Working hard in 2024: Keeping Work Ethic Alive

While the media might often make it seem like hard work is dead and that everyone is just ghosting their lives away, we’ve seen countless examples of how strong the work ethic is on every street and in every neighborhood in America. Hard work is alive and well and we asked some of the hardest working folks we know how they developed their work ethic.

Abioduni Martin

Ever since I can remember, I have had a great work ethic. I was always driven. My environment was pretty rough growing up, so making sure I worked hard to get out of my rough neighborhood in San Francisco was my number one priority. Whenever I put my mind to something I really wanted, I stopped at nothing to get it. Read more>>

Victoria Taylor

My work ethic stems from the fact that no one is going to hand you success. Growing up as a child of an immigrant family, I learned the value of hard work from my mother, who dedicated her life to giving us the best opportunities. This instilled a deep sense of determination in me. Read more>>

Beth Venable

My family is filled with entrepreneurs, and they’re incredibly hard workers. My drive comes from my parents and my siblings as we all love to go above and beyond in whatever we do in our lives. Our values were instilled in us throughout our childhood. Read more>>

Victoria Beasley

I am just motivated to be someone in this life. I am driven to give my daughter a stress fee , fun and educational life . I’ve never liked asking others for help , so ive always gone 10x harder to make sure i have what i want/ need. Read more>>

Chelsea Moxon

My dad is to blame for my work ethic. From a young age my dad taught me about how you can earn allowance. I was constantly asking for chores and tasks to do around the house in order to earn my $5 allowance on Sunday’s. At the age of 12 I was eager to have a “real job” and my dad gave me the idea to get CPR certified and make babysitting cards to put in all my neighbors mailboxes. Read more>>

Kirsten White

You know what? As backwards as this is probably going to sound, I get my work ethic from never wanting to work a day in my life. I know being a business owner takes more work than being an employee ever could but I also know that working on something you love is how you ensure you never work a day in your life. Read more>>

Anthony Gaudio

Our work ethic comes from a deep passion for creating something truly special. At Drunk Tony’s and with our pasta sauce, Gaudio Gourmet Selections, it’s not just about making pasta sauce, it’s about bottling up a taste of Italian tradition and sharing it with our customers. Read more>>

Carolina Jimenez

My father instilled in me a strong work ethic; he led by example and often worked from early in the morning until late at night, six days a week. My father taught me to do everything to the best of my abilities while serving others. Read more>>

Nastassja Magee

Growing up, I had the privilege of witnessing my father’s extraordinary work ethic firsthand. My dad was an entrepreneur in the 90s, a time when starting and maintaining a business was no small feat. He ran his own business with unwavering dedication until the day he passed away. His resilience and tireless work ethic were evident in every aspect of his life, serving as a constant source of inspiration for everyone around him. Read more>>

Jazmyne Phillips

I believe that my work ethic is a result of the challenges life has presented me with and the cards I have been dealt. I have made a conscious decision not to let my circumstances hinder me, as I continuously strive to reach my goals and pursue my endeavors, undeterred by the voices of negativity or the obstacles in my path. Read more>>

Teresa Arias

I learned a lot from my parents and the idea of, where there is will, there will always be a way. Financially, it wasn’t always easy but without a doubt my parents were always going to find a way. They worked hard from an early age in Michoacán, Mexico, and coming over to the U.S. wasn’t any different. Read more>>

Dillon Pollard

I get my work acid from my father! He has always inspired me and also encouraged me to do everything with 100. I specifically remember a story where we were riding in the truck to practice. He randomly mentioned to me to touch the dashboard. I reached out and could almost reach it, but couldn’t quite touch it. Read more>>

Erik Huberman

My work ethic has been deeply rooted in me since a young age, thanks to my dad who was a successful entrepreneur and always emphasized the importance of hard work and self-reliance. I started my entrepreneurial journey at a tender six years old when I took it upon myself to become a door-to-door salesman, selling my family’s household cast-offs. Read more>>

Delilah Gonzales

My work ethic is deeply rooted in the values instilled in me by my mother, Charritious McKinnie. From a young age, she exemplified dedication, perseverance, and a strong sense of responsibility in all aspects of her life. Growing up, I witnessed firsthand my mother’s unwavering commitment to her family, her career, and her community. Read more>>

James Blackburn

I get my work ethic from my parents. My mom was raised in Southern California and she was raised in a humble environment with a loving family. She is a very hard-working and dedicated woman with a huge heart that I hope to emulate. Read more>>

Rachel Hengst

I think work ethic is instilled in people from a very early age. I grew up in a big family of 6 kids. In order to keep the household running fairly smoothly, everybody had to do their part. You were in charge of a specific task or chore and you made sure you did it when you needed to, If, anyone forgot to do their chore, you would hear about it! Read more>>

Lynette Toma

I attribute my strong work ethic to my father, who has been my greatest role model and source of inspiration. My father immigrated to America from Iraq with only $500 in his pocket, a profound sense of hope, and an unwavering determination to create a better life for his family. Read more>>

Sandra Lockard

As a child I was taught to work hard and persevere in order to succeed. I’ve let this motto drive my ambition throughout my life. Ever since I entered the work force, I gave my best, and held myself to high expectations. As I moved up in the corporate world and became a manager, I continued to live up to these expectations of myself and led by example. Read more>>

Eleanor Hammond

My father, who is a music manager in LA and was previously at Capitol Records, always gave me honest and thorough advice when hearing my songwriting. It wasn’t always easy to hear, but it certainly made me better at it. Read more>>

Joëlle Nager

Since the age of 6, I have been taking part in extra-curricular activities such as tennis, biking, dancing, piano, singing, theatre, composition and painting. Next to school with weekly exams, I attended masterclasses and competitions in music, science, art and languages.  Read more>>

Uche

I get my work ethic from all the people who told me no or attempted to subtract from my journey. I always blame(d) myself when a desired result isn’t reached. Maybe I could have worked harder and that person would have said yes, or polished my vision a little more so it was clearer. Things like that. Read more>>

Janine Cascio

I was raised with a strong competitive spirit. Engaging in soccer from childhood through my college years at Philadelphia University I had to balance academics and sports which taught me invaluable lessons related to time management, collaboration, and discipline. Coming from a large Italian family, I was surrounded by influential personalities that contributed to shaping my exceptional work ethic. Read more>>

Jonathon & Anikka Harris

I got my work ethic from my upbringing. At an early age I was taught to work hard, at 13 i started cutting yards to make money. I got my first official job as soon as i turned 16 at krogers. I believe that set the foundation for me to be a hard worker, that continued into my adulthood. Now I believe anything you want in life you have to plan and work hard towards that goal. Whether it be a career, fitness, or education. Read more>>

Jesse Cushman

I think my work ethic was modeled to me mostly by my mom. She was a single mom raising two kids – both of whom were good at throwing her for a loop. We were by no means poor, but we did struggle for things at times.  Read more>>

Bruno Baltazar

It’s important to create routines, without these work ethic cannot exist. For example creating a plan is essential for success in whatever field on chooses or has. Strategies in case the plan doesn’t go accordingly also need to be in place as usually you find many road blocks along the way. Read more>>

Demarco Thomas

My mom. I’m a Chef/ entrepreneur and coming soon I’ll be releasing some new products and new business ventures and I’m currently in talks with many investors around the country. Read more>>

Khy Yen

I get my work ethic from watching my parents work so hard everyday so that they can make it in this country. After migrating to the U.S. from Jamaica they had me grow up in America so that I can live a better life. Growing up all you is do watch everyone around you, what I learned from my parents is nothing is going to come to you, you have to be determined and steadfast. Read more>>

Matthew Helms

I think it stems from being raised old school….i grew up a country boy from a family with great morals and beliefs, of earning the right to come home because a good day’s work had been put in. I was homeschooled as a kid and was in martial arts and acting in movies since age 4 and was always around adults so being around that professional and adult scenario allowed me to have a more mature outlook as a kid. Read more>>

Antone Nixon

My work ethic comes from both my mom & dad. My father was originally in the navy and had me living all over the world. Originally born in Scotland, I’ve gone from the UK, to Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Pensacola, FL and eventually Virginia Beach became home at the age of 14. My mom and dad were always working no matter what and I’ve always looked up to them. Read more>>

Stephanie / Bryce Wein

Well, we both developed our work ethic from very similar foundations. From an early age, we were driven to become the best versions of ourselves, as it was an unwritten rule in both of our homes that if we weren’t at school, we should be working or participating in sports. This instilled in us a deep appreciation for the value of hard work. Read more>>

Lola Ajayi

I definitely get my work ethic from my parents. My parents were both born in Nigeria and immigrated to the united states in the late 70s, early 80s. As with other immigrants, they had to work a lot harder as they didn’t have access or even have the knowledge about certain things ad they were not born and raised in the united states. Read more>>

Derrick Wesley

Growing up, my work ethic was profoundly shaped by my father, Ronald Wesley. He didn’t have a college degree or any formal qualifications, yet he woke up every morning, went to work, often took on overtime, and ensured that the bills were paid. We weren’t wealthy, but I always noticed his unwavering commitment and punctuality. Read more>>

James Barry

My work ethic is influenced from my father. For most of my upbringing, my father owned his own business: a grocery store. Early to rise and late to bed. He modeled working hard, being responsible for one’s actions and most of all, putting care and attention to the business. He always made sure the outside of the store was clean and manicured. Read more>>

Cliff Bleszinski

I was born in 1975 and my father instilled a HARDCORE work ethic in all of his five boys. I had a paper route as a child and learned that making money – and spending it – could be fun and addictive, sometimes to a fault. (I always say Capitalism is great…until it isn’t!) Read more>>

Zuojie Li

In the growing environment, family, society, school. Mainly in the later period of high-pressure work. Read more>>

Joseph Lee

My work ethic was honed through my experiences in high school and college. Balancing academics, part-time jobs, and extracurricular activities required effective time management and a strong commitment to my responsibilities.  Read more>>

Jasmine Dianne Romero

It’s no mistake being the child of immigrants absolutely influenced me and continues to inspire me and my work today. My parents arrived, with my three siblings, in the United States about 30+ years ago on Memorial Day from Perú. I was the only one out of my family to be born in North America, and their ambitions for a better life were instilled in me. Read more>>