A few years ago, I first read ‘the Rule of Benedict for Beginners’ at my first silent retreat.
That’s where the seeds for my quest for the simple and the silent were planted…

Quickly I forgot all about it, and was constantly trying to swallow a river of information from a garden hose, driven crazy by multi-tasking, never satisfied, never feeling good enough…
I needed a break and some guidance. That’s when I started looking for a template for my life in order to attain three ideals:

• a healthy disciplined structure
• a quiet mind
• an intimate relationship with God – listening more than speaking

Bliss of Benedictinism

My fascination for Benedictinism was finally rekindled in 2011 when, after a difficult year of pain, grief and growth, I started to live my life instead of merely surviving.

A search for a new way of living led me into reading about the monastic life of the Benedictine monks again.
I started to wonder whether I could apply some of what they had into my ordinary daily life.The simple bliss and down-to-earth practicality of Benedictinism increasingly captivated me, as I was researching it.

Benedictinism is the most down to earth of all Monastic Spiritualities, the most stripped down form of spirituality there is. It is about doing the same things differently and not to aim for “higher spiritual highs”. A potent antidote to my mind, which always strives to complicate things as much as possible.

Mindfulness & Beauty

Attention to details, to the beauty of ordinary things and mindful action can change any mundane task into a work of art dedicated to God. It’s about going Back to Basics: ‘Ora et Labora’. So ‘Pray and Work’ instead of the somewhat hedonistic and self-centered motto ‘Eat, Pray, Love’.

Simple & Inspired

That sounds like (Gregorian) music to my little overstimulated ears and overwhelmed mind. So it was only a logical next little step that I decided to change the name of my blog from: ‘Inspiration & Productivity’ to: ‘Simple & Inspired Living’ to better fit my changed focus. Recently, I also got the new domain name: simple-inspired.com.

Presenting: The Benedict Project

You are warmly invited to join me as I embark on my road to applying Benedictine spirituality and way of living into my daily little urban life and sharing about it this year. I proudly present to you: The Benedict Project.

Sneak peak at my plans for 2012:

• Practicing Benedictine principles in my life and regularly blogging about my experiences.
• Offering suggestions and exercises for you to practice.
• Visiting a few Benedict Monasteries this year and taking you virtually with me.

Questions, comments and shared experience are more than welcome in the comments-section below, on Twitter or via Facebook.

If you like this, please forward it to a friend. I am very grateful for word-of-mouth sharing!

* The title was partly inspired by great author Gretchen Rubin‘s #1 best-selling, lovely must-read book: the Happiness Project., available at Amazon.