Shadowing Practice: Keep Your Promises To Yourself — This Will Change Your Life | Jim Rohn Motivation - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
256 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
There is someone you talk to every single day, you, and every day you make promises to yourself.
2
I'll start tomorrow.
3
I'll wake up early.
4
I'll exercise.
5
I'll stop wasting so much time.
6
I'll finish this project.
7
I'll save more money.
8
I'll study.
9
I'll finally take this seriously.
10
and sometimes you keep those promises but sometimes you don't.
11
You tell yourself you'll do something and then you don't.
12
You tell yourself you'll change and then you repeat the same behavior.
13
You promise yourself that tomorrow will be different and tomorrow looks exactly like yesterday.
14
At first, it doesn't seem like a big deal.
15
One missed workout, one wasted evening, one unfinished task, one broken promise, but something is happening underneath the surface.
16
You're teaching yourself whether your own word can be trusted, and that matters because you can have goals,
17
you can have dreams, you can have ambition, you can have talent,
18
but if you don't trust yourself to follow through everything becomes harder think about trust in a relationship
19
if someone repeatedly promises something
20
and repeatedly fails to do it eventually their words lose meaning
21
you stop believing them the same thing can happen internally you tell yourself I'll do it tomorrow
22
but a part of you has heard that promise before and it knows what usually happens.
23
So when you make the next promise, you don't fully believe it.
24
That's why the solution isn't always a bigger goal.
25
Sometimes the solution is keeping a smaller promise.
26
You need evidence, evidence that when you say you're going to do something, you do it.
27
Not perfectly, not every time, but consistently enough that your brain begins to believe you again.
28
this is where self -respect begins
29
self -respect isn't simply telling yourself that you're valuable it is also treating your own commitments as meaningful
30
when you say I will do this you follow through
31
when you say I won't do that you respect the boundary
32
when you decide this matters to me you give it your time that's how you build trust with yourself
33
and the beautiful thing is
34
that you don't have to start with something enormous in fact don't start with something small make one promise
35
that you can realistically keep maybe you promise yourself
36
i'll walk for 20 minutes today then walk maybe
37
i'll read 10 pages tonight then read maybe i'll spend 30 minutes working on my most important project then do it.
38
Maybe I'll put my phone away for one hour then put it away.
39
The size of the promise isn't the most important thing.
40
The follow -through is because every time you keep that promise you're sending yourself a message, I can rely on me.
41
That's powerful.
42
Imagine waking up every morning knowing
43
that your own word means something you don't have to negotiate with yourself constantly
44
you don't have to make a dramatic speech you don't need to wait for inspiration you decide then you follow through
45
that creates a different kind of confidence not confidence based on
46
compliments not confidence based on appearance not confidence based on other people's approval confidence based on evidence
47
I've done difficult things before.
48
I've kept commitments before.
49
I've followed through before.
50
I can trust myself.
51
That kind of confidence is difficult to take away because it comes from experience.
52
Now let's talk about why people break promises to themselves.
53
Sometimes the promise was unrealistic.
54
You decide, I'm going to wake up at 4 .30 every morning.
55
You've been waking up at 8.
56
You try it for two days, then you're exhausted.
57
You miss the alarm, and suddenly you think, I have no discipline.
58
Maybe.
59
Or maybe the plan was poorly designed.
60
Discipline doesn't mean making impossible promises.
61
Discipline means creating commitments challenge you while remaining sustainable.
62
Don't build a lifestyle you can survive for three days.
63
Build one you can maintain.
64
If you're currently exercising zero days a week, don't promise yourself two hours every morning.
65
Start with something realistic.
66
If you're currently reading nothing, don't promise yourself five books this week.
67
Start with 10 pages a day.
68
If you spend five hours on your phone every evening, don't assume you'll suddenly spend zero.
69
Start by creating one protected hour.
70
Build from there.
71
Small promises create momentum.
72
Momentum creates consistency.
73
Consistency creates identity.
74
Identity creates a new way of living.
75
But there's another reason people break promises.
76
They make decisions based on emotion.
77
At night, you're inspired.
78
You watch a motivational video.
79
You feel powerful.
80
You make 10 promises.
81
Tomorrow, everything changes.
82
Then morning arrives.
83
you're tired it's cold your bed is comfortable your motivation is gone and suddenly those promises don't feel important anymore
84
that's why you shouldn't make your commitments dependent on how you feel your emotions can change your decision can remain
85
you don't have to feel motivated to honor a commitment you made thoughtfully
86
This is where discipline enters.
87
Discipline says, I know I won't always feel like doing this, and that's okay.
88
Because the commitment wasn't made for the version of you who feels excited.
89
It was made for the version of you who needs direction.
90
You have to learn to separate, I don't feel like it, from I shouldn't do it.
91
those are not the same sentence.
92
You cannot feel like exercising and still exercise.
93
You cannot feel like studying and still study.
94
You cannot feel like working and still work.
95
You cannot feel like having the difficult conversation and still have it.
96
Feelings are information.
97
They are not always instructions.
98
That's an important distinction.
99
Your feelings deserve attention, but they don't have to control every decision
100
Now think about what happens when you repeatedly keep your word
101
Something changes, you start becoming more decisive
102
You stop constantly negotiating
103
You stop saying maybe
104
Probably Tomorrow Later, you begin saying,
105
this is what I'm doing, and then you do it.
106
That clarity reduces mental noise because every decision doesn't need to become a debate.
107
If you've already decided that exercise matters, you don't need to spend 30 minutes deciding whether to exercise today.
108
If you've already decided that your project matters, you don't need to ask yourself every morning whether you should work on it.
109
You've decided.
110
Now, execute.
111
This is one of the hidden benefits of habits.
112
Habits reduce the number of decisions you have to make.
113
The less you have to negotiate with yourself, the more energy you can put into meaningful work.
114
But keeping your promises doesn't mean never failing.
115
You're going to miss something.
116
You're going to have bad days.
117
You're going to make mistakes.
118
You're going to fall back into old habits sometimes.
119
That's part of being human.
120
The danger isn't missing once.
121
The danger is using one mistake as permission to quit.
122
You miss Monday.
123
Then you think, I'll start next Monday.
124
Now one missed day becomes seven.
125
Don't do that.
126
Return quickly.
127
If you miss one workout, train the next time.
128
If you waste one evening, use the next evening well.
129
If you break one commitment, make the next commitment smaller and keep it.
130
Don't turn a mistake into an identity.
131
You are not undisciplined because you failed once.
132
You're practicing and practice includes mistakes.
133
The goal is not perfection.
134
The goal is reliability.
135
Can you return?
136
Can you correct?
137
Can you keep going?
138
That's what matters.
139
Now imagine two people.
140
The first person makes enormous promises.
141
Every Monday, they announce a new life, new diet, new routine, new schedule, new goals.
142
But they rarely follow through.
143
The second person makes small promises.
144
They walk every day.
145
They read 10 pages.
146
They work on one important project.
147
They save a small amount.
148
They gradually improve.
149
After a year, which person has stronger evidence that they can trust themselves?
150
Not necessarily the person who made the biggest promises, the person who kept the promises.
151
That's the lesson.
152
Stop trying to impress yourself.
153
Start trying to become reliable.
154
You don't need a dramatic transformation.
155
You need a trustworthy pattern.
156
Wake up when you said you would.
157
Do the work when you said you would.
158
Rest when you plan to rest.
159
Take care of your health.
160
Protect your attention.
161
Keep your commitments.
162
Over time, these things become your identity and identity is powerful.
163
When you see yourself as someone who keeps their word, certain behaviors become easier.
164
You don't ask, should I do this?
165
You think this is what I do.
166
That's a completely different mindset.
167
A person who sees themselves as discipline doesn't need constant motivation to act.
168
They have standards and standards guide behavior.
169
So what standards are you living by?
170
What promises have you been making repeatedly but not keeping? Be honest.
171
Maybe you promised yourself you would stop wasting your mornings.
172
Maybe you promised yourself you'd take better care of your body.
173
Maybe you promised yourself you'd finally start your project.
174
Maybe you promised yourself you'd stop chasing approval.
175
Maybe you promised yourself you'd spend more time with the people you love.
176
Whatever it is, don't make another huge promise.
177
Choose one.
178
Make it specific.
179
Make it realistic.
180
Then keep it.
181
Today.
182
Not some day, today, because self -trust isn't built in the future, it's built in the present.
183
Every time you act according to your decision, you strengthen it.
184
Every time you ignore your own commitment, you weaken it.
185
So pay attention to the small moments.
186
When the alarm rings, that's a moment.
187
When you want to scroll instead of work, that's a moment.
188
When you want to quit, that's a moment.
189
When you said you'd exercise, that's a moment.
190
Your life is built in these moments, not in the dramatic moments you imagine,
191
in ordinary decisions, over and over again.
192
this is why discipline is
193
so important discipline is not punishment it is alignment your actions begin matching your values you say health matters
194
and your behavior reflects it you say your future matters and your behavior reflects it
195
you say your family matters and your behavior reflects it you say growth matters and your behavior reflects it That alignment creates peace.
196
Because one of the most exhausting ways to live is to constantly know you're not doing what you said you would do.
197
Your mind says one thing, your actions say another.
198
And that conflict drains you.
199
But when your words and actions begin matching, something becomes lighter.
200
You know what you're doing, you know why you're doing it.
201
You trust yourself to follow through. That is freedom.
202
You don't need everyone else to believe in you.
203
You need to believe that you can rely on yourself and you earn that belief.
204
Not through affirmations alone.
205
Through action. So here's your challenge.
206
Choose one promise.
207
Only one.
208
Something important.
209
something measurable, something you can keep.
210
Write it down.
211
Put it somewhere you can see it.
212
Then keep it for seven days, not 30, not one year, seven days.
213
Seven opportunities to prove to yourself that your word matters.
214
Maybe it's I will walk for 20 minutes every day.
215
I will read 10 pages every night.
216
I will spend 30 minutes on my most important goal.
217
I will wake up at the same time, I will keep my phone away during my first hour.
218
Choose one, then do it.
219
If you miss a day, don't quit.
220
Return.
221
The goal isn't to create a perfect streak.
222
The goal is to become someone who returns to the commitment.
223
At the end of seven days, don't celebrate how impressive the habit looks.
224
Celebrate the evidence.
225
You told yourself you would do something and you did it.
226
That's where the transformation begins.
227
Then choose another promise.
228
Keep it, then another and another.
229
Eventually, you won't need to tell yourself, I need to become disciplined.
230
You'll simply notice I am becoming someone who follows through.
231
That's the person you want to build, not someone who talks about changing, someone who changes, not someone who makes promises,
232
someone who keeps them, not someone who waits for motivation, someone who acts because they decide it.
233
So before you leave this video, remember, your relationship with yourself matters.
234
Your own word matters.
235
Your commitments matter.
236
Don't keep making promises you have no intention of keeping.
237
Don't create enormous goals just to feel inspired for one night.
238
Make one meaningful decision.
239
Keep it, then repeat.
240
Because every promise you keep is a vote for the person you're becoming.
241
Every time you follow through, you strengthen self -respect.
242
Every time you return after failure, you strengthen resilience.
243
Every time you choose your long -term goal over temporary comfort, you strengthen discipline.
244
And eventually, you become someone you can trust.
245
That is a powerful way to live.
246
Wake up knowing you can count on yourself.
247
Go to sleep knowing you did what mattered.
248
Not perfectly, not every day, but enough.
249
Enough to know you're moving.
250
Enough to know you're growing.
251
Enough to know your word means something. So start today.
252
Make one promise.
253
Keep it.
254
Tomorrow, make another choice.
255
Keep going because your life changes when your actions begin matching the person you say you want to become.
256
Keep your word, keep your promises, keep building, build yourself, build your life.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
B21
388 sentences
Prove Yourself To Yourself | Jim Rohn Motivational Speech
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
367 sentences
12 Micro Habits That Will Improve Your Life in the Next 6 Months
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B2305 sentences
You Have To Change Your Life Before Life Changes | Jim Rohn Motivation
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B2145
12 sentences
Your Routine Isn’t the Problem. Your Identity Is.
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
735 sentences
How to Be Consistent Every Day | Jim Rohn Motivation
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B2467 sentences
6 Techniques to Master Self Discipline | Jim Rohn Motivation
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B11
9 sentences
The Growing Self #motivation #boostyourconfidence #affirmations #selfimprovement #growing
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B27
102 sentences
كيف تثقين بنفسك - فيديو ليوتيوبر “The wizard Liz” مترجم للعربية - نصائح هامة
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B262
11 sentences
Mel Robbins Reminder You NEED To Hear Everyday | Motivational Video
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
790 sentences
How to Improve Yourself 1% Every Day in 2026 | Denzel Washington
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
288 sentences
KEEP YOUR PROMISE TO YOURSELF - Best Motivational Speeches Compilation
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
365 sentences
BECOME INSANELY DISCIPLINED IN 40 DAYS | BE UNRECOGNIZABLE
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Keep Your Promises To Yourself — This Will Change Your Life”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: promise, commitment, goal, word, discipline. This video has 256 sentences and 2185 words to shadow. The speech runs for 17:41. The speaker talks at a steady 124 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 88% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| commitment noun | /kəˈmɪtmənt/ | The act of sending a legislative bill to committee for review. |
| discipline noun | /ˈdɪsəplɪn/ | A controlled behaviour; self-control. |
| reflect verb | /ɹɪˈflɛkt/ | To bend back (light, etc.) from a surface. |
| habit noun | /ˈhæb.ɪt/ | An action performed on a regular basis. |
| repeatedly adverb | /ɹɪˈpiːtɪdli/ | Done several times or in repetition. |
| strengthen verb | /ˈstɹɛŋ(k)θən/ | To make strong or stronger; to add strength to; to increase the strength of; to fortify. |
| dramatic adjective | /dɹəˈmætɪk/ | Of or relating to the drama. |
| enormous adjective | /ɪˈnɔː.məs/ | Extremely large; greatly exceeding the common size, extent, etc. |
| motivation noun | /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/ | Willingness of action especially in behavior. |
| meaningful adjective | /ˈmiː.nɪŋ.fl̩/ | Having meaning, significant. |
| negotiate verb | /nəˈɡəʊ.ʃi.eɪt/ | To confer with others in order to come to terms or reach an agreement. |
| rely verb | /ɹɪˈlaɪ/ | To trust; to have confidence in; to depend. |
| alarm noun | /əˈlɑɹm/ | A summons to arms, as on the approach of an enemy. |
| transformation noun | /ˌtɹæns.fɔɹˈmeɪ.ʃən/ | The act of transforming or the state of being transformed. |
| emotion noun | /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/ | A person's internal state of being and involuntary physiological response to an object or a situation, based on or tied to physical state and sensory data. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| follow through verb | To execute or complete a commitment. | |
| wake up verb | /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ | To stop sleeping; to awake. |
| fall back into verb | To return to old habits; to return to an unhealthy or unhappy situation. | |
| take away verb | /ˌteɪk əˈweɪ/ | To remove something and put it in a different place. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I'll stop wasting so much time.
- I'll finally take this seriously.
- I've done difficult things before.
- You try it for two days, then you're exhausted.
- You don't ask, should I do this?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has heard · I've done · I've kept |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | can be trusted · was poorly designed · wasn't made |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | person who made · someone who keeps · person who sees |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 98 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you're, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: strengthen /ˈstɹɛŋ(k)θən/, underneath /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/, trustworthy /ˈtɹʌst.wɜː.ði/, thoughtfully /ˈθɔtfəli/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, negotiate /nəˈɡəʊ.ʃi.eɪt/, transformation /ˌtɹæns.fɔɹˈmeɪ.ʃən/, emotion /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/, inspiration /ˌɪn.spɪˈɹeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: repeatedly /ɹɪˈpiːtɪdli/, motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, negotiate /nəˈɡəʊ.ʃi.eɪt/, transformation /ˌtɹæns.fɔɹˈmeɪ.ʃən/, momentum /ˌmə(ʊ)ˈmɛntəm/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like commitment, discipline, reflect.
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.