We recently connected with David Jacobson and have shared our conversation below.
Hi David, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
The simplest answer I can give is, it comes from my sense of humor. If you can change the way you think, you can change the way you feel and with the help of your sense of humor, you change the way you think by focusing on positive thoughts and decreasing negative ones. When you’re purposely using your sense of humor to see the positive side of life, you’re creating a force shield against all the negative thoughts that may intrude upon you through sources such as news media, social and environmental factors. I’m an old dude now, soon to be 67. I’ve learned through the years that the benefits of being optimistic far outweigh any benefit’s of being pessimistic. Through my sense of humor, I have become more confident, more healthy physically and mentally, and have become a much better leader, friend and partner. and most of all a better and kinder person. I’d say modest too, but it’s too late for that after trying to make myself sound so wonderful, which I’m not by the way, just ask my wife of almost 40 years. Optimism is a learned trait. Anyone is capable to improving their world view.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Let me start with my story: I want you to come with me to a high school wrestling meet in the Spring
of 1975. The Ref blows the whistle and the match starts. Its loud, people
are cheering, people are shouting. “Sweep his leg! Come on! Duck-under!
Leg Trip!” In 35 seconds, it’s all over. The Ref comes over and raises the
winner’s arm. The crowd goes wild. Fast forward five years later. You see
that same wrestler in bed, writhing in pain and without enough strength
to get to a sitting position. He’s lost 30 pounds and looks like a shell of
his former self. That was me with my arm raised in that match and that
was me five years later without the strength to raise his own arm. The
initial diagnosis was rheumatic fever followed a short time later by severe
psoriatic arthritis. As that young man writhed in pain, he wondered when
the miracle would happen that would restore him to his former self. Though never restored to my former self, the miracle for me was learning to use my sense of humor as my main coping mechanism. I’ll never forget the first time I cracked up laughing after my first few weeks of
chronic, excruciating pain. I was 22 years old when diagnosed and back living with my mother. I
did a silly walk since I couldn’t walk normal anyway and we both laughed. That helped me come to
the realization that although I had to live in this painful body there was no rule that I couldn’t have a
quality of life, still have joy, be playful and have fun. My sense of humor helped me choose an optimistic perspective.
Next part of the question is what do I do?
What I do is tied to my life purpose which to use my sense of humor to make life better for all. I am currently on the board of the Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor, AATH.org. An amazing organization that helped me take my own use of therapeutic humor to the next level. AATH is a supportive community of people from all professions and all walks of life. I am a proud graduate of the AATH Humor Academy, a three year course which when completed you become a Certified Humor Professional. My goal through my books and speaking is to share the message of how powerful humor is and can be. It can even be life transforming as it was for me. My story talks about how I used humor to overcoming adversity and the role humor played in my recovery and success. Talking about the power of therapeutic humor energizes me and reinforces my optimism.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The first quality will be obvious and that is my sense of humor. There are many ways to improve your sense of humor and many books on how to do this, including one of my own. “7 1/2 Habits To Help You Become More Humorous, Happier & Healthier.”
The second, I would say is emotional intelligence (certainly not mental intelligence, though I wish it was, for some reason, people think I’m smarter than I actually am).
To be aware of how those around you are feeling and how you are feeling yourself is critical to relationships. Emotional intelligence can also be improved by becoming more aware of your own thoughts and feelings. There’s tons of information out there on this too.
The third is practicing kindness, the rewards are aways greater than the effort. I don’t have to tell you how to do this.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
My wife and I are currently dealing with several health issues. She was recently diagnosed with neurosarcoidosis, a rare and potentially debilitating disease, which she is slowly recovering from. Her health issues far surpass mine at this time. She has always been a loving caregiver when needed and now I have the opportunity to be the loving caregiver as well. I could go on and on about our challenges and problems, because if you ask an old Jew about their challenges and problems be prepared for a very long response. I will spare the readers what my normal response would be here. What are we doing to cope with these issues, besides medications? You guess it! We’re remaining optimistic and using our senses of humor. We crack up on a daily basis and it really helps!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://davidmjacobson.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-jacobson-lcsw-chp-9989062/
Image Credits
Feature photo by Laurie Jacobson
Photo two (with President) Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Picture with dog by Laurie Jacobson
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
