Jim Roy and Bob Wubbolding. (Bob is wearing the Bengals hat he got for my son. Thank you, Bob.)

My emotions were truly mixed as I left Toronto yesterday afternoon, after good-byes to fellow choice theorists, some of them having traveled from the other side of the world to attend the conference. In total behavior language, my back tire of feeling, and even my physiology, was experiencing the reality of saying farewell to people who I may not see again for quite a while. I had been looking forward to seeing them as the conference approached, but now the conference had ended and we were all heading home. I intentionally decided to get back on the front tire of thinking and tried to embrace thoughts like – I’ll stay in better touch, or I’ll see people again at the next conference in Korea (summer, 2016), or We can stay connected through The Better Plan blog – but no sooner had I got on the front tires when that huge back feeling tire reminded me that the conference was over and the wonderful time I had spent with dear friends was soon to be a moment in the past. Maybe there is a kind of appropriate grief at the end of a Glasser conference.

The board members of William Glasser International.

The conference was such an international event! I can’t provide a complete list of the countries represented at the conference, however I spoke to people from Canada, Ireland, Australia, Croatia, New Zealand, South Africa, Iran, Columbia, Argentina, Japan, Korea, and Malaysia. Pretty amazing! And several of these countries have fostered an incredible choice theory presence in their respective cultures. An example of this international success was seen during the conference when representatives from Japan stood and indicated that the Achievement Corporation, the company in Japan that promotes the Glasser ideas through publishing and training, was giving $100,000 to the newly established William Glasser International endowment fund. They are doing something right to be able to donate that kind of money! Very cool!

The support for and affirmation of the Glasser biography was very special for me personally, especially from those who were actually a part of Glasser’s life. My hope is that, as a result of my speaking at the conference, more people now know about the book, and that they will pass the word along to others in their communities that Glasser’s story is available. Throughout his life Glasser wanted to make mental health understandable to anyone interested in learning about how our brains work. I wanted his biography to do the same, and I attempted to write it in a way that would capture any reader’s attention. Time will tell the extent to which the biography does that.

A big WELCOME to those of you just joining The Better Plan blog as a result of the recent Glasser conference! I think you will find a lot of choice theory support here. Previous posts are listed on the left hand side of the page, and you can quickly and easily access all of the blogs from last year by clicking on the 2013 – Year At A Glance link. Take a moment to enter your email address and click on the FOLLOW link. It’s great to have you join The Better Plan community.

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