Shadowing Practice: Priyanka Chopra's Life Advice Will Leave You Speechless | One of The Most Eye Opening Videos Ever - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Bold people make history.
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Bold people make history.
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So if you want to be the lead actor of your movie, which is your life, you've got to take choices that might be contrary to what you've heard.
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When I was younger, it was very romanticized that you're going for it and just keep going.
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And, you know, it's like you have to work 24 hours, do four movies in one time, you know, five shifts, don't sleep, don't eat, and the more a person does that the more successful you will be.
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But as I have seen and lived more life, I've realized having a work-life balance is really important.
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But to have a sense of passion when you wake up in the morning for whatever, whether it's your job, whether it's your life, whether it's your hobby, to have a sense of passion gives you a sense of purpose.
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Having a sense of purpose really leads to success I think.
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You know I was learning the craft i've never been to school acting school or anything so you know my my observations were just you know what is everyone else doing around me how can i learn and i think that's something i still have i'm a student of life i don't expect that i know everything so when i ask for something it doesn't come from a place of i expect this done it comes from a place of here's why it needs to be done you know i come with reason um because i don't like being told no to.
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So I make the situation such that it's hard to say no, where I'll be like, this is why it's necessary.
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Here's why we should make the change.
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I'm not someone who likes conflict.
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I love collaboration.
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I learned and I tell young girls, specifically girls, but mostly for young people, confidence is, it's self-taught.
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It's not something you're born with.
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It's not something that you'll always have.
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There'll be days where you're completely underconfident and don't feel the best.
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My job, I don't have the luxury or yours, to be able to go to set and be like, I'm having an underconfident day.
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We still have to do this.
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We still have to perform.
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And I would like to tell my younger 19, 20 year old self that, you know, life is all hills and valleys.
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It's never going to be a smooth road.
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You will have up, you will have down, but when it's down, you will go up.
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So when you're up, be prepared for a down and it's okay.
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Surround yourself by people that prop you up.
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Surround yourself by people who are genuinely happy for you.
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Not all the followers, not like the people who you know you think are your friends that you may party with but the ones that pick up your phone call at two o'clock in the morning.
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The one when someone is sick in your family that will sit with you for hours overnight.
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You know those are the ones you collect.
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Those are the ones you remember and those are the ones you you keep for the rest of your life, that's the biggest riches in the world.
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Whenever life has been tough, and it's been tough many times, it's been almost down and out, and you don't want to get out of bed, and you don't want to see anyone.
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I grew up in the public eye, so I kind of realized that my best person was me.
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I had to rely on my skill set.
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Whenever I was nervous or I was scared, I started focusing on whatever was the goal in that moment.
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I never thought the canvas could be as big as this.
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this.
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This was not ever a aim or ever even a thought.
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I came from a family of doctors, physicians, military.
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Most of my family has been in the service.
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My father and my mother both were in the military.
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So it wasn't a realistic ambition at that time.
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I come from a small town in India.
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My parents, both highly progressive, always pushed me towards whatever dream I wanted to have.
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I kept looking at the next rung of the ladder and then slowly I looked back and I was like 60 feet above.
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It is up to us and our generation to be able to cut those ties and change it for the next generation so that they don't inherit the equity on light skin they don't inherit the gender equality that we probably thought was normal.
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I thought it was completely normal and absolutely okay to sit for hours and hours on set while my male co-actor just took his own time.
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Decided whenever he wanted to show up on set is when we would shoot.
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It was normal, you know, when fairness commercials came by and it was a really big shiny brand.
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It was normal for actors to male and women to say, oh wow, I have glowy white skin now.
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There was nothing wrong around it.
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When I was 21, 22, I did think that I was dark-skinned.
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I did think that I was not pretty enough.
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I did think that I I would have to work a lot harder, even though I thought I was probably a little bit more talented than my co-actors or who were lighter skinned.
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I thought that was right.
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I thought that because it was so normalized.
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So when I was younger, I didn't have the mental equipment to be able to deal with how that made me feel.
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I felt smaller, I felt invisible.
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I felt like I didn't deserve to be treated the same way as everyone else because I thought that that's what my reality was.
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When you fail, whether it's in class or whether it's, you know, in your whatever, like any dent hurts when you work really hard and you fail.
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It hurts and especially in my job, right?
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Like my job is so inconsistent.
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Think about it.
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I don't know where my next check is coming from till I sign my next door.
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It's so unpredictable that it's not like a 9 to 5.
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It's not like I get a salary every month.
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Like think about the basic of that.
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It's really a simple terrifying thought.
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So to build a 22 year career with that kind of inconsistency takes a lot.
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And I think it's easier for me when I'm more realistic about it.
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And I'm like, you know what, that didn't work.
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How can I make it better?
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I have to know that to be able to be better.
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I cannot be deluded.
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I don't like being deluded and I don't like deluded people.
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And it's just like, you can never please everyone.
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And I realized that very early in my career as a public person.
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When I was younger, in my 20s, I really needed everyone to love me because I was a public person.
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I was a new entertainer.
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I was like, why is this person hating me for this reason or why is this being written about me for this reason?
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But I quickly realized when you're a public person, you are consumed by people.
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You're literally dinner table conversation.
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I realized that the only way to protect my sanity and myself was to surround myself by people that are genuinely happy for me that genuinely love and care about me and my support system whether that's my family my friends my team is very strong so then i don't need my validation from people i don't need my validation from the comments on social media i'm not working every day to be famous i'm working to make movies to make art for people to watch what i do and the byproduct of that happens to be fame.
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So once I made that distinction and that bifurcation, I think it became a lot easier for me to live a normal life and and to just be a normal human being.
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What I would have told that girl is just breathe and just chill a little.
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I was very hard on myself because everything that I sort of everything that I've made so far you know with the encouragement and my family has kind of been self-made.
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You know, I had to learn on the job.
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Nobody, I didn't know anything.
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I came from high school and an engineering background or I wanted to be an engineer.
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And life just kind of had other plans.
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And you know, you kind of, are you gonna swim?
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Are you gonna sink?
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And I will always swim.
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So I've just kind of, it's, I think that what I would tell, I used to really take it very seriously.
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I berated myself a lot and I was hard on myself.
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And I would tell my younger self, chill out, time heals everything.
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It'll all be fine.
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And what she would probably tell me is to not get caught up in my schedule and in the multiple things that I juggle and not forget the excitement of doing what I'm doing.
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Sometimes it's hard, you know, after you do it for such a long time, you have to remind yourself to be excited and be inspired and feel sort of alive instead of it being a job.
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I think like you've got to sometimes, you have to push the envelope.
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There's been too many generations that have been defined by what people think, you know, we can achieve or, you know, limitations that have been imposed because of people not being able to think or dream big enough.
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And I think it's every generation's responsibility to show the endless possibilities to the next.
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I think it's so crucial if you have a choice in your life to end up with someone who is not like enthused by your dreams, is at least interested in them, is at least excited about them or, you know, is at least encouraging.
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like that's that's exciting um because you know everyone's busy and everyone has a thing in their lives but to take to make the effort to make you feel like your dreams are as important as the other one is such a gift in life we never have to choose one thing so that we need to take that pressure off of our backs that you don't have to be on one solitary journey you can choose to be on any journey at any time.
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As long as you take the pressure, we put too much pressure on ourselves to function.
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We create boxes and glass ceilings for ourselves because we're like, oh, this is the only way I can be and that's how you are successful.
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There's no black or white in the world.
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Everyone lives in greys.
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For me, what has always worked is having the small next dream, the next step.
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You always have to take a step up in the ladder to be able to get to the top.
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You can't get to the top by flying up.
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human beings don't fly.
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And then slowly you'll turn around and say, Oh, whoa, look at this legacy I've created.
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But if you have unachievable dreams, something that seems too out of the ordinary, then you're waiting for a miracle.
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And miracles don't happen very often.
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You have to create it for yourself.
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So what's the next step in your big dream?
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So if you want to buy a car, say, for example, you have to figure out how much it's for.
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So you have to work backwards from your goal.
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So if my goal is one thing, I'll work backwards.
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And what is the first step in that goal?
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I'll take that.
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Then the next step in that goal, and slowly you'll buy your car.
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My mom said that to me when I was very young.
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She said, if you're going to tell the truth or if you're going to tell a lie, just know that whatever you do, you have to stand by it.
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The good, the bad, the ugly.
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It's all yours.
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The sum of the opportunities I chose is the reason why I'm here today.
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And I don't take that for granted at all.
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And that's my purpose, is to make sure that every single day is spent with a pursuit of excellence in every single choice that I make.

Context & Background

In this eye-opening video, renowned actress Priyanka Chopra shares valuable life lessons that resonate with many. Drawing from her personal journey, she emphasizes the importance of making bold choices, the balance between work and life, and the significance of surrounding oneself with supportive individuals. Chopra reflects on her experiences growing up in a small town in India, navigating the entertainment industry, and the need for continuous learning and growth. Her advice is not only applicable to aspiring actors but to anyone seeking motivation and a clearer understanding of their life path.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • “Bold people make history.” - Use this phrase to encourage yourself or others to take risks in pursuit of dreams.
  • “Life is all hills and valleys.” - A reminder that life's journey is filled with ups and downs.
  • “Surround yourself with people that prop you up.” - Essential advice for building a supportive network.
  • “Having a sense of passion gives you a sense of purpose.” - A motivating statement to inspire enthusiasm in daily endeavors.
  • “Confidence is self-taught.” - An important truth to remember, particularly for those aiming to improve their English speaking skills.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

Using Priyanka Chopra's insightful dialogue as your shadowing material is an effective way to improve your English pronunciation and fluency. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started:

  1. Listen Actively: Watch the video and focus on Chopra’s intonation, rhythm, and emotional expression. Pay attention to how she emphasizes certain words.
  2. Repeat Sentence by Sentence: Pause the video after each sentence and repeat what you hear. This practice aligns perfectly with the concept of shadow speaking, allowing you to mimic her speech patterns.
  3. Practice with Recording: Record yourself while you shadow speak. This will help you identify areas that need improvement in your pronunciation.
  4. Use Subtitles: Enable subtitles to follow along with the text. This integration of visual cues supports your understanding and allows you to learn new vocabulary effortlessly.
  5. Engage with the Content: Finally, reflect on the phrases and advice given. Consider how you can incorporate this wisdom into your own life and communicate it in English, enhancing your overall language skills along the way.

By utilizing the techniques outlined above, you can learn English with YouTube while deepening your comprehension of meaningful content like Chopra’s advice. This practice not only boosts your IELTS speaking practice but also enriches your journey to become a confident English speaker.

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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