Shadowing Practice: your life is being stolen by indecision - Learn English Speaking with Video

I am...

incredibly indecisive.

and I'm aware how much time that her stolen.

for me in my life.

I've come to realize that Indecision is far more expensive. than failure.

And every moment spent and maybe is a moment of your life passing by.

I have spent...

hours Days, months, - Yeah.

Sometimes, dare I say, years.

Thinking about a decision that I haven't been able to make.

It's been things that I know that I've wanted, that I've needed, and that I can't seem to make up my mind about.

The Thingwooden decision is that It doesn't feel.

like life or time is passing.

It feels...

quite safe and sometimes even productive.

It feels like you are doing something important.

it feels like you are...

Weighing the pros and cons.

like you are being responsible Like you're not being spontaneous and crazy and wasteful and...

unreasonable.

And now some decisions do require some back and forth.

Obviously.

We need to think.

We need to...

Sleep on it.

Take a step back.

Maybe compare different decisions, ask someone for more information, That's fully reasonable, but...

Oftentimes we are just circling the same situation...

the same decision over and over and over again.

Even when we collect new information, it doesn't really help us.

It oftentimes does the opposite.

It makes it even more difficult to just make up your mind.

And this can be less serious things and it can be more serious things.

For example, choosing what to wear.

Thank you.

That would be something less Serious.

most of the time.

unless what you wear is part of some big competition or something that could change your life.

But things like choosing what to wear, where to go, what to eat, Even those things test our abilities to make decisions.

I want the regular fries.

or the sweet potato fries.

but the regular flies feel a bit more unhealthy.

Sweet potato ones.. hmm usually a bit more salty, I shouldn't really have too much salt.

Maybe no fries.

But then will I be full?

Well, I wish that I had my friend's fries.

Will I take their fries and then they're going to be like, why didn't you just get the fries for yourself?

Maybe I can get a salad and some of those fries.

What kind of salad?

If I get the salad, am I gonna regret that and feel like I should've gotten the fries I'll just go somewhere else.

Apparently, this place is not right for me.

Okay, maybe I'll get some pasta instead, but I make pasta at home all the time.

Is it really worth paying for pasta?

But it's really good pasta.

It's the kind that I can't really make at home.

Can I make it at home?

Wait, let me look and see if...

if the ingredients for that pasta, if they're available online.

Oh wait, they are.

Okay, what if I just go and get some groceries?

um okay i need some lemon some cream, some parsley, Okay, I can just...

Go...

to the grocery store on my break at noon.

It's gonna take me about 25 minutes back and forth.

Okay, let's see.

What if they don't have one of the ingredients?

And then I have to go...

to a different grocery store, I'm not gonna have time for that.

But what if they have it?

um okay what if i buy the ingredients and the pasta doesn't

turn out as good and then I'll be pissed at myself for not just getting the pasta at the restaurant.

and I will have spent all this money for nothing.

Let me pause.

Because I can go on with this made -up scenario, for the entire podcast episode.

or even longer.

I can turn this into a book So That is...

A typical very indecisive brains normal thinking pattern.

It's not foreign to me.

Thank you.

I recognize it all too well.

And then you end up realizing whoop My lunch break is almost up.

I still haven't made up my mind.

I guess I'll just have some crackers.

with some cottage cheese for lunch all that indecisiveness, ended up with you having not even a proper meal,

not feeling full or satisfied,

or excited about that meal, But time was passing.

And you thought you were being...

reasonable weighing all the options, the pros and cons, comparing, "Where to spend my money?

Where to spend my time?

How can I make the best decision?" and you end up eating crackers.

It can also be big decisions.

And some people are good with small, not good with big.

And some people are the opposite.

Big decisions like: I really want to move cities, countries even. or I...

want out of this relationship.

But the song caused fallacy and...

What if I leave it and it's not good and...

I'm not gonna go through the whole scenario, that could be running in your head,

but Big decisions usually feel a little bit scarier.

100

for most people, but not always.

101

you The thing is that Indecisiveness Often feels productive.

102

And to an extent, it is.

103

- the researching and the planning.

104

And it feels like I'm waiting for the right moment.

105

I'm waiting for the right decision.

106

I need to optimize my choice.

107

It needs to be the best choice I could have possibly made.

108

Because I don't want to regret it.

109

I don't want to make up my mind and then wish I chose something different.

110

But But in not making up your mind, you're choosing neither.

111

You're choosing nothing.

112

That is your choice.

113

Thank you.

114

So, Indecision masquerades as preparation.

115

Most of the time, it is just avoidance.

116

Avoiding possibly making the wrong choice.

117

avoiding possible disappointment, avoiding possibly wasting money, wasting time, So what are the costs of indecision?

118

They're quite many.

119

and honestly they're quite severe, Let me start with lost opportunities.

120

Opportunities don't always stay around for too long.

121

Sometimes they're in an instant.

122

You just need to make up your mind, or it's gone.

123

Like the example of your lunch break.

124

If you can't decide what to eat, where to eat, You're gonna look at the clock and be like, "My break is up and 10 minutes.

125

I'm sorry.

126

I guess I'll have a banana.

127

Opportunity lost um, Another thing that we lose or a cost.

128

is the mental energy that completely drains us by constantly weighing decisions.

129

It is so mentally draining, going back and forth, back and forth, collecting information, researching, listing the pros and cons.

130

telling yourself you're gonna sleep on it, but now you've slept on it for 45 days or 2 years.

131

Another cost is the second guessing, even after making decisions.

132

I think somewhere indecisiveness is the need for control.

133

the need for a specific outcome, the need to prove to ourselves that we made the best choice possible.

134

It is the absence of being okay with something just turning out okay.

135

It is the absence of being okay with something not turning out the way We hoped.

136

It is the...

137

obsession with getting things right, getting things perfect Getting things that live up to expectations.

138

Another cost is .

139

how it compounds over years.

140

you I don't even want to know.

141

how many years of my life I have probably spent in trying to make decisions.

142

If you were to include everything, the research, the back and forth, Blah, blah, blah.

143

It would be a lot of time.

144

I don't want to see that data.

145

Don't give me the statistics, never show it to me ever.

146

I already know.

147

It is unreasonable.

148

So and often for very small things.

149

I don't want to know.

150

And so, "You may not realize that." your life, is being stolen.

151

by your inability, to say yes.

152

or to say no. At the end of the day, mostly everything.

153

is just Up to deciding if it's a yes or no. Fries.

154

Yes or no?

155

walking, Yes or no?

156

Biking?

157

Yes or no?

158

Getting your own food, yes or no. Leaving that relationship, yes or no. Moving, France, yes or no?

159

Spain, yes or no?

160

Everything can be categorized into yes or no. So why do we get stuck?

161

I've touched on this, but...

162

Let's make it … more digestible because i feel like i've been a little bit all over the place

163

What else is new?

164

One, the most obvious is that it is the fear of being wrong.

165

What if we make the wrong decision?

166

Okay.

167

Another thing is, The fear of missing out.

168

on better options.

169

Let's say you're deciding where to travel.

170

You're going back and forth between two cities in Spain.

171

and You choose one city over the other And you arrive, And it's raining.

172

It wasn't supposed to be raining, but it's raining.

173

And then you look at the forecast for the other city, that you were also contemplating, and it's sunny.

174

So of course that's gonna suck.

175

And you're going to resent the fact that you decided on that city and not the other.

176

Another one that I touched on It is the perfectionism.

177

It is wanting to optimize everything.

178

You just can't live.

179

with the idea that maybe that decision will not be perfect.

180

Maybe you won't love it.

181

Maybe it will not turn out great.

182

Maybe it's going to be very mediocre.

183

and just okay, maybe even bad.

184

and you're gonna blame yourself.

185

Thank you.

186

And you're going to keep digging in the past of why you made that decision, what you could have done differently, and blame yourself.

187

for making an imperfect decision.

188

And then we get stuck because of analysis paralysis.

189

speaks for itself.

190

We go so long going back and forth.

191

Do I apply for that program or that program?

192

And then maybe you miss your window and you don't apply for any program. So it's not...

193

that the indecisive people among us, me, As well.

194

Thank you.

195

are incapable It is that We are overthinking at the cost of being wrong.

196

Um, but the real costs the years that you spend doing nothing.

197

And it's never too late to start doing something, but let me just be clear: It is true what they say.

198

The older you get, the faster time is gonna go by.

199

It is Thursday every single day, how is that possible?

200

It was Thursday yesterday.

201

It is Thursday again.

202

And then it's Thursday again.

203

That's how fast life starts to feel, honestly.

204

So, How can we fix this?

205

I want to give you some practical advice.

206

And give myself.

207

I mean, I need it.

208

I need it badly.

209

And these are difficult spots, we're going to do our best, okay?

210

One is to set time limits for decisions.

211

Pretty straightforward.

212

You give yourself three days.

213

You give yourself till noon.

214

You give yourself five minutes, depending on the decision, right? And then...

215

If the time is up, and you haven't decided, honestly toss a coin or something.

216

Have someone keeping you accountable.

217

And then it's about your own integrity.

218

Because if you promise yourself A self -promise is not something - Okay.

219

I'm serious.

220

It's very serious.

221

You promise yourself, "If I have not made my mind, in this time span.

222

I will be tossing a coin and I will let that coin toss Decide for me.

223

No what but if.

224

That is a promise.

225

You give yourself a handshake, you give yourself the pinky, and there is no discussion. And now this one.

226

Next.

227

Prioritize.

228

Good enough.

229

Over perfect.

230

Ooh.

231

I hate that one.

232

That one is difficult if you're a bit of a perfectionist, like many of us are.

233

Maybe just be like...

234

This might just turn out good enough.

235

And that is not going to be a disaster.

236

It so rarely is.

237

you Next, practice saying yes or no quickly to small things.

238

No analyzing, no overthinking, just the small things, yes or no. Okay.

239

Would you like a drink with your order?

240

Yes.

241

Sparkling or still?

242

Sparkling.

243

Okay, do you want to sit indoors or outdoors?

244

Outdoors.

245

Alright?

246

How much do you want to tip?

247

$2.

248

So I'm just making stuff up.

249

Just pick.

250

a low stakes scenario, In your life, and practice being quick.

251

Next.

252

Accept that mistakes are part of the journey.

253

You are going to choose wrong.

254

You are going to maybe wish that you chose something else.

255

You are going to do something that you might later regret.

256

It's unavoidable.

257

Here's the thing: No amount of planning, thinking, weighing this and that,

258

listing, researching, can ever Ever.

259

guarantee your desired outcome.

260

It's impossible.

261

Okay.

262

There is too much in life that is out of your control.

263

So much that could get in the way, I A million reasons for why you could change your mind!

264

Thank you or for why your circumstances can change.

265

So you cannot regardless of how prepared.

266

you think that you are.

267

Regardless of how much time you have spent being indecisive, guarantee your desired outcome.

268

And Once you realize how much of life is out of your control, not fully, We have a lot of control for some things.

269

I think that is the first step in setting yourself free.

270

Next you This one is painful.

271

Are you ready?

272

Track the time costs of indecision.

273

To make it feel real.

274

If you're very brave and kind of crazy, Do this.

275

And once it's black and white,

276

and you realize the amount of time that you spent That might be a wake -up call for you.

277

I don't know if I'm going to do that one.

278

I wrote that because my the highest version of myself.

279

would be brave enough to do that.

280

to look it in the eye.

281

The numbers.

282

and accept them as reality.

283

i have to do that actually so decide faster and fail faster. and live.

284

Faster.

285

Yeah.

286

Live faster.

287

Don't get yourself stuck.

288

So, What is one thing?

289

that you have been sitting on.

290

For weeks, months, dare I say years, And...

291

Make.

292

A decision this week.

293

even if it's Not perfect. And...

294

empower yourself by Remembering that.

295

Maybe you cannot reclaim.

296

the years that you have spent waiting.

297

or you can decide Today, to start living.

298

Alright, thank you so much for being here.

299

I'll talk to you again.

300

next week.

301

Bye.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “your life is being stolen by indecision”. This video has 300 sentences and 2400 words to shadow. The speech runs for 20:55. The speaker talks at a steady 115 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 86% 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
fry verb	/fɹaɪ/	To cook (something) in hot fat.
pasta noun	/ˈpɑ.stə/	Dough made from wheat and water and sometimes mixed with egg and formed into various shapes; often sold in dried form and typically boiled for eating.
indecision noun	/ɪndɪˈsɪʒən/	The inability to decide on a course of action, especially if two or more possibilities exist.
indecisive adjective	/ˌɪndɪˈsaɪsɪv/	Of a person, not decisive, not marked by promptness or decision.
weigh verb	/weɪ/	To determine the weight of an object.
indecisiveness noun		The condition of being indecisive.
ingredient noun	/ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/	One of the substances present in a mixture, especially food.
toss verb	/tɔs/	To throw with an initial upward direction.
salad noun	/ˈsæl.əd/	A food consisting principally of raw vegetables (especially greens, e.g. lettuce), other savoury ingredients (typically cooked), fruit, or confectionary; often…
scenario noun	/sɪˈnɛəɹioʊ/	An outline or model of an expected or supposed sequence of events.
coin noun	/ˈkoɪ̯n/	A piece of currency, usually metallic and in the shape of a disc, but sometimes polygonal, or with a hole in the middle.
cracker noun	/ˈkɹækə(ɹ)/	A dry, thin, crispy baked bread (usually salty or savoury, but sometimes sweet, as in the case of graham crackers and animal crackers).
oftentimes adverb	/ˈɔf.ənˌtaɪmz/	Frequently; often.
optimize verb	/ˈɑptɪmaɪz/	To act optimistically or as an optimist.
overthink verb		To think or analyze too much.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
make up verb	/ˌmeɪk ˈʌp/	To constitute, to compose.
turn out verb		To end up; to result.
go back verb		To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time.
end up verb		To bring to a conclusion.
go through verb		To travel from one end of something to the other.
miss out verb		To miss an experience or lose an opportunity, etc. that should not be missed.
step back verb	/stɛp ˈbæk/	To stop what one is doing and evaluate the current situation.
wake up verb	/ˌweɪk ˈʌp/	To stop sleeping; to awake.

Sentences worth repeating

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

Can I make it at home?
Where to spend my time?
What if we make the wrong decision?
Do I apply for that program or that program?
Would you like a drink with your order?

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 come · have spent · haven't been
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	be pissed · being stolen · can be categorized

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 74 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, don't, gonna. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: indecision /ɪndɪˈsɪʒən/, handshake /ˈhæn(d)ˌʃeɪk/, perfectionism /pɚˈfɛk.ʃə.nɪ.zm̩/, perfectionist /pɚˈfɛk.ʃənɪst/, obsession /əbˈsɛʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: indecision /ɪndɪˈsɪʒən/, indecisive /ˌɪndɪˈsaɪsɪv/, ingredient /ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/, unreasonable /ʌnˈɹiːz.(ə)nə.bl̩/, categorize /ˈkætɪɡəˌɹaɪz/

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 fry, pasta, indecision.

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: your life is being stolen by indecision - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?