is eliminating interactions with people that are negative.
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That is gigantic. And be...
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Because I've realized
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that I'm not really as independent as I used to like
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to think I was I used to like to think
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that my thought process was independent and
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that I don't give a fuck what anybody thinks that's nonsense people say
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that because they absolutely care what people think and it bothers them
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so they say I don't give a fuck but
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that I don't give a fuck stuff is almost entirely nonsense you do care
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and you care in both ways you care
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if people critical of you care if people are positive you
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but you also care if people are living positive lives and they're motivating you.
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That's a big one.
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People are fuel.
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other people it's one of the reasons why I like talking
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to people one of the reasons why I like to do podcasts
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because I get a lot out of you know like just talking to you about your time in the monastery
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or your your push to get to that hundred miles like you get
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energy out of people like that and you think about this energy
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and you think about this inspiration when you're doing other things and
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It also sets in your mind that when you meet these exceptional people that move you like what are the characters?
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What are the qualities that they have?
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What are the characteristics that they that they possess and those things become?
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Significant and important to you whereas if you live around a bunch of people
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that are complaining and bitching about everything and they see the negative in everything and they're always training.
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Those people are the opposite of that.
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They're the opposite of inspiration and they're just mud.
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You're just like, "Whaaaah !" It's like you're up to your ankles in mud, you try to trudge through life.
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It's difficult.
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You're not light.
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It's not pushing you.
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There's not a wind at your back.
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The wind's in your face and it's rough.
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You know, and...
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Over time I've learned
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that these people you just you're not gonna fix them I used to want to fix them
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when I was young I used to want to go hey
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man I see what you're doing like dude don't do
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that anymore listen just try just just do this and
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and stop doing that and start doing this and
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if you just work towards this you could be successful and then I a week later the guy's doing the same shit.
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You're like, "Okay, I'm wasting a significant amount of my energy on someone who
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doesn't want to waste any of their energy on themselves." And so, managing the community and the tribe that you're in,
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making sure that you're a good member of that tribe, that you're doing your part, you know, and
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There's a lot of cynicism in these days about inspiration and about motivation because there's a lot of fake shit.
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You know, you can go on Instagram and you see a million of these
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inspirational quote pages and they're run by people that are probably depressed.
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You know, you see a lot of people that are, you know, talking about how to get ahead in life, but they're not really doing anything themselves.
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So there's a lot of cynicism involved in that, but there's also sincerity in it, and you can get, if you just look at it with a pure heart and a pure mind,
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you can get a lot of energy out of that.
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And, when you're around happy, inspirational people that are successful, it makes you feel better.
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And you get inspired.
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And if you act on that inspiration, your life will be more fulfilled.
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And it's not just inspirational in terms of financial success, but in terms of doing difficult things, whether it's running 100 miles, it doesn't pay you a goddamn thing,
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other than the wealth of the knowledge that you can push yourself to such an extreme, or anything else, whether it's someone who becomes really good at playing chess
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or someone who's really good at martial arts or whatever it is.
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There's a great feeling in these, overcoming these difficult things.
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Because life is never this just constant state of, "I'm at a nine all day and when I'm with my wife I hit ten.
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Yay!
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And I stay like that." That's not real.
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What's real is like
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You saying that you went to this monastery
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and felt all this angst about meditating and being alone and not having your phone and not having the input, but then when it comes out of it,
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then you have this reward.
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yourself a day that's where it all comes from it all comes from life lessons
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and the lessons are learned through struggle and I think
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that there's a lot of people out there that think somehow
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or another you're gonna get to some place where you're living in silk sheets
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and you're getting your toes done
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while someone's dropping grapes into your mouth I don't want
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that I've never wanted that
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that guy's not gonna be happy he's gonna be bored hour
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into the grapes you can get those fucking grapes away from
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me stop painting my toes what am I doing this bed I gotta do something I'm not stimulating The human organism, the animal that we are,
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needs constant stimulation because it evolved trying to find food and escape enemies.
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And find shelter, escape nature, escape the elements, try to survive.
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And this is the great joy that you have in taking care of your children.
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That you can protect your children from the elements and the enemies and feed them.
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And it's also the great sadness that you see in losers.
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basement and he fucking hates the world.
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I'm like that was a baby.
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Man, this is a baby that somebody just gave shitty nutrients to,
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whether it's nutrients in the forms of food or in the form of thoughts and ideas and examples.
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And this kid developed these horrible, self -defeating patterns of behavior that have led them to this point.
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Where they're this middle -aged person with no future
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and no idea of how to get out of this rut and probably never will escape it.
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And might just wind up sucking on a gun.
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You know, I mean this is this is the world
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that we live in today and I think part of
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that world is because we have been fed this line of horseshit
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that you're supposed to seek comfort and I don't think you are.
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I think you're supposed to seek lessons and you're supposed to seek difficult tasks
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and and and and accomplishments and through those things
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and through doing things that are hard to do even if it's just a fucking 90 minute hot yoga class.
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I do a 90 minute yoga class man.
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Those last 20 minutes.
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I do not want to be there man.
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give a hundred percent
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and I can cheat I can I could kind of half -ass it I can
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but I can but if I don't
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I get through it when that time is up
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and the lady says namaste
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and everybody gets up my fuck man I made it you
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know I lost 15 pounds my fucking yoga mat is drenched
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to the point where I could literally ring it out fill a jug up with water but I Through that struggle, I will now have a better day,
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and I better fucking do it again tomorrow.
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Or do something else.
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Because if I just think, well, tomorrow I'm just gonna coast and eat Twinkies and watch TV.
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Oh, hello, sadness, my old friend.
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Hello, depression.
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Because when you're not doing anything, you feel like shit.
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And that's just a part of being a human being.
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And we can pretend that we're something other than what we really are.
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And we can pretend, nah, me, man, I'm just cool, just chilling, doing nothing.
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Bullshit.
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You're a fucking human.
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You're a human being.
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You evolve from the...
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fucking hundreds of thousands of years of hunters and gatherers and people that were struggling.
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Those were human reward systems are carved deeply into your DNA and if you don't respect that, if you don't respect the mechanism of happiness and fulfillment
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and what you really need to do in order to feel satisfied in life, Camaraderie, love, family, friendship, struggle,
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testing yourself, learning, all those things are imperative.
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They're all a giant part of being a person.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Joe Rogan Rants about Happiness”. This video has 241 sentences and 2564 words to shadow. The speech runs for 14:00. The speaker talks fast, about 183 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 86% 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
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| monastery noun | /ˈmɑnəˌstɛɹi/ | A residence for monks or others who have taken religious vows. |
| grape noun | /ɡɹeɪp/ | A small, round, smooth-skinned edible fruit, usually purple, red, or green, that grows in bunches on female vines of most species of genus Vitis and the… |
| inspirational adjective | /ˌɪnspəˈɹeɪʃənəl/ | Having the ability to inspire. |
| monk noun | /mʌŋk/ | A male member of a monastic order who has devoted his life for religious service. |
| unhappy adjective | /ʌnˈhæpi/ | Not happy; sad. |
| yoga noun | /ˈjoʊ.ɡə/ | Any of several Hindu or Buddhist disciplines aimed at training the consciousness for a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquillity; especially a system… |
| blender noun | /ˈblɛn.dɚ/ | A machine with sharp rotating blades in a bowl, for mashing, crushing, or liquefying food ingredients. |
| cynicism noun | /ˈsɪn.ɪˌsɪzəm/ | A distrustful attitude. |
| fascinate verb | /ˈfæsɪneɪt/ | To evoke an intense interest or attraction in someone. |
| nutrient noun | /ˈnuː.tɹi.ənt/ | A source of nourishment, such as food, that can be metabolized by an organism to give energy and build tissue. |
| benchmark noun | /ˈbɛn(t)ʃmɑːk/ | A standard by which something is evaluated or measured. |
| evolve verb | /ɪˈvɑlv/ | To move (something) in regular procession through a system. |
| mindset noun | /ˈmaɪn(d)ˌsɛt/ | A way of thinking; an attitude or opinion, especially a habitual one. |
| sadness noun | /ˈsædnəs/ | The state or emotion of being sad. |
| toe noun | /təʊ/ | Each of the five digits on the end of the human foot. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. | |
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. | |
| get out of verb | To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of. | |
| get through verb | /ɡɛt ˈθɹu/ | To overcome; to endure. |
| get up verb | To move in an upward direction; to ascend or climb. | |
| go back verb | To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time. | |
| stand up verb | To rise from a lying or sitting position. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Do they have an idea that they're working towards?
- Do you ever plan on leaving?
- Do you ever see yourself going somewhere else?
- How many people do you think are happy?
- You'll, this is a good test.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to like · used to want |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have been · I've cultivated · I've realized |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | weren't born · is fucked · are probably depressed |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 98 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, they're, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: inspirational /ˌɪnspəˈɹeɪʃənəl/, benchmark /ˈbɛn(t)ʃmɑːk/, accomplishment /əˈkɑm.plɪʃ.mənt/, stimulation /stɪm.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən/, exceptional /ɪkˈsɛpʃənəl/
- Long words — get the stress right: monastery /ˈmɑnəˌstɛɹi/, inspirational /ˌɪnspəˈɹeɪʃənəl/, cynicism /ˈsɪn.ɪˌsɪzəm/, eliminate /ɪˈlɪm.ɪ.neɪt/, sincerity /sɪnˈsɛɹəti/
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 monastery, grape, inspirational.
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.