Shadowing Practice: This Is Boring But You’ll Outwork Everyone - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Everyone wants the hack, the shortcut, the new strategy, but here's what actually works.
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Doing the same boring thing a thousand times.
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And honestly, I think that this is something a lot of us don't want to hear
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because we're constantly looking for something new.
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A new productivity method, a new morning routine, a new habit tracker.
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But the problem isn't that you don't know what to do.
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It's that you haven't repeated the right things consistently enough to see results
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or truly step into that identity and
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so in this video I want to share why repetition is
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so powerful why we're often so resistant to it
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and why doing the same things over
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and over again can completely change the direction of your life
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and so I think one of the biggest reasons
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that people can't stay consistent in the long term is
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because they expect instant results and the reason why is
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because we live in a world catered for short -term thinking because we live in a society filled with instant gratification.
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Now what does that mean?
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It basically means that you can have anything you want as soon as you want it.
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If you want to buy something new it can be at your door tomorrow.
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If you want to watch a video all you have to do is open your phone.
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If you don't want to cook no worries someone will just bring the food to you.
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Everything is catered to just fulfill you right now and
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so people get used to taking the easy road and they just expect everything to be instant.
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However, if you really want to change your life or achieve a goal, whether that is to build up your business or lose weight
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or grow a YouTube channel or to excel in your career or become a successful artist,
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well, you have to be in it for the long term.
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And so instant gratification is literally training your brain to expect things to be easy and fast.
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And so you get impatient
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and you're not willing to do the work required to actually get to where you want to be.
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Because you're focused on short -term results, not long -term thinking.
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Like honestly, it took me nearly two years of learning business before I made my first thousand online.
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It took me nearly a year and a half of posting on YouTube consistently before any video saw real attraction.
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And so the best thing I ever did for myself was to block out the noise of the world
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and reduce instant gratification as much as possible.
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Like we're in October of this year, 2026, and I've only been shopping once this year.
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Like, I've literally only gone once to the shop to buy a few t -shirts.
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I never order anything, also because I just don't need it.
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Most people don't even need what they buy.
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I don't have any social media apart from YouTube.
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I don't eat sugar on a daily basis.
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I don't watch TV very often, and so I have slowly trained my brain to not expect everything to be instant, fast, and easy.
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And so you have to learn how to stop focusing on the outcome
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or the results and instead focus on the repetition of action.
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Because I'm telling you, that is what works.
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The basic boring foundations that you have to get used to repeating every day.
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However, most of us are just impatient and we want everything right now.
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You want to lose the weight in one month.
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You want to make the money in three months.
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You want to complete the goal in six months.
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And that's because you're focused on short -term thinking.
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And so a good question to ask yourself is, what is the alternative?
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This is the thing.
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We're so focused on the timeline, but it actually doesn't matter that much because what is the alternative?
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For example, if you decide to give up on losing weight, then what's the alternative?
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Are you going to continue to just eat as you are?
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Are you going to continue to gain weight and feel bad mentally?
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What's the alternative to you not making the business?
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Are you just going to continue to work in that really shitty job you hate?
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Are you going to continue to have that boss that is rude to you every day?
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Right, because I guess those are the two options.
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You can either take action and forget about the timeline
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and put in the work or you stay where you are and you keep doing what you're doing,
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even though you know that's not making you happy.
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See how that doesn't really make much sense?
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That's why you have to forget about the outcome, forget about the timeline, forget about the results, and instead focus on taking the action.
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And it could take you three months.
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It could take you six months.
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It could take you three years.
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But what's the alternative, right?
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I don't know.
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That's your choice.
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And I'll leave you with a quote I really like, which says the wait is not punishment, it's preparation.
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Everything takes time.
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Because what you have to understand is that this waiting time, this waiting period for you to get your results is not about punishment.
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That waiting period is for you to step into a better version of yourself.
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someone who is more patient, someone who is more resilient,
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someone who is willing to be knocked down again and again and again and they still get back up.
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That waiting period is developing your character and it is there for a reason.
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And you have to trust that the results will come if you're actually putting in the repetition.
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And I remember when I was like early on in my YouTube journey, I was getting impatient, and I was thinking, oh, this is so difficult.
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Oh, I don't know what I'm doing.
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You know, my videos are not working.
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Oh, the thumbnails are bad.
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The titles are bad.
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And I was like, I just want results.
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I just want this to happen.
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I just want that.
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And I had to really reflect and ask myself, do I actually deserve the outcome right now?
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If I was to get this result I wanted, do I actually deserve it?
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Have I been putting in the repetition?
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Have I been putting in the hard work the answer was no
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I wasn't I was trying to take shortcuts I was trying to look for quick fixes
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and so the universe was like no you're not getting your results right now you're not getting your outcome
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because this waiting time is not punishment
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it's preparation for you to step up the results are there waiting for you
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if you're willing to step up if you're willing to put in the focus
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if you're willing to put in the work but
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if you're going to keep looking for quick fixes
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and keep jumping to this to that
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and being impatient well the waiting time just expands right there's another quote
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that says stop being mad at the results you didn't get from the work you didn't do
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and it's true
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so many of us are like an impatient child out here we want this we want that
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but have you been putting in the repetition have you been consistent have you been showing up remember
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this waiting time is not punishment it is preparation for you to step up and do the hard work, to put in the repetition,
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to show up when it's hard, to show up when everyone else is looking for the easy quick fix,
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and repeat the boring fundamentals because that's what works.
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I hope this video made you think.
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Thank you for watching.
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All the best.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “This Is Boring But You’ll Outwork Everyone”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: result, waiting, repetition, instant, term. This video has 110 sentences and 1309 words to shadow. The speech runs for 6:57. The speaker talks fast, about 188 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 89% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| instant noun | /ˈɪnstənt/ | A very short period of time; a moment. |
| impatient adjective | /ɪmˈpeɪʃənt/ | Restless, short of temper, and intolerant of delays. |
| outcome noun | /ˈaʊtkʌm/ | That which is produced or occurs as a result of an event or process. |
| punishment noun | /ˈpʌnɪʃmənt/ | The act (action) or process of punishing, imposing and/or applying a sanction, typically by an authority or a person in authority (for example: a parent or… |
| preparation noun | /ˌpɹɛpəˈɹeɪʃ(ə)n/ | The act of preparing or getting ready. |
| timeline noun | /ˈtaɪmˌlaɪn/ | A graphical representation of a chronological sequence of events (past or future). |
| bore verb | /boɹ/ | To inspire boredom in somebody. |
| consistent adjective | /kənˈsɪs.tənt/ | Of a regularly occurring, dependable nature. |
| consistently adverb | /kənˈsɪstəntli/ | In a consistent manner. |
| cater verb | /ˈkeɪɾɚ/ | To provide, particularly |
| reflect verb | /ɹɪˈflɛkt/ | To bend back (light, etc.) from a surface. |
| routine noun | /ɹuˈtin/ | A course of action to be followed regularly; a standard procedure. |
| expand verb | /ɪkˈspænd/ | To change (something) from a smaller form or size to a larger one; to spread out or lay open. |
| knock verb | /nɑk/ | To rap one's knuckles against something, especially wood. |
| fundamental adjective | /ˌfʌn.dəˈmɛn.təl/ | Related to a foundation, base, or basis; serving as a foundation. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| show up verb | To appear, arrive, or attend, especially suddenly or erratically. |
| step up verb | To increase, augment, or advance, especially by one or more steps. |
| build up verb | To erect; to construct. |
| knock down verb | To hit or knock (something or someone), intentionally or accidentally, so that it falls. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I don't eat sugar on a daily basis.
- Because I'm telling you, that is what works.
- Are you going to continue to just eat as you are?
- What's the alternative to you not making the business?
- Have I been putting in the repetition?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | I've only been shopping · Have I been putting · have you been putting |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | haven't repeated · I've literally only gone · have slowly trained |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is catered · be knocked |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | someone who is |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 38 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, don't, we're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: impatient /ɪmˈpeɪʃənt/, punishment /ˈpʌnɪʃmənt/, preparation /ˌpɹɛpəˈɹeɪʃ(ə)n/, attraction /əˈtɹækʃn̩/, repetition /ˌɹɛp.əˈtɪʃ.ən/
- Long words — get the stress right: preparation /ˌpɹɛpəˈɹeɪʃ(ə)n/, consistently /kənˈsɪstəntli/, fundamental /ˌfʌn.dəˈmɛn.təl/, productivity /ˌpɹɒdʌkˈtɪvəti/, repetition /ˌɹɛp.əˈtɪʃ.ən/
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 instant, impatient, outcome.
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.