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B2 English Podcast: Discussion and Debate! Comprehensible Input English — Transcript

by High Level Listening Advanced English Podcast · 3,718 words · 583 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:01Hey everybody, welcome back to High
0:03Level Listening where today we've got a
0:05highlevel B2 and C1 discussion for you.
0:08So get ready to really push and expand
0:10your listening skills with us in real
0:12English with real teachers who are
0:14definitely not AI. I don't remember the
0:17>> fine
0:17>> think you put your hand in front of your
0:19face and we are definitely not AI.
0:21[laughter]
0:22>> Yes. When I say that if we were AI, I
0:24would give myself hair.
0:26>> Oh yes.
0:27>> So that's my response. But yes, well
0:29today's discussion is about something
0:31that affects everyone who works. How
0:34much of your life should you be willing
0:36to sacrifice for your career? So we're
0:40going to look at the difficult tradeoffs
0:42between earning more money, building a
0:45successful career, and actually having
0:47enough time and energy to enjoy your
0:50life.
0:51>> Absolutely. So, to help you test and
0:53build your B2 and C1 English
0:55comprehension, we're going to tackle
0:56some of the harder questions today.
0:59Something like, is a high salary worth
1:02long hours and constant pressure? Is
1:05stepping down from a successful position
1:07sometimes the right decision for you and
1:09your family? And perhaps the biggest
1:11question of today, who actually gets to
1:14decide what a successful life looks
1:17like? Now, I think this is such an
1:20interesting B2 and C1 discussion because
1:22our priorities can change enormously
1:25throughout our lives, right? And there
1:27isn't necessarily one correct way to
1:29balance ambition, money, your free time,
1:31and of course, your happiness. As
1:34always, we'd love to hear from you. Let
1:36us know in the comments what you think
1:37about today's topic at the end of the
1:39discussion.
1:40>> Yes. And one more thing before we jump
1:42into the debates, a quick reminder. If
1:44you want to improve your English and
1:46start expressing your own opinions on
1:49deeper topics like this, you can check
1:51out our B2 and C active discussion pack.
1:55It has guided speaking exercises, great
1:57vocabulary lists, transcripts of every
2:00episode, MP3s, and lots more to help you
2:02build your opinions and express them in
2:05highlevel English. You can find the link
2:06to that in the description below.
2:12Okay, so let's start with part one. And
2:15the first question is, is a high salary
2:18worth sacrificing your quality of life?
2:22H. Okay, so something to think about and
2:24you'll hear it once more. Is a high
2:26salary, getting paid lots of money,
2:29worth sacrificing your quality of life?
2:32Okay, so let's start off with what is
2:35probably the most obvious trade-off,
2:38money versus time. Okay, imagine you're
2:41offered a job that pays considerably
2:44more than you're earning now, but
2:45there's a catch. You're expected to work
2:47late, answer messages outside of working
2:50hours, travel more frequently, and take
2:53on a much heavier workload. I think most
2:56people instinctively focus on the salary
2:58because, well, because it's measurable,
3:01right? You can compare the numbers and
3:03immediately see what you're gaining,
3:05more money, right? What isn't nearly as
3:08obvious is this gradual erosion of
3:11everything else. Dinner becomes another
3:14opportunity to clear your inbox. Your
3:17weekends slowly fill up with work and
3:19before you realize it, being busy has
3:21become your default setting. If you're
3:23permanently run off your feet, you have
3:25to ask what that success is actually
3:27costing you.
3:30>> Yeah. And I agree with the principle,
3:32but I also think there's a danger of
3:34looking at that question from the
3:36comfortable position of someone who
3:38already has enough money.
3:40>> If you're living paycheck to paycheck,
3:42earning significantly more could
3:44completely transform your quality of
3:47life. So we often talk about work life
3:49balance as though everybody has the
3:52luxury of prioritizing one over the
3:54other. But financial stress can follow
3:57you home as well. You might finish work
3:59at 5 every afternoon, but if you're
4:02spending your evening worrying about
4:03whether you can afford an unexpected
4:05bill, all that free time isn't
4:08necessarily giving you peace of mind. So
4:11sometimes taking on a demanding job is a
4:14worthwhile trade-off to get some much
4:15needed financial breathing room.
4:18>> Yeah, sure. And I I can see that. That's
4:20a very fair distinction. Um, I mean
4:23there's a world of difference between
4:25earning more because you're genuinely
4:27struggling to make ends meet and earning
4:29more simply because your expectations
4:31keep rising alongside your income.
4:34Right? That's kind of where that
4:36lifestyle inflation has a habit of
4:39creeping in almost unnoticed. Like the
4:42idea where you get a promotion, so you
4:45upgrade your car and then holidays
4:48become more ambitious and longer and
4:51before long your idea of what's normal
4:54kind of has quietly shifted. The higher
4:56salary stops feeling like a luxury and
4:59gradually becomes the minimum you need
5:01just to sustain the life that you've
5:03built, right? Um I think sometimes
5:06people call them the golden handcuffs.
5:09Maybe lowering your income or taking a
5:11job below you would mean unraveling an
5:13entire lifestyle you've become
5:15accustomed to, which makes walking away
5:17feel really risky.
5:19>> And yeah, I think that's where this gets
5:22interesting because the highpaying job
5:24itself isn't inherently the problem.
5:26It's allowing your spending to rise
5:28until you've removed your own freedom to
5:31choose. If someone earns a lot and lives
5:34reasonably and builds up a strong
5:36financial cushion, then those demanding
5:38years could actually buy them more
5:39freedom later. They might be able to
5:41retire early or move into something less
5:44lucrative because they put themselves in
5:46a strong position. So, I think working
5:48extremely hard for money isn't
5:49automatically a bad bargain, provided
5:52there's a clear strategy behind the
5:54sacrifice rather than just endlessly
5:56moving the goalposts.
5:58>> Well, yeah, sure. And having kind of a
6:00defined endpoint could change
6:02everything, right? It feels more
6:04temporary rather than a permanent
6:06solution. So if you consciously decide
6:08to do a demanding job for say 3 years
6:12and you're saving aggressively and then
6:15you can reassess, maybe that's more of a
6:17deliberate choice, right? What worries
6:20me is when a temporary sacrifice quietly
6:22turns into a permanent way of living.
6:25You take the promotion thinking it'll
6:27only be stressful while you settle in,
6:29right? You know, the first few days are
6:31always the hardest, but two years later,
6:33you're still answering emails at 10:00
6:35at night, and that pace that once felt
6:38unsustainable somehow becomes your new
6:41normal.
6:42>> Yeah. I suppose one thing, if I can play
6:46devil's advocate here, why does work
6:49necessarily have to make you happy? I
6:52think we developed a modern expectation
6:54that our job should be fulfilling and
6:57reflect our identity. But perhaps
6:59there's nothing wrong with saying I
7:01don't particularly enjoy my job but it
7:03pays me well and it funds a life that I
7:05enjoy. You can get your sense of purpose
7:08from other places like your family,
7:10hobbies or through volunteering perhaps.
7:13But expecting your employer to provide
7:16your salary and then also your social
7:19life and all your personal fulfillment
7:21as well might be asking a bit too much.
7:24>> I mean, yeah, I I can see your
7:26perspective there. But uh and of course
7:28a job can just be a job. But the crucial
7:33question is whether your work stays in
7:35its place, right? There's a huge
7:37difference between an unfulfilling job
7:40and one that spills over into every
7:42other part of your life. Right? If
7:44you're mentally exhausted every evening
7:46and you're too distracted to enjoy
7:48dinner or you're dreading Monday morning
7:51on a Sunday afternoon, work has
7:53definitely become something that you
7:54carry around with you. I guess the real
7:56question is what version of you does
7:58this job leave for everything and
8:01everyone else.
8:03>> Oh, that's a good question. Okay.
8:09>> Well, we'll leave that one there and
8:11move on to part two. The second point of
8:14today's discussion is taking a step
8:17backwards in your career sometimes the
8:20smartest move.
8:22So it's taking a step backwards in your
8:26career. In other words, maybe not
8:29pursuing promotion, maybe leaving a job
8:32or taking a lower salary job backwards.
8:36Maybe that is a good move. So let's
8:38imagine that you've reached the the
8:39pinnacle, the top of the career ladder.
8:42You've spent 10 or 15 years working your
8:44way up and you're earning lucrative
8:47money. you finally have that coveted job
8:50title, but you realize you are utterly
8:53miserable. Would you be willing to step
8:56down? Uh, I think it's incredibly
8:58difficult, not just because of the
9:00money, but because of the influence that
9:03you also have to surrender. When you're
9:05in a senior position, you have a seat at
9:08the table. You get to call the shots.
9:11You get to shape the company culture
9:12perhaps and and direct a team. If you
9:15voluntarily step backwards into a less
9:18demanding role, you're basically
9:20relinquishing that influence and your
9:23autonomy and prestige, you might have to
9:25go back to taking orders rather than
9:27giving them. And so for someone who
9:30becomes accustomed driving the strategy,
9:33trading that level of impact for a
9:35quieter life might lead to more
9:37frustration, not less.
9:40>> Yeah, I can I can definitely see what
9:42you mean by that. And that is a really
9:43compelling point. Giving up that level
9:45of authority is undeniably tough,
9:48especially when you fought tooth and
9:49nail to earn it in the first place,
9:51right? Um it can kind of feel as though
9:53you're silencing your own voice. I know
9:56my dad definitely felt that when he
9:58retired. All of a sudden, he had no one
10:00to boss around anymore, right? But I
10:03think we have to ask ourselves why that
10:05loss of influence feels so devastating,
10:08right? often it's because we've allowed
10:10our professional status to completely
10:12absorb our identity, right? Especially
10:15for Americans, our job and our work is
10:18is who we are. That's that we don't
10:21really have much outside of that, right?
10:23If you've spent a decade defining
10:25yourself as the director or the primary
10:28decision maker, stepping away is going
10:30to leave a massive void. And uh like
10:34apart from that, I think it's
10:35fascinating how we automatically frame
10:37this as kind of taking a step backwards.
10:40That phrase assumes that success is
10:43exclusively a vertical climb, right? We
10:45have to be going up in order to be doing
10:48better. But what if stepping down or
10:51from a leadership role means actually
10:53stepping into a better role at home?
10:56Right? On paper, you might be
10:58relinquishing some sort of corporate
11:00influence, but you could be gaining the
11:03time and energy to actually influence
11:05your own children's lives or be a more
11:07present partner for your partner at
11:09home.
11:10>> Yeah, I think you're absolutely right
11:12about the identity aspects, the status
11:14of having a highpaying job or a high
11:17level position is is intoxicating. But
11:20yeah, we we might claim that we don't
11:22care about the societal expectations,
11:24but if you leave a highpaying job, it's
11:27probably quite jarring and difficult to
11:29watch your peers overtake you, get
11:31promoted and celebrated while you've
11:34removed yourself from the race. So you
11:36might go to a a networking event or even
11:38like a school reunion and suddenly you
11:41feel compelled to justify a decision
11:44that made your life happy and healthier.
11:47But for other people would be like
11:49surprising and confusing like why did
11:51you leave that job? You quit. What?
11:55>> Yeah. I feel like we we're just a little
11:57bit greedy too. Um, so I think because
12:01comparison has that sneaky way of kind
12:04of re-calibrating how we actually feel
12:06about things. It's that FOMO, fear of
12:08missing out. I mean, you can be
12:10perfectly happy with your quieter, much
12:13more balanced life, maybe until a former
12:15colleague announces kind of their
12:17prestigious new role on LinkedIn and
12:20suddenly you feel as though you're
12:21falling behind again. Because I mean,
12:23that's what we've been taught since
12:24school. is like do our best, take the
12:26next step, get to the next place. But
12:28there there is a ceiling of course and
12:31social media definitely amplifies this
12:34because we are constantly bombarded with
12:36highlight reels of professional
12:39triumphs. Uh people who have got it all
12:42right. They eagerly broadcast their
12:44promotions and their awards, but they
12:47rarely post about the boundaries that
12:49they have to set or the family dinners
12:52that they've missed. There's no shiny
12:54certificate for having low stress levels
12:57or a well-rested mind. You don't get a
13:00pat on the back for reading your book
13:02and sitting there in the quiet, right?
13:05So, consequently, we start measuring our
13:08self-worth by these highly visible
13:10metrics while the most profound and
13:13meaningful achievements go completely
13:15unnoticed by the outside world.
13:18>> Yeah. Right. especially those LinkedIn
13:20platforms value the hustle
13:23>> the hustle working almost constantly
13:26never missing an opportunity to make
13:28money or do some business but yeah that
13:31hustle is yeah I think it's
13:34>> it's not necessarily inherently toxic to
13:37want more and to
13:39>> and to be ambitious I think there are
13:42some people who probably thrive on the
13:44high stakes responsibility and they feel
13:47invigorated by the the pressure of
13:49leading a company or or reaching the
13:51peak of their profession can be very
13:54satisfying and maybe telling those kinds
13:56of people that they should step back to
13:59find a balance might be just as
14:02restrictive as forcing someone else to
14:04relentlessly climb the corporate ladder.
14:07So I think if you do genuinely derive
14:10authentic satisfaction from your
14:13professional career then okay fair
14:16enough maybe you can carry on. You don't
14:17need to feel guilty just because someone
14:19else would find it exhausting.
14:22>> Well, yeah, and I completely agree with
14:24that. Ambition itself is a wonderful
14:27trait, right? That's what we've been
14:28told at least our entire lives. Um, kind
14:31of the danger arises when ambition
14:35ceases to be a conscious choice and
14:37morphs into kind of a mindless default
14:40setting. Right? It's the difference
14:42between pursuing a promotion because it
14:45genuinely aligns with your passions
14:47versus chasing it simply because upwards
14:50is the only direction you know, right?
14:53You hit one milestone and before you've
14:55even had a chance to celebrate it,
14:57you're already fixated on the next one.
14:59Or in my case, sometimes I leave
15:02projects at like 80% 90% done and I'm
15:05already looking at what to do next,
15:07right? I haven't even completed one and
15:09I haven't even had time to celebrate
15:11one. Right? If you kind of never pause
15:14to define what enough looks like for
15:18you, kind of success becomes that moving
15:20target that you were talking about that
15:22you're never actually going to hit.
15:24Okay? And you're never going to be
15:25satisfied with what you've done. Right?
15:28I think that's why choosing to step off
15:30the ladder isn't really about giving up.
15:32It's about becoming more intentional
15:34with your limited time and recognizing
15:37that that personal growth doesn't always
15:39require a bigger paycheck or a flashier
15:41title.
15:46So, part three, and this is where we
15:48kind of have a little bit more of the
15:50deeper thinking. Who actually gets to
15:52decide what a successful life looks
15:55like? I, you know, before we had this
15:58question, I had never even thought about
16:00that. That's uh that's quite profound,
16:02right? Who actually gets to decide what
16:05a successful life looks like? So, this
16:08is our final and probably most
16:10philosophical debate. Uh we've talked
16:13about trading time for money and the
16:16difficult choice it might be of stepping
16:18backwards on the career ladder. But
16:20underneath all of this is kind of a much
16:22deeper question. Who actually gets to
16:25set the benchmark for success in the
16:27first place? From a very young age,
16:29we're fed a highly specific, very
16:32conventional blueprint. We're taught
16:34that success looks like getting a
16:36prestigious degree from our college or
16:39university, securing a high-paying
16:41corporate job, buying a large house, and
16:44constantly, it feels like, constantly
16:47accumulating more wealth. And I would
16:50argue that many people spend their
16:51entire lives exhausting themselves to
16:54achieve this ideal only to finally reach
16:57the finish line and realize the prize is
16:59entirely unfulfilling because it was
17:01never actually their own dream to begin
17:04with.
17:05>> Yeah. Right. I definitely agree that
17:07that blueprint is very rigid. There's
17:10only one way to play that game. And I
17:13mean it's I don't think we should
17:15dismiss it entirely that conventional
17:18paths of working hard, securing
17:21financial stability and climbing the
17:22ranks. I don't think it was invented
17:25initially just to make us miserable and
17:28obedient.
17:29>> I think people do like structure and
17:31people do like a reliable framework and
17:34a path to to follow. But yeah, and maybe
17:37not everyone wants the pressure of
17:39having to reinvent the wheel and and sit
17:41and discover their own unique life
17:43purpose. For a lot of people, just
17:45having a clear universally understood
17:48milestone is is kind of comforting to
17:50know that you have the same shared goal
17:52as everyone else. And if you follow this
17:55established path, you're rewarded by
17:57social validation from your colleagues
17:59and friends and financial security as
18:03well. So yes, it's easy to say you can
18:05reject that blueprint and forge your own
18:08unconventional path. And it sounds very
18:10liberating in theory, but in practice,
18:13it's often terrifying, unstable, and I
18:17think a lot of people come back to the
18:19blueprint in the end when it doesn't
18:21work out.
18:23>> Yeah. And I mean, of course, it is
18:25definitely terrifying, but I think that
18:27fear is exactly what keeps people
18:29trapped in some of these unfulfilling
18:32routines, right? The problem with
18:34relying on that conventional framework
18:36for our comfort is that the world has
18:38changed so much yet our definition of
18:41success hasn't really evolved with it.
18:43Right? I feel like this is the same
18:45dream that someone from the 50s or 60s
18:47would have thought of. Right? So for
18:49many younger generations, the
18:51traditional milestones like buying a
18:53four-bedroom house or having a perfectly
18:56linear career where every year you're
18:58moving up, you're moving forward. I
19:01think these are becoming financially
19:03unattainable. Anyway, so when people
19:06inevitably fall short of these outdated
19:09expectations, they feel like huge
19:11failures. I think we need to grant
19:13ourselves the autonomy to completely
19:15redefine success on our own terms. If a
19:19successful life to you means working a
19:21modest part-time job so you can focus on
19:23painting or traveling out of a backpack
19:26instead of paying a mortgage, society
19:28shouldn't get to brand you as an
19:31underachiever.
19:33>> True. Yeah, I see where you're coming
19:34from and that that level of freedom is
19:37certainly the ideal, I think. But I
19:40think if we want to be [snorts]
19:42realistic about human nature, we are
19:44still deeply social creatures and I
19:47think deep down we still crave the
19:50approval of our peers. We family,
19:53colleagues or friends and you can
19:55confidently declare that you've redefine
19:58success for yourself, but it's
20:01relentlessly exhausting to constantly
20:04defend your life choices to a society
20:07that doesn't understand them. So when
20:08you deviate from the norm, you will
20:11inevitably face some judgment. You'll
20:13get some unsolicited advice and probably
20:16condescension as well. But you you do
20:19technically get to decide what your own
20:20success looks like, but you still have
20:22to live within a society that still
20:25promotes a very different paradigm. So
20:29ignoring that external pressure requires
20:31a level of unwavering self asssurance
20:35that I don't think many people actually
20:37possess.
20:38Yeah, and that absolutely is a fair
20:40point. It's exhausting to swim against
20:43the current, right? The social
20:45conditioning is so deeply ingrained in
20:48us. Like if you went to school when you
20:50were little and you watched TV shows and
20:52you saw what the ideal life was, right?
20:56But sometimes we do think we're making
20:58independent choices, but we're often
21:01just subconsciously seeking validation
21:03from our peers. We want them to see us
21:06and think, "Oh, wow. She's doing so much
21:08with her life, right? She's so
21:09fulfilled. But I still believe that kind
21:12of that friction of defending your
21:14unconventional choices is a much better
21:17price to pay than that quiet despair of
21:20living what is essentially someone
21:23else's life. It's not your own. And I
21:25think it takes an enormous amount of
21:27courage to sit down and separate your
21:29desires from these outside pressure. You
21:33have to interrogate your own goals. You
21:36have to really ask yourself, do I
21:38actually want this promotion or do I
21:40just want the applause that comes with
21:42it,
21:44>> right? And I think that's the the
21:45perfect question to summarize the entire
21:48dilemma. Separating what you genuinely
21:50want from what you've been conditioned
21:53to want may be the hardest work you ever
21:56do. And sometimes, yeah, the ultimate
21:59measure of success isn't just wealth or
22:01status or even defying convention just
22:04for the sake of it. Maybe true success
22:07is just reaching a point where you no
22:09longer feel that you have to justify
22:11your choices to anyone but yourself. And
22:14if you can look at the life that you've
22:15built and honestly say that it reflects
22:18your own priorities rather than someone
22:20else's expectations,
22:22maybe that's it. You've already
22:23succeeded.
22:25Hm. Interesting thought.
22:27>> Yeah. Right. That's a good ending. Uh
22:30okay. Well, there you are. Three
22:31interesting and slightly challenging
22:33discussion points about the work life
22:36balance. We'd love to know what you
22:37think if someone offered you a much
22:40higher salary tomorrow. What would you
22:42be willing to sacrifice? Time for
22:44yourself, time with family, and are
22:47there any things that you would refuse
22:48to give up? Let us know in the comments
22:50below. We read and reply to every single
22:52one.
22:54And if you'd like to practice discussing
22:56topics like this yourself with some
22:58self-study, don't forget to check out
22:59our B2 and C1 active discussion pack. It
23:03includes all the full transcripts,
23:05advanced vocabulary pages, guided
23:08speaking activities, debate questions,
23:11shadowing practice, and MP3s to help you
23:13move from understanding English to
23:16actually expressing your own ideas with
23:18confidence. for listening. We'll see you
23:20in the next highle listening discussion
23:22here on YouTube very very soon. Bye-bye.

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