Shadowing Practice: Stop Self-Doubt, Start Believing in Your Dreams | A1 English Shadowing - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Many people have dreams.
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Maybe you want to travel the world.
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Maybe you want to start a small shop.
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Maybe you want to learn a new language.
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Maybe you want to be a teacher, a doctor, a singer, or a writer.
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Dreams are important.
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Dreams give us hope.
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Dreams give us direction.
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Dreams make life exciting.
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But very often, there is one big problem that stops us
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That problem is self -doubt Self -doubt means you do not
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believe in yourself It means you think you are not good
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enough It means you tell yourself I cannot do this I
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will fail I am not smart I am not strong These
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words are very heavy They make us afraid They make us
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weak They stop us before we even start Have you ever had this feeling?
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You want to try something new But then a small voice inside says No,
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you will not succeed Do not try You will look stupid People will laugh
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That is self -doubt It is like a wall between you and your dream Why do we feel self -doubt?
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One reason is fear We are afraid to fail We are
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afraid to make mistakes We are afraid of what people will say Another reason is past experience Maybe in the past,
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someone told us we were not good enough Maybe we failed before,
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and now we think we will always fail Another reason is comparison We look at other people
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and say They are better They are smarter They are stronger I cannot be like them Slowly,
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self -doubt grows But here is the truth Everyone feels self -doubt Even strong people,
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even famous people, even successful people They also feel afraid sometimes They also hear the small voice
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that says You cannot do it The difference is
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that they do not listen They move forward anyway That is how they achieve their dreams So,
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how can we overcome self -doubt?
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How can we believe in ourselves and go after our dreams?
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The first step is to notice the voice.
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When self -doubt speaks, do not ignore it, but also do not believe it.
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Just say, I hear you, but I will try anyway.
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Remember, thoughts are not facts.
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Just because you think I cannot does not mean it is true.
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The second step is to start small.
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Dreams are big, and big things can feel scary.
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But every big thing starts with small steps.
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If you want to write a book, start with one page.
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If you want to run a marathon, start with one kilometer.
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If you want to learn English, start with ten words a day.
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Small steps build confidence.
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Each small success makes the voice of doubt weaker The third
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step is to remember your past wins Think about times when you were afraid, but you tried,
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and you succeeded Maybe it was passing a test Maybe it
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was speaking in public Maybe it was solving a problem These memories are proof
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that you can do hard things When self -doubt says, you cannot, your memories say,
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yes, you can The fourth step is to talk kindly to
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yourself Self -doubt is unkind It uses negative words You need to use positive words Instead of saying,
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I cannot say, I will try Instead of saying,
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I will fail, say, I will learn Instead of saying, I am weak, say,
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I am growing Words are powerful The way you speak to
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yourself shapes how you feel The fifth step is to find
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support You do not need to chase dreams alone Talk to friends who believe in you
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Share plans with family who support you.
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Look for teachers or mentors who guide you.
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When you are weak, their belief can give you strength.
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The sixth step is to accept mistakes.
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Everyone makes mistakes.
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Mistakes do not mean you are a failure.
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Mistakes mean you are trying.
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Each mistake is a lesson.
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Each lesson makes you better.
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If you wait for the perfect moment, if you wait to be perfect, you will never start but
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if you accept mistakes you can move forward self -doubt is like a shadow it follows you
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but it does not control you
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when you take steps toward your dream the shadow becomes smaller
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when you stop the shadow becomes bigger that is why action is so important action kills doubt Imagine this,
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you want to learn guitar The voice says,
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you will be bad But you start anyway At first it is hard The sound is not good The voice says,
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see, you cannot do it But you continue Day by day, you learn a little After some time,
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you can play one song then another, then more.
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Now the voice is quiet.
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Now you believe in yourself.
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This is how we overcome self -doubt.
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By action, not by waiting.
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Dreams are not easy.
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They take time.
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They take work.
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They take patience.
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But the biggest fight is often inside us.
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If we win against self -doubt, we can move forward If we lose to self -doubt,
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we stop before we start Remember this, you are not the only one who doubts Everyone doubts,
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but not everyone listens You have a choice You can listen to doubt
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and stop Or you can listen to hope and move Which one will you choose?
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Life is short Do not spend it only doubting yourself Do
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not spend it only watching others live their dreams Your dream
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is waiting for you Your dream is possible It does not matter
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if it is big or small What matters is
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that it is yours So next time self -doubt speaks Answer back Say I will try I will take one step.
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I will not stop.
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And then do it.
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One step.
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Then another.
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Soon, the wall of doubt becomes a door.
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Soon, the dream is not far.
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It is near.
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It is real.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 98 sentences and 991 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:10. The speaker talks at a steady 121 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 92% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| shadow noun | /ˈʃædəʊ̯/ | A dark image projected onto a surface where light (or other radiation) is blocked by the shade of an object. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| succeed verb | /səkˈsiːd/ | To follow something in sequence or time. |
| overcome verb | /ˌəʊ.vəˈkʌm/ | To surmount (a physical or abstract obstacle); to prevail over, to get the better of. |
| guitar noun | /ɡɪˈtɑɹ/ | A stringed musical instrument, of European origin, usually with a fretted fingerboard and six strings, played with the fingers or a plectrum (guitar pick). |
| ignore verb | /ɪɡˈnɔː/ | To deliberately not listen or pay attention to. |
| belief noun | /bɪˈliːf/ | Mental acceptance of a claim as true. |
| chase verb | /t͡ʃeɪs/ | To follow at speed. |
| solve verb | /sɒlv/ | To find an answer or solution to a problem or question; to work out. |
| sixth adjective | /sɪksθ/ | The ordinal form of the number six. |
| scary adjective | /ˈskɛə.ɹi/ | Causing fear or anxiety |
| patience noun | /ˈpeɪ̯.ʃəns/ | The quality of being patient. |
| marathon noun | /ˈmæɹəθən/ | A 42.195-kilometre (26-mile-385-yard) road race. |
| kindly adverb | /ˈkaɪn(d)li/ | In a kind manner, out of kindness. |
| mentor noun | /ˈmɛn.tɔː/ | A wise and trusted counselor or teacher. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| move forward verb | To cause to make progress. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | friends who believe · one who doubts |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was passing · was speaking |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will fail · will not succeed · will say |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | am growing · are trying · is waiting |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “th” sounds: sixth /sɪksθ/, marathon /ˈmæɹəθən/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shadow /ˈʃædəʊ̯/, patience /ˈpeɪ̯.ʃəns/
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 shadow, lesson, succeed.
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.