Shadowing Practice: This Simple Trick Will Make You Motivated (Animated) - Learn English Speaking with Video

This simple trick will change everything in your life.

It will change how you think, the way you behave, the way you interact with the world.

This one trick will literally end all suffering in your life.

And I'm going to tell you what it is through sharing with you the tragic story of Ben.

Ben was born into a foster home.

He never met his family.

He was born with a weird birthmark on his face that made him look strange.

And he was also way shorter compared to everybody else.

stutter when he tried meeting other kids

and as Ben grew up in the home he would watch the other kids get adopted one by one

but no family ever chose Ben.

No one really even looked at Ben because he looked weird.

He couldn't even speak.

He really did feel like an outcast and this constant rejection created a black hole inside of Ben.

A black hole that he could not fill

that he didn't know how to fill

and as more time went on the black hole became bigger and bigger because he constantly never get chosen by anyone.

Ben would spend most nights crying himself to sleep with a small white teddy bear in his arms.

It was something that Ben could love, and in a strange way, it loved him back.

Ben would always stare out of his open window on his top floor room

and eventually he started thinking to himself what if I just jumped and ended it.

That way I wouldn't feel this pain anymore.

It would go away.

That night, Ben made a promise to himself that

if the pain of the black hole ever got so bad that he would jump and he would end it.

Because if he wasn't alive, then it would be impossible to feel the suffering.

Kids would also make fun of him.

Oh stuttering Ben, walking down the stairs again.

Oh, don't make him cry.

He might get his white little teddy bear.

And when Ben heard this, he would just walk back up to his room only very late at night

when no one was around he would quickly walk down the stairs to grab himself some crackers

or some leftover dinner that the other kids didn't eat

that way no one would see him

and then he would take the food up to his room

and he would share his food with his white teddy bear

and then they would watch movies together and ben would close his eyes

and imagine himself in those happy families he would imagine himself having the thing that he didn't have which chosen.

At the moment, that Ben opened up his eyes, that black hole feeling returned to him and then his eyes would immediately go to that big open window.

No one ever adopted Ben.

He stayed in the foster home until he was 18 years old and then he had to move out.

Ben would find a small apartment near the home also on the top floor also at the big open window.

jump and it's over was a thought that kept him sane.

Ben eventually got a job at a local movie theater.

Just taking tickets and cleaning up, it paid his rent.

Every weekend Ben would see couples walk in

and out of the movie theater and they would be laughing and smiling and hugging each other and holding hands.

When Ben saw these couples he realized that for him this was like the ultimate form of love.

One person choosing another person and committing to each other.

For him it was more a friend or whatever.

This was the ultimate form of love and this was the thing that he truly wanted.

One night Ben told himself, "If I can't find a real person who loves me for me, a real relationship, by the age of 21, I will Jump.

And I'll die.

because there's no point of living life if all I feel is this black hole feeling.

So Penn tried to meet a romantic partner.

He would try to walk up to women during the day when he was walking to work, but they did not like him because the moment

that the girl saw how short he was or they saw the birthmark on his face, they would immediately politely reject him and walk away.

And if someone actually looked past all of this, which was almost never, his stuttering problem was like the kiss of all of them off.

There was even one girl who made fun of him and she said, "Sorry, I don't go on dates with guys who can't even t -t -t -talk." This made Ben feel horrible.

His 19th birthday came and went, still alone, still clutching the bear.

Still looking out of his window, counting down to his death date.

Two more years until he jumps.

Ben thought to himself.

At 20 years old, Ben tried even harder.

He bought new clothes, he would practice speaking in the mirror.

Hi, I'm Ben.

And he would even approach girls at the coffee shop nearby.

Hi, do you want a coffee?

She smiled politely and said, uh, no, I'm waiting for someone.

Thank you though.

Ben could see the pity in her eyes.

Nothing changed for the next year.

Just rejections.

One more year to go until I jump.

Ben thought to

then decided to cut back on work time at the movie theater because there were too many happy couples mocking him.

So he took a part time job at a local cafe, 6 months until the death date.

"Hi, can I buy you a coffee?" to customers hoping something would happen

if he asked a million people as every single day.

One girl smiled back at him once, chatted briefly about the weather or the rain,

but when he asked her for her number her eyes if you want.

Ben was not stupid.

He knew what it meant when the girl said this.

But one evening, at the coffee shop, this girl walked in, ordering tea with a notebook under her arm.

Ah, The Pursuit of Happiness, the book behind the famous movie.

Have you seen the movie?

And somehow Ben managed to say this without stuttering because he had watched so many movies.

She looked up, eyes bright.

Uh, no, I haven't seen the movie, but I plan to.

I love the struggle in the book.

It's very, I work there sometimes part -time.

She smiled.

Oh, yeah, okay.

I didn't know that.

Yeah.

Okay.

Well, yeah, I mean, I'll I'll buy a ticket soon probably then then pause for a moment heart racing.

I can buy you one or well I work there

100

so I can bring someone and I could bring you and we we could see the movie together.

101

Yeah, I guess if you want to take me we can go it's a free movie.

102

So yeah, why not? Of course?

103

I want to take you.

104

What's your name?

105

The Ben, you?

106

Emily, well, I'll see you tomorrow, Ben.

107

When Ben got home that night, he felt a feeling that he had never felt before.

108

It was like a warm blanket came over him.

109

He started crying, tears of joy.

110

He couldn't wait to see this movie.

111

He had never experienced anything like this in his entire life.

112

And for just a moment, he forgot about that black hole feeling.

113

And he had forgotten about his jump date six months from now.

114

They met at the theater, watched the movie, they would a little bit during the movie and they would laugh a little bit together.

115

After the movie in the empty lobby, Emily said to Ben, that family, man, there's so much love.

116

It's so beautiful.

117

The movie is amazing.

118

Yeah, and they filmed the movie on real streets.

119

It's about, it's not just about holding on to things.

120

It's also about letting them go.

121

After the movie, Emily said, well, thanks for taking me, Ben.

122

I appreciate it.

123

Ben leaned in for a very awkward hug and then they went their A family,

124

a house, pets, kids, love, all the nice things, all the beautiful things, all the things that Ben wanted his entire life.

125

Ben would literally do anything for this woman after only going on one date with Ben her.

126

The next day, Ben texted her saying, so do you want to go on another date with me?

127

And Emily said, uh Ben, that wasn't a date.

128

I don't see you like that at all.

129

You offered me a free movie, so...

130

Why would I say no?

131

Ben's heart stopped.

132

"What do you mean in that way?" "Well, Ben, you just invited me to a movie." I said, "Sure, it's like a guy offering me a drink at a bar.

133

Sure, I like drinks, and if he wants to give me one, sure, whatever." So you just wanted to Like, use me for a free movie just because you wanted a movie?

134

She stopped responding.

135

And she also stopped coming to the coffee shop.

136

This was the worst rejection for Ben, because it was from someone who was kind of using him, but it was also someone who got to know him and still was not.

137

interested.

138

When Ben got home that night, Emily's words were echoing in his mind and the black hole was becoming too big,

139

then looked at his window and decided in that moment that it was time to end it.

140

He could not wait another six months.

141

The pain was too much.

142

He climbed the ledge, body shaking, rain pounding, traffic roaring.

143

The world was indifferent to him.

144

No one would notice if I die, Ben Thahto himself.

145

I don't want to live anymore.

146

then said, out loud.

147

you As he said this, a small stray pigeon landed near him randomly.

148

It was wet, alone, no shelter, no flock, just sitting still in the storm.

149

Eyes closed, breathing calmly, totally at peace.

150

And Ben just looked at this pigeon.

151

He'd never seen a pigeon just sit in the rain like that, let alone a pigeon sit beside him.

152

And this pigeon didn't flinch.

153

It didn't seek.

154

It just existed.

155

Stillness and chaos.

156

And the pigeon was totally indifferent to the world.

157

And seemingly, the world was indifferent to the pigeon.

158

But the pigeon?

159

did not care at all.

160

It was almost like the pigeon was incapable of caring about anything.

161

And Ben could not stop staring at the stupid little pigeon and in a weird, bizarre way, He felt like, "I can't jump in front of this pigeon.

162

The pigeon needs to leave." But the pigeon wouldn't leave.

163

So Ben, just sat down calmly next to the pigeon and closed his eyes with the pigeon.

164

and did nothing.

165

then felt empty, but not in a sad way, in a peaceful way.

166

And without thinking much, Ben went to his kitchen, got some rice, and he just put food out for the pigeon.

167

The pigeon ate it.

168

Then eventually went to bed and went to sleep as if nothing happened.

169

Over the next month, Ben would put food out for this pigeon every single day.

170

He would come home from work, feed the pigeon, sit with the pigeon, and do nothing.

171

and be nothing.

172

No thoughts, no thinking about how he wasn't chosen.

173

There was just pure stillness.

174

And he really looked forward to this part of his day.

175

It was just so peaceful.

176

And him and this pigeon would just sit together and listen to the rain and the traffic.

177

Ben did this every day for the next seven years.

178

He would just sit and do nothing.

179

And as more time went on, Ben started to feel himself caring less and less about wanting things from anyone.

180

People would notice him, but Ben didn't care.

181

People started smiling at him, but he didn't care.

182

He just stopped attaching meaning to any of this.

183

And it's funny because Ben eventually did meet someone who loved him and Ben loved her very deeply as well.

184

they held hands and they both fed pigeons together until the end, of their life.

185

and they died.

186

together

187

In total stillness, total peace but this only happened

188

when Ben stopped needing it to happen 100 % of people's

189

deep suffering in this world comes from attachment to something

190

or to someone it's why some people can go through a breakup

191

and very quickly be okay it's why some people can watch a loved one die

192

and actually very quickly be okay

193

and no I'm not saying don't feel feelings that's stupid

194

but I'm saying be like the pigeon the pigeon feels the rain it feels the rain it feels the rain wind, it feels the cold, it feels its emotions fully,

195

the pigeon explores its emotions fully, but the pigeon does not get lost in them.

196

The pigeon does not add a bunch of meaning onto them.

197

The pigeon is just present because you cannot have a black hole within you

198

if you are 100 % okay with being by yourself.

199

It's mechanically impossible.

200

You can't be super depressed that you don't have a relationship if you don't really care if you have one or not.

201

It's not that you that you're indifferent in a healthy way.

202

If you practice this non -attachment trick on a daily basis, every single thing in your life will change.

203

And it is impossible for you to be deeply unhappy or deeply depressed for a long period of time.

204

So be like the pigeon, feel everything 100%, but don't attach meaning. to it.

205

If you enjoyed this video then click the video on the screen right now.

206

The True Meaning Of Life (Animated Cinematic)

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “This Simple Trick Will Make You Motivated”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: ben, pigeon, movie, himself, hole. This video has 208 sentences and 2313 words to shadow. The speech runs for 13:12. The speaker talks at a natural 175 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 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

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
pigeon noun	/ˈpɪ.dʒɪn/	One of several birds of the family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes.
indifferent adjective	/ɪnˈdɪf.ɹənt/	Ambivalent; unconcerned; uninterested, apathetic.
stutter noun	/ˈstʌtɚ/	A speech disorder characterized by stuttering.
stillness noun	/ˈstɪlnəs/	The quality or state of being still.
rejection noun	/ɹɪˈd͡ʒɛkʃən/	The act of rejecting.
birthmark noun	/ˈbɝθˌmɑɹk/	A mark on the skin formed before birth.
politely adverb	/pəˈlaɪtli/	in a polite manner
calmly adverb	/ˈkɑː(ɹ)m.li/	In a calm manner; coolly.
attach verb	/əˈtæt͡ʃ/	To fasten, to join to (literally and figuratively).
attachment noun	/əˈtæt͡ʃmənt/	The act or process of (physically or figuratively) attaching.
stare verb	/stɛɚ/	To look fixedly (at something).
stairs noun	/ˈstɛɹz/	A contiguous set of steps connecting two floors.
depressed adjective	/dɪˈpɹɛst/	Unhappy; despondent.
emotion noun	/ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/	A person's internal state of being and involuntary physiological response to an object or a situation, based on or tied to physical state and sensory data.
adopt verb	/əˈdɑpt/	To take voluntarily (a child of other parents) to be in the place of, or as, one's own child.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
walk down verb		To continually advance (on an opponent) and punch (the opponent) in order to control the fight and dominate the opponent, while shrugging off the opponent's…
clean up verb		To make an area or a thing clean; to pick up a mess; to tidy.
come over verb		To affect in a sudden, unprecedented or surprising manner; to overwhelm a person's ordinarily contrary impulse.
go away verb		To depart or leave a place.
go through verb		To travel from one end of something to the other.
look forward to verb		To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to.
look past verb		To see potential beyond obvious flaws; to consider something more than something else.
look up verb	/ˌlʊk ˈʌp/	To have better prospects.

Sentences worth repeating

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

That way I wouldn't feel this pain anymore.
Hi, do you want a coffee?
Have you seen the movie?
It's very, I work there sometimes part -time.
Why would I say no?

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	person who loves · this, which was · guys who can
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	was born · wasn't chosen

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 40 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, don't, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: rejection /ɹɪˈd͡ʒɛkʃən/, emotion /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/

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 pigeon, indifferent, stutter.

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 →

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