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.
Anthony Sturmas
My strong work ethic is a reflection of my parents’ influence, particularly my father, who set high standards through his unwavering determination. My mother, hailing from Argentina, instilled in me a nurturing spirit, while my Lithuanian father taught me the importance of responsibility and discipline. Read More>>
Ethan Jones
I’ve been working since the age of 16, my parents were very good about me getting a job during high school and learning how to make a living, which teaches you resilience, patience, and respect for your peers. Read More>>
Tahmina Q.
My mother — 100%. A 64-year-old self-made entrepreneur, she was the only one out of 10 siblings to make it out of Pakistan. She raised three children as a single mother in a foreign country and built herself into a successful entrepreneur. She is a beast when it comes to work ethic, and I know I carry the same genetic makeup within me. Read More>>
Mike Howard
I get my work ethic from my parents. My stepdad is an entrepreneur who raised me and I grew up watching what it takes to build and grow something from the ground up. That drive and persistence rubbed off on me in a big way. Read More>>
Elizabeth Valenti
I think my work ethic comes from my family and seeing how hard they had to work in order to put me in dance classes and attend a good school. We didn’t have a lot extra growing up, and they taught me what it was like to be a hard worker. Read More>>
Nemanja Zdravkovic
My work ethic comes from my passion for photography. I truly love what I do, and that love pushes me to always give my best. Over the years, I’ve developed strong habits—showing up early, paying attention to the little things, and always going one step beyond what’s expected. Read More>>
Tara Williams
I believe that my work ethic, like most others, came from my struggle in early life. I was born two months prematurely in the early 80’s, and struggled both physically and academically. I had to work twice as hard to catch up with my peers once I started school. Read More>>
Leigh Witherell
My work ethic is straight from my family. I watched my parents work hard every day and they struggled, but they still provided for me as a kid. I still got to play sports, had most of the toys that I wanted, I had food on the table everyday. Read More>>
Daisy Fuentes
My work ethic comes straight from survival mode. I was a young mom, scrubbing toilets and even doing Uber Eats just to make ends meet. I didn’t have a safety net , quitting wasn’t an option. That kind of grind builds a hunger in you to create more than just a paycheck. For me, that hunger turned into Social Empire Marketing. Read More>>
Cathy Cardenas
My work ethic was taught to me at a very young age from my mother. I was raised by a single mother that often times had to work 3 jobs to care for her 7 children. She had jobs that most people would not be proud of from milking cows, selling Avon. Census counting door to door and others. Read more>>
Breyton Croom
I get my work ethic from my dad. He always pushed me to work hard, even when things got tough, and he reminded me not to wait until the last minute to finish assignments. One of the biggest lessons he emphasized was the importance of sleep. No matter how much stress or work there was, he always made sure I got a good night’s rest. Read More>>
Joyce Lieberman
I love to work out an idea in series. I think I learned that in the ceramic studio. The craftsman approach to art making requires that. I applied it to painting and would lay out 10 sheets of the same sized paper and give myself some boundaries for the body of work. Read More>>
Nadia Soto
I get my work ethic from my dad. My dad is such a hard working man and he deserves the world for giving my sister and I everything we needed. My dad has been working non-stop since he was a boy in Mexico in order to help provide for his family. Read More>>
Enzo & Matilda Lucas
The work ethic surrounding baking and business ownership began three generations ago with our grandpa. Soon after the birth of his 5th child, he became a single parents and tasked with running a full time bakery and raising all of his children on his own. Read More>>
Charles L Chatmon
My parents are the reason I have developed a strong work ethnic. My father was a cook for many years, taking joy in preparing meals for hungry customers. I would visit his restaurant, see the smile on his face as he stood in the kitchen, talking with his associates of the next dish they were about to create. Read More>>
Juliet Campbell
I get my work ethic from my parents. I was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago by two hardworking parents who were determined to give their children greater opportunities for a better life. I watched my mother wake up early every morning to prepare lunches for my sister, my dad, and me—all before getting herself ready for work and then coming home. Read More>>
Luis Angel Dominguez Hernandez
I got my work ethic from amazing parents who work so so hard. I believe their hardwork and dedication to provide for me and family truly has shown me how important it is to work hard for everything you have. They truly have inspired me to do what I do now. Read More>>
Pete Johnson
My work ethic comes from the values and intergrity instilled in me by my parents. My parents came to this country as young adults with nothing more than dreams and opportunity. Watching the consistent sacrifice and undeniable dedication to my siblings and myself is what motivates me. All praise and gratitude to my parents!!!! Read More>>
Tia S. Brown
My work ethic stems from watching two incredible women shape my understanding of what it means to show up every day. My grandmother ran a cleaners business in our community for years, and I witnessed firsthand how she treated every customer with respect, took pride in her craft, and never cut corners even when times were tough. Read More>>
Althea Jones
My work ethic comes from my family. I am the daughter of an accountant and a police officer, and the granddaughter of depression era country folk. My childhood was full of work, farm work, school work, church work. We were always busy. Read More>>
Maya Rosalia
To be quite honest, I’m not entirely sure where it all comes from, I feel like it’s something I was born with. But around the age of nine, I really began diving into the music industry, looking up to artists who I admired deeply. I was fascinated by young female performers like Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and Selena Gomez. Read More>>
Ana Marin
Coming from immigrant parents, my work ethic began at our kitchen table. My parents had to work multiple jobs at times, yet they still came home to help with homework and prepare dinner without a word of complaint. It was ingrained in my brain that hard work wasn’t much of a choice, but rather an admirable quality and vital component in people’s success. Read More>>
Ryen Toft
I get my work ethic from my family. My mom and dad are the hardest workers I know, and my grandparents showed me the value of consistency and hands-on effort around the home. That foundation shaped me into someone who has worked since I was 15, often balancing two jobs at once. Read More>>
Yarin and Pauline Gani
Our work ethic comes from strong family influences. Yarin grew up surrounded by hardworking role models. One grandfather was a commercial contractor, the other owner of private car dealer, and his father served nearly 20 years in the military before working abroad, showing incredible discipline and dedication. Read More>>
Marisa Disisto
I think my work ethic comes from a mix of passion and necessity. I started Lustre Chic from the ground up, so there was no choice but to put in the hours, figure things out on my own, and keep going even when it was hard. Read More>>
Kathy Thomas
I believe my work ethic comes from my roots. I grew up seeing the sacrifices my family made and the determination they carried every single day. That shaped me to never take opportunities for granted and to always give my best. Later, my years in the corporate world taught me to structure, professionalism, and how to hold myself to a high standard. Read More>>
Sydney Paige
I get my work ethic from my mom. My mom started her business 8 years ago while still working a daily job. She would go to work, then begin taking clients as soon as she was back home. She continued to build her business and eventually opened her own shop. Even through Covid-19, she perservered until she was able take appointments again. Read More>>
Timothy Blake
I’d like to believe I get my hard-working mentality from my mother. She actually raised my sisters and I as a single parent for a short period in my life. During that time I was able to witness first-hand just how MUCH she was willing to do in order to not just survive, but to provide us with a reasonably comfortable lifestyle. Read More>>
Rodger D.
or me, it all comes from the love of the art. Life is happening all around me, so anytime I get a chance to make music, it feels like a gift—a therapeutic release. I’m always pushing myself to grow, whether that means learning to edit videos, working with new engineers, or building with different producers. Read More>>
Cassandra Chacon
I get my good work ethics from my parents. Growing up they showed us how to always do a great job, no matter how hard it is. Or if we didn’t want to do it. That doing good and working hard always pays off in the end. Even if it doesn’t feel like it. Read More>>
Elissa Best
A large part of my work ethic comes from my competitive sports background. I grew up playing volleyball and I was also a long distance track and field runner. Growing up, sports is what kept my siblings and I out of trouble. It gave us a sense of purpose and something to strive for. Read More>>
John ‘QUIG’ Quigley
It’s dawn on location. The crew is pulling cables, a generator hums faintly in the background, and the air carries that edge of anticipation before the first shot. In the distance, I walk the space with my production team, quietly replaying the day’s setups in my mind like a film reel only I can see. Read More>>
Ethan Massey
For a long time, I believed I had built strong discipline, thinking it was my greatest force. But I’ve realized that, as humans, we can’t ignore our nature. Discipline is important, and I still work to strengthen it, but life naturally has its hills and valleys. These valleys often reveal what truly motivates us. Read More>>
Marcus Johnson
My work ethic come from my parents watched them bring us from Alabama to Missouri. My father who is my hero worked continuously everyday to make a way for us and even worked on his birthday! Never saw him complain or have his head down. True leaders in my life. Read More>>
Paige Comrie
I get my work ethic from my mom and dad. They always pushed me to give my best and taught me that if I set my mind to something, I could make it happen. That belief is what gave me the courage to carve out my own space in the wine world, even when I didn’t have a clear roadmap. Read More>>
Juan Miguel Rivera-Pecunia
I trace my work ethic back to a combination of early influences and lived experiences. Growing up, I watched my family work hard not just out of necessity, but with pride and consistency, and that left a deep impression on me. Read More>>
Heather Bell
I would definitely say that I get my worth ethic from my father. For as long as I can remember, my dad has always worked. Sometimes he would work three jobs. I would sit back and watch my dad get praised from all of his coworkers and bosses about how hard he would work. Read More>>
Marcus Buckner
I get my work ethic from my mom, Carol Calvey. Growing up, I never saw her call off work — not once. She was a registered nurse, and she took that responsibility seriously. All the clocks in our house were set ten minutes fast so she’d never be late. She worked at St. Read More>>
Munya (Lovro Kriznar)
Oh man that’s a good question! I guess I was brought up that way. See when I was a kid my parents always told me to do my school work first and then have fun and do whatever right. And back then I thought what’s the point, but I still did it. And now my brain simply works that way. Read More>>
Mary Danessa
I got my work ethic from my father. He served in the military and retired out. Life wasn’t always easy for him but he always kept going. After my mother passed away he had became a full-time single father. He would work any job that came his way. I witnessed countless times him putting something back just so one of his kids could have something. Read More>>
jimmy Bluff
As a child in Pennsylvania my father owned and ran a successful company, Bluff Blacktop. I did hard labor during all my summers and weekends helping him pave tennis courts and spray protective seal on parking lots and driveways during the weekends. Read More>>
Tiffany Roy
“My work ethic started at 10 years old, working weekends at a small neighborhood café, and I kept at it until I was 23, while also working in various customer service roles. I grew up with my father, a full-time entrepreneur running several businesses throughout Michigan, which gave me a love for ownership, empathy, and compassion. Read More>>
Ashli Garcia
My work ethic comes from the way I was raised by my mother. She worked two jobs took care of myself and five other siblings and still made sure dinner and essentials were handled. I now currently work three jobs, in school part time, and raise two children. Read More>>
Geneva McCloud, Mph
In the late 1960s, my father Robert McCloud affectionately known as Rev. relocated our family from Alabama to Detroit in search of greater opportunity and stability. My father encouraged family and friends from the south to come to Detroit and establish a life they could be proud of. Read More>>
Sahana Turner
I’d say I’ve just always accepted that I’m going to be working—whether it’s on myself or my business. Growth takes effort, and I don’t run from that. Read More>>
Jonathan Jeanbaptiste
I get my work ethic from my mother, grown up She was a single mother of four. She migrated from Haiti to Miami to give me and my siblings a life with me being the youngest, and the only male I always felt like I had a lot to prove. Read More>>
Jade
I believe my work ethic came from my ambitions. Read More>>
Megan Wenstrup
After graduating from Indiana University, I stood on the threshold of adulthood with no safety net. My student loans needed to be paid, rent, albeit very low, to stay with my mom, and simply nowhere else to turn. It was time to stand on my own tow feet and make a go of it. Read More>>
Krystal Henry
My work ethic is something I credit to my father, Frank Valdepena, who retired as a Master Chief in the military. From a young age, he instilled in me the importance of resilience and responsibility. Read More>>
Cheyenne Arbeeny
I am blessed to have many inspiring people around me growing up. After a certain age my father instilled a strong and realistic view of money into me and my brother. My mother has always been good at finding deals and she taught me everything I know about couponing. Read More>>
