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.

Pierce Gard

My work ethic is deeply rooted in my upbringing and personal drive. Growing up, I watched my parents work long, grueling hours, even when they didn’t want to. This intense work ethic has surely translated to me. Another major factor is that I’m goal-driven, which makes the work process easier. If you truly imagine what your goals are, you’ll be motivated to work towards achieving them. I write down all my goals on a piece of paper and print an image of each goal beside it. Therefore, I can both read and visualize exactly what I want to achieve. A goal that I am striving for currently is to reach 100k followers on Snapchat. I have written this goal down and beside it there is an edited picture of my account with 100k followers. Read more>>

Bobby Pettengill

I get my work ethic from practice and finding out what works best for how I function. My first attempt at dramatically improving my work ethic was when I used ChatGPT to come up with a google calendar schedule, consisting of 1 hour focus sections and 15 minute breaks, that I would follow. However, it led to me putting my tasks on a pedestal and caused me to mentally make it harder to focus on them when I hit burnout. My second, and current, attempt at improving my work ethic was done by making a morning routine which consisted of small and simple tasks like making my bed and doing 30 pushups. The list is designed to reward my brain with dopamine through accomplishment rather than through doom scrolling on Youtube shorts in the morning. Currently I’m finding this to be the most helpful improvement so far. Read more>>

Mike Blash

I’m lucky enough to have had very hard working parents who showed me through their actions how to balance work and family life. They taught all of their children to be both independent and helpful towards others. Read more>>

Daryl Killian

I owe my work ethic to the lessons my parents instilled in me from a young age. Growing up, I always wanted the latest and greatest toys and clothes. While my parents made sure all my needs—and most of my wants—were met, my dad had a firm rule: I needed to have “skin in the game.” Anytime I expressed a desire for something, they would counter with a plan for how I could contribute toward making it happen. Read more>>

Robert Smith

My father always told me to be the hardest working person in the room, don’t ever lose a job because someone out worked you. Read more>>

Christina Collins

When I grew up I had to make do with what I had. That’s where it all began. I always knew that if I had an opportunity or a sum of money that I must capitalize off it. When I stepped into the field, I was surrounded by families that did just that. They worked with what they had. It didn’t cost much to arrive on time, do a good job, shadow a peer on tasks I wasn’t familiar with, clean up after myself, and try to do all that the customer asked of me. When you work in an environment where everyone does their part, you don’t mind understanding your role there. And if I could play the role in someone else’s business, I knew I could have the same ethics in my own business. Why? Because no one is going to show up for you if you don’t! Read more>>

Ira Goodman

I believe that working is a privilege and a valuable opportunity for those fortunate enough to have a job. Whether it’s within Corporate America or through owning a business—as I do now—my philosophy is that every job deserves full effort and commitment to excellence.

My work ethic is deeply influenced by my parents, who both worked diligently and always took pride in their accomplishments. At the end of each day, they reflected on what they had achieved, and their satisfaction with a job well done left a lasting impression on me. Their example taught me the importance of taking pride in your work and striving to do it right. Read more>>

Christopher Mathews

I get my work ethic from God and the strength He provides me daily. Knowing that what I’m doing is aligned with my purpose keeps me motivated and focused. It’s not just about hard work; it’s about walking in faith and fulfilling the mission I’m called to complete. Read more>>

Nicole Zapoli

Wow, so many great questions! I would have to say that I found my purpose as well as my resilience, confidence, self esteem, generosity, optimism, overcoming imposter syndrome, and being effective and successful as the only one in the room all through my steadfast work ethic.

My work ethic comes from so many sources including both my mom and dad. Watching both my parents start and run their own business together from a very early age made such an impact of me growing up. Read more>>

Tyler Dameron

If it makes sense, I’ve always been motivated because I loved being successful when I was a kid. I was the all-star travel baseball kid growing up. I practiced non-stop because I wanted to be the best. I was Varsity team captain in high school, played on scholarship in college, and always found myself on winning teams. Being good, felt good, and all it took was hard work? Sign me up! I had a great family life growing up. My parents owned a couple of businesses while my dad worked his normal job during the day. We went on vacations, we bought things, and I wanted to do that when I was an adult. In my first corporate job after college, I started at the bottom and I hated it. I hated it so much that I was just going to leave after a few short months and my manager decided to throw money and a promotion at me to stay.  Read more>>

Roberta Lavalle

Growing up, I was constantly told that if I worked hard, I could achieve anything I wanted. My father was a Professional Tennis player and my mother is a Pilates instructor. So physical activity and especially sports where always part of my life. I would say I was raised by example and my father would tell be stories of how he grew up and trained hard in order to become the top player in his country and later achieve 51 ranking world wide. This constantly inspired me and motivated me to work hard for my dreams. So I would say that combined with my mothers tenacity a hard working qualities, wether that was her healthy habits and love for herself as she always took care of herself physically, moving her body and helping others, really shaped me and instilled the habits that lead me to now be a professional dancer. Read more>>

David Zimmar

My hard work ethic is hereditary. I come from a long line of hard-working, successful, dedicated, and determined family members. But my passion for music in general just comes from listening and seeing the many greats do it who I looked up to as a youth like 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, E-40, and Too $hort to name a few with multiple albums and much success. I always just wanted to be the best at whatever I did and nothin ever came to a sleeper but a dream and I always had big dreams. Elevation requires dedication. Read more>>

Christine Serpas

My work ethic is a direct reflection of my upbringing. I grew up in Slidell, Louisiana a small city in southeastern LA. Surrounded by lakes, river, canals, swamps, and bayous. A strong work ethic is a way of life, it’s your word and following through. Both my parents were amazing examples of hard work and honesty, passed down from my grandparents, who built our family’s foundation, instilled integrity, and taught us to always do right by others. You get out what you put in! Read more>>

Brittnei Schaeffler

I think work ethic might look different from one person to the next. And for me personally, I have learned that sustainable work ethic requires a delicate balance between “doing” and resting. This wasn’t something that I learned easily or that I have perfected. However, given how driven and motivated I am to apply myself to the things I am passionate about, I have also learned that to be good at any of them, I must take time off. Growing up, I was always energetic, empathetic, and felt like I could take on the world. These are traits that have not left me, but that have been rounded off with more wisdom and understanding of how the world operates. My work ethic comes from a drive to make a difference and to inspire others to feel like they can as well. I just think it is so incredible that we have been given this chance at life and what a shame it would be to not take full advantage of every opportunity that comes our way – and make some of our own.  Read more>>

Sarah Jaques

My work ethic has been pushed and prodded by a bunch of things through out the years. Some of which I will probably forget even when answering this. Initially curiosity, a love of creating, and a naive perfectionism drove me, but as time moved on my work ethic became more about spite.
The more people, or general institutions said that art was not a smart thing to pursue, or that I would never succeed or be taken seriously, the harder and harder I worked. I set my mind on creating, no matter the obstacle. Read more>>

Lars Toler

My resilience and work ethic are both gifts I’ve gotten from my mom. She is the kind of woman who needs to be doing a million things at once – and not only does she get them done, she succeeds with flying colors. Having someone like her to look up to taught me that I can do anything, or at least have the cojones to give it a shot. She taught me that things in life will not be handed to you, even if they might be handed to other people. But none of that matters, if you believe in your ability to step up to the plate.
She taught me to never shy away from a challenge, because that’s not how life works.
She gave me my work ethic, but also my thick skin, my strong mind, and my full heart. Read more>>

Crystal Douglas

Both of my Parents. My deceased father and my mother. They were hard workers, that made sure they went to work daily to provide for the family. My mother worked in the hosiery mill and was also a Paramedic. My dad was a supervisor in a hosiery mill as well. Read more>>

Darcy Harrington

I’d say my work ethic comes from watching my father start a business on his own as pool man. He worked 7 days a week while trying to raise 5 kids. Read more>>

Amber Huber

My husband and I, our parents both instilled a strong work ethic in both of us. Also the dream of knowing that one day this business could be the key to us working for ourselves. We work as a team, we both have our different strengths and we have been able to use them in building our business, we couldn’t do it without each other. Read more>>

Timm Elliott

My work ethic is deeply influenced by the people I surround myself with and the belief that every effort I make contributes to a larger, meaningful purpose. Read more>>

Oluwatosin David Aruna

I get my work ethic from my Nigerian roots, where hard work, resilience, and creativity are deeply ingrained values. Growing up, I witnessed how dedication and resourcefulness could turn vision into reality, and I carry that spirit into every piece I design. Read more>>

Jennifer Loura

My work ethic was heavily influenced by my parents. They were born and raised in the Azores, Portugal (on the island of Santa Maria, shout out to my Portuguese community, I love you!!). They came to the United States for the same reason most adventurous people do, for the liberty and the right to lead an abundant life and prosper in a new country. Their leap of faith paved the way for me and my siblings to become the best that we can be in our respective fields and communities. I remember growing up watching my dad and mom work hard to provide for our family. Of course we had a lot of fun and went on vacations, but the work ethic remained strong. They taught me that having pride in my work is paramount, which I’m extremely intentional about. I believe that offering an amazing and relaxing experience for my clients is golden, as well as relishing in your own wonderful masterpiece to boot! Read more>>

Nicholas Kohnhorst

My work ethic definitely comes from my parents. When I was roughly 9 years old, my family moved to a horse farm. Living and maintaining a farm is a lot of work, so I was often recruited to help with chores. I didn’t spend all my time working but I had to do my fair share. In addition to growing up on a farm, I was involved with a lot of sports and clubs in school. All of this required me to live an extremely active life and over time this helped develop my work ethic. As an adult, I don’t have the energy I did when I was younger but I still try to be an active and reliable person. When I pickup a creative project, I make sure I can give it my best. And when I need a break I take time off. Keeping a good work-life balance makes it easier to keep up my work ethic but also enjoy life. Read more>>

Tiffany Rosenbaum

From sports at a young age. Read more>>

Rickey Robinson Ii

I got my work ethic from both of my Grandfathers, PH Austin and WH Robinson. Even with heart surgery, I witnessed PH work non stop plowing the fields of Mississippi. He once told me that it hurt him more sitting down than it did of him working. I also witnessed WH run a successful shoe repair business in Jackson, MS. These two men were an intricate piece of my life and motivated me to not sit around waiting on handouts. I would also love to give kudos to my parents Rickey Robinson and Mary Robinson. Their guidance prepared me for this world and how to deal with both letdowns and triumphs. Read more>>

Garrick Higuchi

I get my work ethic from my parents, who always emphasized the value of hard work and perseverance. Growing up, I saw how dedicated they were to their goals, even when challenges arose. This taught me the importance of discipline and following through on commitments.

For example, during college, I balanced a full-time job with a full course load. I developed strong time-management skills to ensure I met deadlines and excelled in both areas. This dedication is something I bring to every project I work on. Read more>>

Kelcy Ncube

my work ethic comes from a mix of my upbringing and my passion for what I do. Growing up, I watched my family work hard to create opportunities for themselves, and that really stuck with me. But honestly, a lot of it comes from this fire I have inside me to succeed and make my dreams a reality. I’m the type of person who believes if you want something, you’ve got to go out there and grab it. Whether it’s late nights in the studio or early mornings planning my next move, I thrive on the hustle. Plus, I genuinely love what I do—creating, performing, connecting with people—it’s what keeps me energized and motivated to push through any challenge. Read more>>

Matt Thompson

My work ethic comes from my parents. Being raised in a low-middle class home, we were always looking for ways to cut costs and ensure we had enough money to last the month. I picked up some serious budgeting skills from watching my mother balance the budget every month. Both parents worked hard for what we had. They didn’t make much through most of my childhood, but enough for us to have a normal life growing g up. My sisters and I rarely needed anything and didn’t want much else other than what our parents provided for us. Now, don’t get it twisted, we definitely wanted nice things, but were raised to be happy with the things we could afford and thankful none the less. I knew, once I got older, that my work ethic came from both parents. I watched them closely and knew what sacrifices were made to give our family what it needed. I knew, from watching my parents, I could work hard and, at the very least, make enough to provide a decent life for my future family. Read more>>