Building Blocks of Success: Work Ethic

The ability to work hard has always been underappreciated and devalued by various elements in society. In our experience, it’s crystal clear that having a strong work ethic and positive attitude towards working hard is highly predictive of success. Below, you’ll find highlights of our conversations around how one might go about developing or leveling up their work ethic.

Jahaira Villalobos

I get my work ethic from my dad. He’s a chemistry professor, but he didn’t stop there. He also ran a small dollar store and a house cleaning business. Watching him juggle multiple responsibilities with dedication and hard work inspired me to bring the same level of commitment to everything I do. My mother and my sisters and brothers have also led the way and inspired me. Read more>>

Olga Shatrova

My work ethic is deeply rooted in the values I was taught from a young age. Growing up, my family emphasized the importance of respect, both for oneself and for others. They believed in investing time and attention in personal development rather than material possessions, and this has had a lasting impact on me. My family members consistently reinforced the idea that how you treat people reflects how you want to be treated. This principle has become a cornerstone of how I approach my work and relationships. Read more>>

Kinley Schmidt

I get my work ethic from my father. He is the last of 7 children and comes from a low income family. He worked his way through high school to put himself through college. He never ended up finishing college because he needed to begin working full-time. Read more>>

Travis Borkenhagen

I have always needed to work hard and find new ways to be efficient. A lot of it comes from experience, growing up in a home with a single mother who was trying to provide for me the best that she could. As an adolescent, I had to become independent at an early age; my first real job was at 15 years old. Since that time, there was no looking back, no slowing down because I knew that all it took was one missed step and every thing would fall apart. Additionally, I believe that genetics plays a roll as well. Some people are likely more predisposition to focus in more, and for longer periods of time – a blessing and a curse, I suppose. Read more>>

Rickey D’shon

My work ethic comes directly from my family. My mom raised me as a single mother and my grandmother had four kids. Seeing them do what it takes to provide for their families and being raised with a “no excuse” mentality has extremely benefited the way I approach not only work but everyday task as well. Read more>>

Jude Berman

My parents were refugees/immigrants who fostered the strong sense that one has to work hard and failure is not an option in life. At a young age, I learned about the concentration camps where my relatives died—not that persecution correlates with the need to work hard, but the message was that if you didn’t put your nose to the grindstone, bad things could happen. Bad things might happen anyway, but at least you could try to beat the odds by working hard. Read more>>

Chuck Zlotnick

When I turned 20 I started working for a man named Stan Winston, Stan was a 4 time Academy Award winning special Effects wizard, creating some of the most iconic movie creature characters in Hollywood. The Dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, Edward Scissorhands, Aliens, Terminator, Predator, and Ironman are to name a few. I worked at Stan Winston Studio for 10 years, age 20-30. For the first year or so I was an all around shop assistant learning and helping out in every dept, the mechanical dept, hair dept, foam/mold dept, paint & fabrication dept, etc. Read more>>

Dee Evans

I come from a Caribbean background. I was raised to work hard and not give up from an early age. At the early age of 6, I was doing chores, cooking, cleaning, and laundry. It was instilled in me growing up that life was hard and I would have to work two times harder to achieve success. That just stuck with me transitioning into adulthood. Read more>>

Karen Heric

The most simple answer is probably from my parents who both worked very hard as I was growing up; however the true answer is that I have learned throughout the years that if you work hard, life pays you back. I also wanted our three kids to learn work ethic above all else. As they are now all adults, I realize that we achieved that lesson with flying colors. Read more>>

Bryce Salvatore

I’ve always believed in hard work. Thanks mom and dad… I played sports growing up, and every job I’d get, whether it was washing dishes or cutting grass, I’d treat it like a game that I wanted to win. I always tried to be as effective and efficient as possible. I’m pretty competitive, so maybe that added to the drive to do well, although the down side to that aspect of myself is that I’m not really able to do anything casually… Once I find something I like, I get obsessed. Even something like a night out at Top Golf can end up being pretty frustrating, because.. I suck at golf and am not able to enjoy doing something poorly. We’ll call it a double edged sword. Read more>>

Darya Fomina

My work ethic is deeply rooted in my upbringing and the experiences of my family. I was born in Moscow, Russia, and raised by my parents and grandparents, who endured the harsh realities of Communism and World War II. When communism fell, my family moved to Odessa, Ukraine, where we started over with very little. I witnessed my parents work tirelessly to build a new life from scratch, despite the challenges of adapting to a new language and country. Read more>>

Raul Miranda

My work ethic comes from my mother. She moved us to California from Mexico when I was 6 years old. She’s always done everything in her power to give me a better life. We lived through a lot together: sleeping in cars and moving around a lot. It was always to afford me opportunities she never had. So whenever I face burnout or lack of motivation, the memories of what we’ve been through help me push past it. Read more>>

Jessica Osorio

I owe my work ethic to both of my parents. As a child, I watched my father work tirelessly to give my mother and i a good life. My mother, though she didn’t work outside the home, she was the heart of our family, always making sure I was cared for while my father dedicated himself to providing for us. Read more>>

Shiloh Wilde

My work ethic ties back to my personal morals more than people would guess! I pride myself on making my shop affordable, accessible and fun to work with, and I try to keep in touch with customers if/when they have questions. I love helping people, and I love working with my clients to make their dreams come true regarding their craft, whether it’s a custom Rosary, or a simple Oil, I am more than grateful to help people. Read more>>

Ben Johnson

I have always had a general idea growing up that performing is what I wanted to do. How to exactly get there wasn’t the most fleshed out, but it never is for anyone. As many things in life, there is no one correct path to the goal. My mind couldn’t allow not taking the right steps however, so I just worked really hard at a lot of things in order to try and take every path in a sense. It was helpful having a academically perfect sister to live up to almost certainly giving me an expectation in school. I never stopped working. Read more>>

Augusto Bertinat Gonnet

I am deeply grateful to my family, especially to my father. He always allowed me to be whoever I wanted to be, but in a responsible way, and honestly, he was and still is a role model in life. That said, I believe in self-confidence and the idea that one must believe in themselves before others can believe in them. Believing in yourself and acting in alignment with what you think and say is key to your happiness! Read more>>

Elijah Morris

I get my work ethic comes from many different experiences in my life. But the main two things for me were one; to never remain the same person I was yesterday. The ones who stay the same will never evolve. Remaining the same person in the body doesn’t sit right with me. I would miss so much in life and lastly, I want to show the world what I can do. I feel this need to show the world what I can do. If it’s something where that I do don’t reach millions I am okay with that. Longs it reaches enough to change people in the world. Read more>>

Patrick Bower

There’s something in midwestern culture that values just showing up. Not necessarily excelling. Just finding satisfaction in the doing. I suppose I soaked up that notion growing up in Indiana. I came from a family where nothing came particularly easily. There wasn’t any money, so anything that I wanted, I had to work for. And more than that—I had to prove that the thing was valuable enough to me to endure the effort. When I entered the art community, first through playing music, I was drawn to indie bands like Guided By Voices whose mythos was wrapped up in their work ethic. Read more>>

Andrew Chayra

My work ethic comes from my parents. Watching them work tirelessly to build a life for me instilled in me the drive to keep pushing forward. They worked day and night to give me the best opportunities, and that dedication fuels my own. It’s about being the first one up and the last one to go to bed. Seeing my parents push themselves daily gave me the work ethic I need to succeed in running my business. Read more>>

John Young

I relate to what Kurt Vonnegut said: “I spend a lot of time farting around.” Friends and family point to my daily routine of getting to my desk between 6:00 and 7:00 each morning and my three published books (and a fourth about to go out to seek a publisher) and admire my work ethic. But I spend a lot of time looking around, listening, talking to people, paying attention to things–in other words farting around. Read more>>

Whitney Denise

“My strong work ethic is deeply rooted in the example set by my parents. Growing up, I witnessed their dedication, perseverance, and commitment to their careers. Their unwavering work ethic instilled in me the importance of diligence, responsibility, and striving for excellence in everything I do. This foundation has shaped my approach to work, allowing me to consistently deliver high-quality results and maintain a strong sense of professionalism.” Read more>>

Amy Zapata

I grew up seeing how hard my parents worked to support their 5 children. My Dad came to the US from Mexicali when he was a teenager and worked to support his family to have a better life. My parents grew up in a time where children were expected to work. My Mom at 9 years old was selling raspas (snow cones) to help my Grandma. My Dad at 13 was learning construction and working to help his family. They wanted better for us.  Read more>>

Che Johnson

I think about this a lot. When I was about 15 and just beginning my acting Journey. I announced to the living room that I was going to go learn lines in my bedroom. I went to my bedroom and about 10 minutes passed and I gave up completely. I was pretty frustrated with myself and thought I had tried really hard but nothing would sink in. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t remember anything past 3 lines of dialogue and I had about 2 and a half pages to learn.  Read more>>

Liam Santa Cruz

I’m not going to lie—I think my work ethic comes from getting screamed at by football coaches in 110-degree heat during the summer. It might not be the healthiest answer, but sports shaped who I am today. In high school, I learned to focus less on results and more on the process. It’s a slow burn, but once you commit to the idea of growth and gradually getting stronger, it really unlocks something. Read more>>

Marina Porrata

I most definitely get my work ethic from my dad. My father was the most hard-working man I ever knew. Growing up, he would work 6-7 days a week, doing multiple jobs to make sure my brother and I got everything we ever needed or wanted. He often went without, so we could have the nicest clothes or new shoes. Unfortunately, he is no longer here with us. But I hope he’s up there smiling in heaven seeing how far I’ve come today. Read more>>

Adam Cardenas

I got my work ethic, predominantly from my father who immigrated here from Mexico, at the age of 13. Although he lacked a proper support system, he overcame the odds through a unwavering dedication to working, saving and investing. Him being a man of few words choosing to lead by example showed me the value of taking full advantage of the day and understanding that a 8 hour work day wasn’t enough to make it in this world so 12-15 hour work days became the standard. Read more>>

Bernard Galane

That’s a fantastic question. My insane drive and work ethic definitely comes from my early years as a drummer. I ended up in a successful band when I was a kid and realized that hard practice is the key to growth. I became obsessed with practicing because i saw the results and started improving like crazy. During my teenage years I practiced up to 12 hours per day! Later on started to apply the same principles to all other area of life. Read more>>

Jess Stiles

Work ethic comes from the environment in which a person was raised. I strongly believe that work ethic is a learned trait. Both Greg and I come from families who worked hard, earned an honest living, and provided for their families. Whenever my parents wanted to do something to improve our lives, they worked for it. This obvious connection between the work you put in and a tangible result is something we learn at a young age. Both Greg and I can thank our parents for setting a good example in that regard. Read more>>

Winne Chlomin Lee,

One of my most influential mentors was an architect I interned for during my time in college. Hisdedication, passion, and creativity left a profound impact on me as a designer. Working alongside him, Iwas deeply inspired by his ability to infuse every aspect of design with passion and purpose. His mentorship taught me that design goes beyond just structures; it encompasses storytelling, evokingemotion, and creating memorable experiences. Read more>>