Tim van der Vliet
Tim van der Vliet (born August 17, 1969) is a Dutch author, speaker, poet and yogi. He writes AbOUT life and conscious living in a lighthearted and down-to-earth way. After working in the financial market for 13 years, he quits his job and starts writing about life in short verses and one-liners.
He self-publishes his first book, Spiritual Awakening (the easy way) in December 2010 under his pseudonym Timotheus. In 2013, Tim signs a book deal with Hay House UK for the republication of Spiritual Awakening (the easy way) in the Autumn of 2013, together with an option on all upcoming books.
Biography
Tim van der Vliet is born in Amstelveen, The Netherlands on August 17, 1969. When he is 11, his father dies during a ski trip. He grows up with his 2-year older brother and mother in a free-spirited and eccentric household.
After finishing high school, Tim travels in Europe. He studies Spanish in Salamanca, picks grapes for the Beaujolais primeur wine in France and works for a discotheque in Salou (Spain). He starts living in Amsterdam at age 18 and after trying a variety of studies, enrolls in the study of Economics at the University of Amsterdam at age 24. During a class in Portfolio Management Tim has an epiphany: he realizes he wants to become a market maker at the Amsterdam STOCK Exchange. When he is 30 he receives his Master’s degree.
Financial career
Tim starts working as a market maker in Philips and Royal Dutch options and stocks at age 29. He works in the pit: the part of the trading floor where options and stocks are traded in an Open outcry system through shouting and hand signaling. Just after his third child is born, at age 34, Tim loses all his money. He decides to turn to the more academic side of trading and starts working with a Swiss high-frequency algorithmic trading company called Source Capital AG. Source Capital AG executes trades through computer programs, thus trading without human intervention. Most of his colleagues have PhD's in Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science and Tim discusses with them the academic and mathematical side of his new-found passion: spirituality and Mysticism. During his years at Source, Tim passes the three exams of the CFA Institute, takes up a daily yoga practice, raises three children and reads and philosophies at night.
In 2010 Tim decides to quit his job. He feels a burn-out coming and realizes it is time for a change. During his first week off, he declares he will not do anything for the next three months. This proves to be untrue because six weeks later, just before Christmas 2010, Spiritual Awakening (the easy way) is published.
Writing career
Tim’s writing career starts one early December morning in 2008, after attending a spoken word performance the night before. While watching the performance, Tim experiences another epiphany: he feels a minute-long chill in his entire body. The next morning he sits down and writes his first poem in one breath. This is the first verse of many to come.
Although Tim is Dutch, he writes in English most of the time. He becomes a full-time writer in 2010, after quitting his financial career. He self-publishes Spiritual Awakening (the easy way) and without doing any other form of PR than asking 30 shop owners in Amsterdam to sell his book, the first print of Spiritual Awakening (the easy way) (1500 copies) is sold out within one year. Tim releases a second print, and in February 2013 signs a contract with Hay House UK for the republication of Spiritual Awakening (the easy way). Spiritual Awakening (the easy way) is the first book in a series dedicated to spreading Zen from Amsterdam; offering readers a practical and grounded approach to spirituality.
Giving away / Givolution
Tim believes in the power of giving away. He thinks we are both an individual and a collective, and that by serving the collective, we also serve ourselves. By giving away, we get into the flow. Tim donates 10% of Spiritual Awakening (the easy way) to charity. He also encourages people to spread his books by passing them on to their friends.
Personal life
When he is 27, Tim meets his future wife, who is Japanese, while living in Seoul (Korea). The couple settles in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where they raise a family of four children. The family lives in a quiet area, near the centre of Amsterdam and very close to the famous Vondelpark. Most of Tim’s inspiration comes when he is relaxing in front of his house, watching his children play.