Everything is what it is, and what it is Becoming.
Welcome
We all have a What Happened story.
How we got here. How things fell apart or into place. Sometimes this story changes as we get more information, get older, or a new perspective. Sometimes it never changes, and runs beneath everything we continue to experience, whether we realize it or not — the story of our life lodged in a single defining moment, a string of events, or what someone once said to us.
Maybe it all just seems like a big question mark:
What Happened? How did I get here?
Or maybe the answer lies in what we were told about how things worked, and the Truth of Life. Because that’s it. That’s What Happened. That’s our Theory:
Our Origin Story
And our understanding of What Happened, personally and for Life in general, gets woven into how we make sense of our lives: to what is happening here, and why it is happening now. It becomes a framework for how we put the pieces together, which influences any action we take, and reinforces itself like a habit. This becomes our approach to living:
Our Life’s Methodology
Which connects to our sense of self — Who Am I? How do I fit, relate, and belong? Where is my place and my purpose? And on some occasions:
What’s the Point?
In moments, when there’s no good or clear answer, or when Life as you know it suddenly shifts, changes, or collapses:
What’s Left?
What’s left is:
Life’s Invitation
And while it may feel like an end, Life’s Invitation is an opening: a place to start living with greater Awareness.
And just so you know, Life’s Invitation is not personal or evaluative. And tho it makes for a great slogan, it is not a happy face sticker, nor require you to stop being angry about your health situation, or wrecked by loss. Life’s Invitation welcomes grief and deep dives and joy. In this way, it is an Open Invitation, with no specific start time or dress code:
just show up when you are ready, and please, come as you are.
My Approach
I’m Linda Van Leuven, Ph.D., and Welcome to my world of work, which includes Life’s Invitation, and its associated programs: Life’s Methodology, and a Sociology of Awareness. I created these educational approaches to help people see and experience Life in new ways — simply by learning to take a bigger perspective from their everyday circumstances and concerns. This is vitally important in times of great change and uncertainty, or when it seems like the rule book got tossed out the window and you feel adrift.
I developed this work because my life fell apart. Many times. For many different reasons. And so much so, that it became a theme, and just seemed to be my thing:
“Oh, there it is again.”
But because I’m a Sociologist, I started to notice what was happening, get curious, and allow myself to think differently about whatever I “thought” was going on. Specifically, I began to think “Bigger” and in more connected and inclusive ways. This is the beauty of what a sociological perspective offers, and it allowed me to stay more open to possibility, and engage a flexible way of thinking.
So, I learned how to partner with Life — and with whatever was happening — in a way that allowed me to go on, even as it felt like I was ending. This process became a resource, a foundation of my
Life’s Survival Tool Kit
And each seeming disaster was also an identity fracturing, prompting me to explore my sense of self, and take stock of this thing called “my life.”
Mostly, like any good investigation, it required that I take it seriously, ask the right questions, and for this particular study, bring along great compassion and a good sense of humor.
So I did, and now you can, too.
The Specifics
If you’d like to learn more, there are several ways to work with me and these teachings (see Classes and Consultations). My Blog, Photography, and other Writings are also available to give you a greater sense of how simple shifts in perspective might help you in your life. Maybe the work I’ve shared on this website has already brought you some new awareness, or encouragement.
Wonderful!
If so, and you’d like to share the good news, let me offer a final note on Citation & The Big Picture:
We don’t live in isolation or anonymous abstraction, however it may feel like this at times. But our lives are interwoven and built on the work and actual lives of others. The simple act of crediting or citing a source contributes to this interconnection.
So if you’d like to share my work, slogans, or insights, awesome! Just please make sure to cite me, this website and page. Thank you in advance for valuing my work and creating connection.
We all have a Life’s Methodology, What’s Yours?