Shadowing Practice: The fear of being average - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
156 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Life is good.
2
Our entire lives, we've been taught that we needed to be exceptional.
3
That average was something we needed to escape.
4
That if we didn't do something remarkable with our lives, we failed.
5
But no one ever stopped to define what average actually meant.
6
A stable job, a partner, a house, two kids.
7
Because if that's average, why were we ever taught to fear it?
8
The truth is, none of those ever the problem.
9
Everything you've been told about being average has been a lie.
10
Average was never about the life you live, it was always about something much deeper than that.
11
Thank you.
12
Anthony Bourdain knew what an average life really was, and why we're so afraid of it.
13
Before becoming a famous author and TV show personality, Bourdain spent two decades working in professional kitchens.
14
He graduated in 1978 from the Culinary Institute of America, and in his early career,
15
Bourdain worked as a line cook and sous chef at restaurants across New York and all the while,
16
he carried a different dream to be a writer He wrote his first book, Bone and Throat, which received lackluster reviews and his second book,
17
Gone Bamboo, also shared the same fate.
18
Both books sold poorly and his writing career became stagnant.
19
You see, Bourdain was 42.
20
he was beginning to accept that the dream he once had wasn't for him.
21
So He turned his focus back to cooking.
22
He worked his way up to executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles, a respected French restaurant in Manhattan.
23
From an outside perspective, Bourdain made it.
24
He had a great job, stability, and all the money he needed to live a comfortable life.
25
A life many people would be grateful for.
26
So why not just stop there?
27
Why not lean into the life he fought so hard to build?
28
And that's exactly what most people do.
29
As time passes, they get set in their ways.
30
They convinced themselves that the life they built is enough they find a job that pays the bills.
31
It's not perfect.
32
but it's fine.
33
A partner they love deeply.
34
Someone to come home to.
35
They move into a place that feels just big enough, buy furniture they'll keep for years, and fall into routines that make life easier.
36
Nothing is wrong.
37
And that's the danger.
38
you you Thank you.
39
This is where most people misunderstand what an average life actually is.
40
Because you can wake up every morning, go to work, come home, build a family, live quietly, and still live a deeply fulfilled life.
41
Millions of people dream of exactly that, but it feels like this generation is convinced that stability isn't enough.
42
Social media brainwashed us into believing that we should chase unrealistic perceptions of money and materialism, and that if we didn't have this checklist of things done before a certain age,
43
you're falling behind.
44
But an extraordinary life isn't defined by starting a $100 million business or becoming an athlete or a celebrity,
45
about a 9 to 5, or a house, or a routine, it was always about your mentality.
46
A stable life isn't the problem.
47
The problem is never challenging yourself within it.
48
Because somewhere along the way, comfort quietly replaces courage.
49
You stop trying new things.
50
Stop doing things you're bad at.
51
You only ever choose the options you know will work out.
52
And over time, you days start to feel the same.
53
They turn into weeks and weeks into years.
54
And one day you wake up and realize something terrifying.
55
You never took a single real risk.
56
Never once stepped outside the routine.
57
Never once asked more of yourself.
58
That's what being average actually is.
59
Anthony Bourdain knew this.
60
He knew that coasting through life doesn't end in failure.
61
It ends in something far more dangerous.
62
A life where you're satisfied, but not fulfilled.
63
And Bourdain knew that if he stayed there long enough, he wouldn't just lose the dream, he'd lose the courage to ever try again.
64
The only way forward was to take the risk.
65
But before he could do that, He had to confront the one thing that stops people from ever doing so.
66
Your ego.
67
Ego follows you everywhere.
68
It shapes your decisions, quietly disguising itself as excuses like, "I'm being realistic." And humans are inherently egotistical.
69
We want things to go our way.
70
We want to avoid looking foolish or unprepared, and that's why most people never try anything They don't pick up the hobby, never speak up at work, or talk to the stranger across the street,
71
because a rejection or failure feels humiliating.
72
It's easier to protect the image you have of yourself than to risk watching it break.
73
I didn't have time, Something came up
74
or maybe later those excuses feel safer than saying I tried and I wasn't good enough
75
so most people choose the first they protect their identity in the present even if when it costs them their future.
76
And the tragedy is that ego doesn't stop you from failing.
77
It stops you from ever finding out who you could have been.
78
And this is where Bourdain did something most people never do.
79
You see, he had already failed.
80
Twice.
81
He had every reason to stop trying.
82
He could have came up with a million excuses,
83
but he realized he had grown to become the very type for reading this.
84
Although it was only ever meant to be for the line cooks that he worked with, he did attempt to publish his work.
85
His mom was the one who helped them submit it to the New Yorker, one of the biggest magazine companies at the time, a place you don't submit to unless you're certain you belong.
86
Bourdain, wasn't certain, but certainty was the one thing he had already decided to reject.
87
So, he sent it, and after just a few days, You got a call.
88
Thank you.
89
Thank you.
90
In classic storytelling, there's a moment in every protagonist's journey where they must overcome something called the ego death.
91
Often temporary loss of one's sense of self or personal identity.
92
This is usually in the form of some sort of humiliation, sacrifice, or failure.
93
Regardless, they must overcome this ego death to reach resolution.
94
And we are the protagonists of our own lives.
95
You have to lose your ego.
96
The version of yourself that needs certainty, that needs to look competent.
97
That's the price of a meaningful life.
98
A small death of your identity.
99
Bourdain didn't know if the call would change his life.
100
He only knew that staying safe would quietly erase it.
101
And as soon as Bourdain did this, well, the rest is history.
102
Expanding on his article, he went on to write Kitchen Confidential, an unflinching look at the food service industry that became a number one New York Times bestseller.
103
The book's success propelled him onto television, becoming the host of No Reservations and Parts Unknown, on which he travelled the world sampling different foods and engaging with different cultures.
104
Everything he became traced back to one decision: choosing uncertainty over hoping to inspire at least one person to do the same.
105
To embrace the unknown.
106
To try and fail.
107
To be wrong.
108
Bourdain never stopped living like this.
109
He was always chasing new experiences, new cultures, finding new ways to escape comfort.
110
One of his quotes that always stuck with me was, "Go somewhere you've never been.
111
It doesn't always have to be about travel, buying a new coffee shop.
112
Anything that brings you out of your comfort zone.
113
Because ego is what creates the comfort zone.
114
And the comfort zone is where dreams go to die.
115
So instead of risking discomfort now, ego offers you a trade.
116
Stay comfortable today and we'll deal with the consequences later.
117
And those consequences don't show up immediately.
118
They hear one day and can't unhear.
119
If only I tried.
120
It's regret.
121
Because what if Bourdain had never sent that article?
122
What if he had given up after his first two books flopped?
123
he would end up with the same fate millions of people settle for.
124
an average life.
125
One filled. with regret.
126
And the only way to live a life without regret is to escape the comfort zone.
127
But here's where most people mess up.
128
They think escaping the comfort zone means blowing up their life.
129
It's not.
130
It doesn't mean quitting your job to start a business or leaving everything behind and moving across the world.
131
That's not what Bourdain did either.
132
When he sent that essay to the New Yorker, he kept his job.
133
Even when they offered him a contract to write his book, his risk was small.
134
Picked up writing again.
135
Even when he was comfortable being a chef, submitting an essay to a place he wasn't sure he belonged.
136
Those aren't dramatic leaps.
137
They're what I call small ego deaths.
138
And this is how you you truly create an extraordinary life.
139
Bourdain once said, "I am eager to believe
140
that I'm completely wrong about everything." And that one sentence perfectly explains his entire life.
141
Because if you're wrong, you're willing to embarrass yourself.
142
You're willing to try.
143
You're willing to embrace discomfort.
144
So try something new.
145
Pick up a new skill.
146
Talk to a stranger.
147
Try a new restaurant.
148
Share your work before it's perfect.
149
Go somewhere unfamiliar without a plan.
150
And this is how you need to live every day.
151
In the present.
152
Because this moment is all we have.
153
paradox, because we fear an average life so much, but only in hindsight, because we fear discomfort in the present more.
154
So it was never about a 9 to 5, or a routine, or even comfort.
155
Those were not the enemies.
156
It was always about letting those things control you.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
B23
60 sentences
Why Adults Today Are Okay With Just Being Okay
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B255
175 sentences
The Fear of Starting Over Never Completely Disappears | B2 English Shadowing
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B24
76 sentences
6 Minutes of Truth You Need to Hear | Peter Dinklage
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B25
32 sentences
Write Something No One Ever Has — Ocean Vuong
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B29
122 sentences
The fear of enjoying your life
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B15
677 sentences
Don’t Underestimate Yourself | Graded Reader | Learn English Through Story Level 3 🔥
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B12
6 sentences
Stop Being Average #chriswilliamson #motivation #mindset
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B254
18 sentences
Here’s why you’re feeling so stuck. @Dr.ShadeZahrai
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B22
168 sentences
Zero Dopamine. Just Raw Truth – No Music. No Edits. No Distractions.
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B27
95 sentences
You can’t live like this forever.
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B24
176 sentences
How To Create Exceptional Success in Life
American AccentBusiness EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B18
187 sentences
The Fear of Being Ordinary Is More Powerful Than It Looks | B1 English Shadowing
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “The fear of being average”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Bourdain, average, ego, comfort. This video has 156 sentences and 1634 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:35. The speaker talks at a steady 141 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 83% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| quietly adverb | /ˈkwaɪ.ɪt.li/ | Producing little or no noise. |
| discomfort noun | /dɪsˈkʌmfɚt/ | Mental or bodily distress. |
| certainty noun | /ˈsɝtn̩ti/ | The state of being certain. |
| fulfill verb | /fʊlˈfɪl/ | To satisfy, carry out, bring to completion (an obligation, a requirement, etc.). |
| consequence noun | /ˈkɑn.sɪ.kwəns/ | An effect; something that follows a cause as a result. |
| embrace verb | /ɛmˈbɹes/ | To clasp (someone or each other) in the arms with affection; to take in the arms; to hug. |
| bestseller noun | A book or other product that has sold in large numbers. | |
| brainwash noun | /ˈbɹeɪnwɒʃ/ | A distorting effect upon one's memory, belief, or ideas, as by propaganda. |
| checklist noun | /ˈt͡ʃɛklɪst/ | A list of tasks to be completed, names to be consulted, conditions to be verified and similar. |
| egotistical adjective | /ˌi.ɡoʊˈtɪs.tɪk.(ə)l/ | Tending to talk excessively about oneself. |
| embarrass verb | /ɪmˈbæɹəs/ | To disrupt someone's composure or comfort with acting publicly or freely. |
| hindsight noun | /ˈhaɪn(d)saɪt/ | Realization or understanding of the significance and nature of events after they have occurred. |
| humiliate verb | /hjuːˈmɪliˌeɪt/ | To cause to be ashamed; to injure the dignity and self-respect of. |
| lackluster adjective | /ˈlæklʌstə/ | Lacking brilliance or intelligence. |
| materialism noun | /məˈtɪɹiəlɪzəm/ | Constant concern over material possessions and wealth; a great or excessive regard for worldly concerns. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pick up verb | To lift; to grasp and raise. | |
| wake up verb | /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ | To stop sleeping; to awake. |
| blow up verb | To explode or be destroyed by explosion. | |
| come up verb | To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly. | |
| come up with verb | To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it. | |
| fall behind verb | To be late (for a regular event) | |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. | |
| give up verb | To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone). |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Because if that's average, why were we ever taught to fear it?
- Stop doing things you're bad at.
- A life where you're satisfied, but not fulfilled.
- They're what I call small ego deaths.
- Because if you're wrong, you're willing to embarrass yourself.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | we've been taught · you've been told · isn't defined |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | we've been taught · you've been told · you've never been |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 39 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, didn't, doesn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: brainwash /ˈbɹeɪnwɒʃ/, humiliation /hjuːˌmɪliˈeɪʃən/, foolish /ˈfuː.lɪʃ/, rejection /ɹɪˈd͡ʒɛkʃən/, exceptional /ɪkˈsɛpʃənəl/
- Long words — get the stress right: egotistical /ˌi.ɡoʊˈtɪs.tɪk.(ə)l/, humiliate /hjuːˈmɪliˌeɪt/, materialism /məˈtɪɹiəlɪzəm/, misunderstand /mɪs.ʌn.də(ɹ)ˈstænd/, humiliation /hjuːˌmɪliˈeɪʃən/
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 quietly, discomfort, certainty.
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.