Shadowing Practice: The privilege of failure - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Tell us about your departure from Apple.

Oh, it was very painful.

I'm not even sure I want to talk about it.

What can I say?

I hired the wrong guy.

That was Scully?

Yeah.

And he destroyed everything I spent 10 years working for.

Steve Jobs spent 10 years building Apple.

10 years.

And he lost it all in a single moment.

He failed.

Years of dedication just to get fired from a company he created.

And yet, that failure might have been the greatest thing that ever happened to him.

But this isn't going to be one of those videos that tells you to embrace failure, to not be afraid of it.

Because the truth is, failure is something to fear.

For a lot of people, failure isn't a lesson, it's the end.

The end of a dream, the end of stability, the end of everything you've worked for.

But for some, being able to fail and still try again, that's a privilege.

In 1976, Los Altos, California.

Two college dropouts build a computer in their garage.

They call it Apple One, and that tiny machine would lead them to creating one of the most influential companies of all time.

And we are calling it, iPhone.

This is a day I've been looking forward to for two and a half years.

Apple just hit a trillion dollars in market value.

Fast forward to 1983, Apple's on top of the world.

Steve Jobs recruits the CEO of PepsiCo, John Scully, to help run the company.

But two years later, they would get into a clash after two new products, the Lisa and the Macintosh, failed to live up to sales expectations.

Apple's board sides with Scully and Steve Jobs is forced out of his own company.

So anyway, I was told in no uncertain terms that there was no job for me.

It was really, really tragic.

Imagine that, being fired from the company you built, from the thing that gave your life meaning.

I started this company.

You know how much I sacrificed?

Most people would have stopped there most people do

but for jobs this wasn't the end

he would go on to invest into a small animation company called the graphics group

which he would then develop into what we now know as Pixar

he started another company next designing high -end computers for businesses

and universities this is kind of the first computer the 1990s in other words

it's coming out with optical storage with the ability to synthesize sounds as good to orchestral quality in real time.

And in 1996, Next was sold to Apple for $429 million.

And Steve Jobs returned to the company as the new CEO.

The same failure that ended his career became the very reason he got it back.

But if I'm being honest with you, Steve Jobs had a privilege.

He had time.

He had money.

He had experience.

And all of those things gave him the ability to fail and still come back stronger.

That's what most people don't realize.

Failure is a privilege.

Most of you watching this right now, you probably have more privileges than you've realized.

For one, you have access to infinite amounts of knowledge literally in your pocket.

But I think one of the most underrated privileges you have right now is the privilege to fail.

Because if there was ever a time to fail, it's now.

You can fail and it won't destroy your life.

You can start something, fall flat on your face, and wake up tomorrow with another chance.

Mark Zuckerberg once said, The greatest successes come from having the freedom to fail.

But I know too many people who haven't had the chance to pursue their dreams

because they didn't have a cushion to fall back on if they failed.

But not many people have that freedom.

For them, failure isn't a lesson.

It's a luxury.

Failure isn't free.

And that's what makes it a privilege.

So if you can afford it,

even just once, I urge you to start now before the cost of failure becomes too high.

But what about the people who don't have that safety net?

the ones who can't afford to fail.

For them, failure is terrifying.

I know you hear people all the time telling you failure is good.

You should embrace failure.

I have failed far more times than I've succeeded.

Far more.

You know why?

Because failure is a wonderful teacher.

But it's easy to say that when you have the time, money, or resources to start again.

Some people don't.

For some people, failure isn't an option.

Going all in on their dreams might mean quitting the job

that puts food on their table or investing all of their savings into something that might not work out.

If I had to support my family growing up instead of having the time to learn how to code,

if I didn't know that I was gonna be fine and Facebook didn't work out, then I wouldn't be standing up here today. In 1981,

a 19 year old kid packed his bags and moved to Hollywood to pursue his dreams of becoming a successful actor,

he didn't have anything to his name.

Failure to him would mean the end of everything.

But had he not taken that risk, he wouldn't become the man that he is today.

Jim Carrey, one of the most successful actors in Hollywood.

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the show.

I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which was that you can fail at what you don't want,

so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.

So to try, even knowing failure could mean the end.

Maybe that's the real privilege.

Having the courage to try at all.

Going all in on your dreams, knowing it might not work out.

Because even if you fail, you'll know that you did something.

You tried, and that alone puts you ahead of everyone who never did.

But here's the thing, even if failure means the end, even if you don't have the luxury to start over,

there's still a greater risk than failing.

100

Not starting at all.

101

Because the failure to start is a failure in itself.

102

When you look back on your life, you won't be thinking about the times you failed,

103

but instead you'll be thinking about the things you didn't start.

104

Because you can recover from failure, but you'll never recover from regret.

105

So even if you believe you're sacrificing everything for starting, just know that the real sacrifice is not starting at all.

106

To live wondering, what if?

107

What if I took that risk when I was 20?

108

Maybe my life would be different.

109

And now is the time to take that risk.

110

Because it shouldn't be failure that you fear.

111

You should be afraid of never trying.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “The privilege of failure”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: failure, fail, privilege, Steve, Apple. This video has 111 sentences and 1155 words to shadow. The speech runs for 7:59. The speaker talks at a steady 145 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
privilege noun	/ˈpɹɪv.(ɪ.)lɪd͡ʒ/	A particular benefit, advantage, or favor; a right or immunity enjoyed by some but not others; a prerogative, preferential treatment.
lesson noun	/ˈlɛs.ən/	A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided.
sacrifice noun	/ˈsæk.ɹɪ.faɪs/	Originally, the killing (and often burning) of a human being or an animal as an offering to a deity; later, also the offering of an object to a deity.
luxury noun	/ˈlʌk.ʃə.ɹi/	Very wealthy and comfortable surroundings; the state of being that they create.
invest verb	/ɪnˈvɛst/	To spend money, time, or energy on something, especially for some benefit or purpose; used with in.
recover verb	/ɹɪˈkʌvɚ/	To get back, to regain (a physical thing; in astronomy and navigation, sight of a thing or a signal).
pursue verb	/pɚˈsu/	To follow urgently, originally with intent to capture or harm; to chase.
embrace verb	/ɛmˈbɹes/	To clasp (someone or each other) in the arms with affection; to take in the arms; to hug.
pocket noun	/ˈpɑ.kɪt/	A bag stitched to an item of clothing, used for carrying small items.
hire verb	/ˈhaɪɹ/	To obtain the services of in return for fixed payment.
resource noun	/ɹɪˈzɔːs/	Something that one uses to achieve an objective, e.g. raw materials or personnel.
regret verb	/ɹɪˈɡɹɛt/	To feel sorry about (a thing that has or has not happened), afterthink: to wish that a thing had not happened, that something else had happened instead.
courage noun	/ˈkʌ.ɹɪd͡ʒ/	The quality of being confident, not afraid or easily intimidated, but without being incautious or inconsiderate.
painful adjective	/ˈpeɪn.fl̩/	Causing pain or distress, either physical or mental.
stability noun	/stəˈbɪlɪti/	The condition of being stable or in equilibrium, and thus resistant to change.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
work out verb	/ˌwɝk ˈaʊt/	To calculate.
come back verb		To return to a place.
come out with verb		To say (something) unexpectedly.
fall back on verb		To turn to as a substitute; to rely on as a backup.
grow up verb		To mature and become an adult.
look forward to verb		To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to.
stand up verb		To rise from a lying or sitting position.
start over verb		to begin again; to return to the beginning

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

What can I say?
You know how much I sacrificed?
You can fail and it won't destroy your life.
I have failed far more times than I've succeeded.
Because it shouldn't be failure that you fear.

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	you've worked · you've realized · haven't had
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	is forced · was told · being fired
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	people who haven · people who don · ones who can

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 34 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, don't, isn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: luxury /ˈlʌk.ʃə.ɹi/, garage /ɡəˈɹɑʒ/, animation /ˌæn.ɪˈmeɪ.ʃən/, influential /ɪnflʊˈɛnʃəl/, expectation /ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: stability /stəˈbɪlɪti/, animation /ˌæn.ɪˈmeɪ.ʃən/, influential /ɪnflʊˈɛnʃəl/, expectation /ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/, dedication /ˌdɛdɪˈkeɪʃən/

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 privilege, lesson, sacrifice.

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 privilege of failure - Learn English Speaking with Video

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