Shadowing Practice: The mindset that changed my life IMMEDIATELY - Learn English Speaking with Video

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There's really just one single wall between you

and the life you know you want to live

and that's your mindset and I'm going to share one with you that kind of changed my life immediately.

Trust me I know how you feel.

I know you're sick of it.

You're sick of knowing that you have these big goals

and dreams and yet you don't know how you're going to reach them.

And it kind of feels like you're just wasting all your potential.

So ultimately, you do nothing.

Because the more you think about it all, the more overwhelming and honestly impossible it all sounds.

But what if I told you that it really wasn't that hard?

And in reality, you can change your life as soon as tomorrow.

In late December of 2023, I decided I'm done.

I can't do this anymore.

I can't sit here and continue to feel miserable and empty while I wait for my life to change for me.

But then I fell into the same old trap as I'm sure you have.

I start to overthink and I start to get overwhelmed.

I would think about how long it would take

and just how much work I would actually have to put in to make a difference in my life.

And then I reached my phone to open Instagram for like the 30th time today.

But then it dawned on me.

I recalled a piece of advice I was given a while back. By who?

I have no idea.

It was probably my mom though.

Thanks mom.

But the advice goes, just take one step every day.

When you think of your goal or dream, don't look at the entire mountain you're about to climb.

Just find where you're going to put your foot next.

It doesn't need to be complicated.

It's easy to get overwhelmed by your big goals and dreams.

But if you just think, just one step today and I'm done, it makes things a whole lot easier.

And if you still need a little bit of extra motivation,

just remember that the pain of doing nothing will always be worse than the pain of doing something.

Because sure, taking steps can be uncomfortable and intimidating and scary, but it will always be better than the alternative.

The slow, never -ending, subconscious discomfort of remaining dormant will always be worse than the temporary

and voluntary discomfort of making a change.

Maybe some days you'll feel an extra bit of motivation

and you decide to take three steps instead of just one that's great

and maybe some days you're really just not feeling it

but you just remind yourself just a small step today that's fine too what matters is

that you move forward even if it was just a little bit these steps add up

and before you know it you'll be able to see the top of

that mountain just a little bit clearer than before and

when I say that this changed my life immediately I mean it because while before I wasn't moving forward, now I am.

One step at a time.

One day at a time.

Currently, while I'm writing this, it is February 13th and I find

that I've been working on something every day since the new year as I just keep reminding myself, just take one step today.

And as a result, I have instantly changed my life.

Maybe not in a substantial way, like I didn't just become instantly successful or anything,

but now I've given myself some sort of purpose with each day.

And I'm slowly but surely moving forward.

You must change your life in order to change your life.

Make that small change.

Do it once every day, and eventually you'll realize that you've made a bigger change than you could have ever imagined.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “The mindset that changed my life IMMEDIATELY”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: step, dream, goal, changed, forward. This video has 55 sentences and 644 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:25. The speaker talks fast, about 189 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 87% 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
remind verb	/ɹəˈmaɪnd/	To cause one to experience a memory (of someone or something); to bring to the notice or consideration (of a person).
instantly adverb	/ˈɪnstəntli/	At once; without delay.
motivation noun	/ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/	Willingness of action especially in behavior.
discomfort noun	/dɪsˈkʌmfɚt/	Mental or bodily distress.
temporary adjective	/ˈtɛmp(əˌɹ)ɛɹi/	Not permanent; existing only for a period or periods of time.
complicated adjective	/ˈkɑm.plɪˌkeɪ.tɪd/	Difficult or convoluted.
recall verb	/ɹɪˈkɔl/	To withdraw, retract (one's words etc.); to revoke (an order).
scary adjective	/ˈskɛə.ɹi/	Causing fear or anxiety
substantial adjective	/səbˈstænʃəl/	Having a substance; actually existing.
trap noun	/tɹæp/	A machine or other device designed to catch (and sometimes kill) animals, either by holding them in a container, or by catching hold of part of the body.
dawn noun	/dɔːn/	The morning twilight period immediately before sunrise.
climb verb	/ˈklaɪ̯m/	To traverse a slope or contour, either upwards (ascending) or downwards (descending).
uncomfortable adjective	/ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/	Not comfortable; causing discomfort.
miserable adjective	/ˈmɪz(ə)ɹəbəl/	In a state of misery: very sad, ill, or poor.
voluntary adjective	/ˈvɑ.lənˌt(ɛ)ɹi/	Done, given, or acting of one's own free will.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
move forward verb	To cause to make progress.
add up verb	To take the sum of; to total.

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	I've given · you've made
Comparatives -er than / more … than — comparing two things	worse than · better than · clearer than
Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction	will always be · you'll feel · you'll be
Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming	I'm going to share · you're going to reach · you're going to put

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 27 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I'm, you'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, substantial /səbˈstænʃəl/, subconscious /sʌbˈkɑn.ʃəs/
Long words — get the stress right: motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, temporary /ˈtɛmp(əˌɹ)ɛɹi/, complicated /ˈkɑm.plɪˌkeɪ.tɪd/, uncomfortable /ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/, miserable /ˈmɪz(ə)ɹəbəl/

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 remind, instantly, motivation.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: The mindset that changed my life IMMEDIATELY - Learn English Speaking with Video

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