An Inspired Chat with Zay Keaton of Inland Empire

We recently had the chance to connect with Zay Keaton and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Zay, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
My newborn daughter! She was born December 1st and spending time with her has been the best way of spending my days since. I’m actually holding her right now while doing this interview haha.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Zay Keaton and I’m an entrepreneur but I’ve always found the term “side quest junkie” a lot more fitting. I have a personal brand titled “Zay’s Livin Ventures” that consists of UGC content creation, travel related brand deals, television appearances, being a professional athlete, personal training, my own clothing line, and I’m currently working on my first online course and looking to open my own gym in southern California.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
My mother and my mentor, very similar to Robert Kiyosaki. My mother was always very cautious about her lifestyle and played it safe for security and she tried to teach me to do the same, but I always had dreams too big to fit into her lifestyle and they definitely didn’t come with security. That’s where my mentor came in. I didn’t know how the lifestyle that I wanted would be possible until he showed me that anything is possible if you choose for it to be so and that I didn’t have to settle for a life that I didn’t see for myself. Without his guidance, I wouldn’t understand that life can be as simple as “you can get good and become successful enough at anything to profit from it if you practice it 10,000 times. The problem that most people have is that they try to look for shortcuts so they don’t have to fail 9,999 times and quit once their shortcut fails. There is no shortcut.”

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
The origin of “passion” means to suffer or endure. Being truly passionate about something is scary but it simplifies everything down to “do whatever necessary to win and you can win by just not quitting until you succeed.” I’ve learned that, the more successful you want to be, the more you’ll have to suffer and endure pain, and that’s okay, as long as your passion is worth suffering for. I plan on giving my daughter the world as well as traveling with her and showing her the best parts of it, which a very small population of people are capable of doing. I’m aware that this will require a higher level of success which will come with bad days, weeks, months, and maybe even years, but I’m willing to endure all of it if it means that I accomplish my goal.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
Your life completely changes for the better when you stop making excuses altogether and embrace the idea that everything is your fault. Power of a decision or situation follows whoever or whatever is responsible. An excuse shifts blame off yourself and onto somebody else, therefore it also gives that person power over you and making yourself a victim and an excuse doesn’t resolve the issue or prevent it from happening again. However, if you take full responsibility for everything that happens to you, then that means you also have power in every situation regarding you. Stuck in traffic and late to work? In the future, you can plan for traffic and leave sooner so you can make it on time. Unhappy because you feel like you don’t have enough time in the day? Prioritize the things most important to you and make less time for the things that aren’t. Everything is a choice, even when you choose not to change or do anything different about a position that you’re unhappy with.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I want my legacy to be that I was somebody who accomplished everything I wanted despite how many people told me that it was impossible. I want to reach a level of inspiration that motivates others like me to do the same for generations to come. I want my story to reflect that even the most unconventional lifestyles are possible with the ability to solve problems and the work ethic required to make it happen.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://zaykeaton.com/
• Instagram: @zayslivin