Jose Duncan, the Creator of the UnNatural Born Leader podcast has quite the resume under his belt. Duncan, a former professional football player in the AAF, exudes a positive mindset in everything he does. Not only is he a creator of a podcast and a former professional football player, he is a fitness professional and an upcoming author.

In a world where fitness may seem to be external, where the focus is on the look or image one is giving off, Duncan strives to make fitness internal. Internal fitness or should I say “mental fitness,” according to Jose Duncan, is most important because it is what keeps us going. He explains, “Mental fitness is a lot like physical fitness in the ways we can address it. Mentally fit means becoming consistent in our effort to find mental balance. We should always be learning, challenging our beliefs, and practicing healthy ways to protect our peace of mind.”

As you can see, Duncan’s style of fitness is more holistic than anything. Duncan is no stranger to lifting extremely heavy weights and pushing his body to the limit day in and day out. However, Duncan believes becoming mentally fit will do wonders for your physical fitness.

Now, let’s be honest, we as people have our interests, our biases, and our judgements. The reality of it is, judging is a thing we simply should not do. It’s hard not to, but we still do it at the end of the day. However, viewing certain situations from a different perspective teaches us not to judge. Duncan agrees, “Perspective has been how I’ve been able to find balance in my life. It’s also how I am able to limit how much I judge others around me. From their point of view, I like to understand why they made a decision and how someone other than myself views similar issues. Perspective-taking has allowed me to connect with my clients a lot better because I am not judging or having preconceptions about them. I can meet people where they are instead of requiring them to see through my perspective. It has been the most significant change of mindset for me, especially throughout COVID-19.”

It is no mystery the world is in shambles due to COVID-19. To view our current situation through the lens of what one may call “perspective” is certainly insightful.

No judgement.

No bias.

Just pure acceptance.

Duncan learned how to accept the situation whether good or bad and find a way to rise above it.

In a world where social media is critical to keeping people together, it is easy to recognize Jose Duncan’s absence.

One can simply ask

“Where’s Jose?”

Duncan believes a period of absence is necessary because it is incredibly impactful to be connected, but then again, being connected 24/7 is not good for you. It just goes to say… “too much of anything is not good for you.”

According to Duncan, focusing on executing and taking this once in a lifetime circumstance being COVID-19 is extremely important to double down and reassess what really matters. Duncan is working on publishing his first book that gives insight on this process. Duncan says, “Working on publishing my first book was a catalyst for postponing posting on social media after September and staying connected. I’ve had to get the book edited twice professionally and edit it three times myself so that process had been stressful. I’m excited to release it next month. I think it’s the start of a lot of books and audiobooks to come. I plan to post again towards the new year.”

To be the “Dumbest Person in the Room” may sound discouraging and something most of us would not rather be. However, the phrase provides some sort of context that leads to an understanding. Duncan uses this phrase to title the most recent episode of his podcast series to play up the connotation of what it means to be “dumb” against what it means to be a sponge. He clarifies, “Becoming a sponge has always been terminology used since playing pee-wee football. I began to understand why that was so important in college and my brief time playing professionally. I had a big ego, so it was not easy to accept what I thought I knew wasn’t enough. I always struggle with asking for help. Instead, I would watch people, study their actions and behaviors, and mold them into my own. It was my way of learning.”

Duncan concludes, “The most significant difference now is that “being the dumbest person in the room” has allowed me to become financially more literate. I’ve grown an understanding of the stock market, learned how to write a book, and a bunch of other new skills. If you want to find better answers, ask harder questions. I get around intelligent people or those with a different perspective and ask many questions. The more they feel you don’t know, the more they will tell you everything. People love showing how competent they are. Use it to your advantage. If you cannot find these environments, I encourage people to create them using any available resource. Social media is one of the best ways to build an intelligent network.”

We all learn differently. Some say experience is the best way to learn. Others say a fond sense of curiosity is the best way to learn. However, how you learn is your decision. Jose Duncan found his way of learning through understanding perspective. What’s yours?

For more on Jose Duncan, follow him on Instagram @JoseDuncanJr.