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.

Vladimir Simic

I believe my work ethic was built long before I even realized it. Growing up, I learned that nothing truly meaningful comes without effort. I’ve always been driven by a mix of passion and responsibility — if I commit to something, I give it my full attention and energy. Read More>>

Haley Sterling

My work ethic comes from my sports background. Growing up playing competitive sports taught me discipline early — you had to show up, put in the extra work, and constantly push yourself to improve. Read More>>

Jayadi

I get my work ethic from studying the greats artists like Michael Jackson, The Weeknd, D’Angelo, Bruno Mars, and others who’ve built their legacy through obsession and discipline. I used to spend hours watching their performances, reading interviews, and studying how they worked behind the scenes. Over time, that became my blueprint. Read More>>

Jane Bolalin

My work ethic is a direct inheritance from my parents, both of whom had very little means growing up. Through perseverance and higher education, they built a good life for our family. For them, hard work was the path to a better future, and that fundamental lesson was one they expected me to embrace as I grew up. Read More>>

Hawah Kasat

I think it really started when I was young, traveling the world with my family and spending long stretches of time in places that weren’t industrialized, especially in India. I remember being a kid, walking through crowded train stations and dusty village roads, watching barefoot children with eyes full of light and hunger at the same time. Read More>>

Julia Arredondo

I grew up in my Mom’s office, the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce, where Mom pulled late nights and long weekend hours regularly. In lieu of a babysitter, Mom would bring me to the office and give me free reign over office equipment and early internet access. Read More>>

Pamela Anthony

Growing up as a little girl I witnessed the long hours my mother graciously gave to provide for our family. I was the last of four children born later in her years therefore it was her mission to stay young to ensure that we had food on the table and a well balanced childhood. Read More>>

Ally Cardenas

Where My Work Ethic Comes From, well…. My work ethic is rooted in necessity, love, and purpose. I had to search—really search—for something that would allow me to care for my children in every way they needed: medically, emotionally, and logistically. I needed flexibility, but I also needed fulfillment. Read More>>

Eugene Han

I believe my work ethic comes from a strong sense of discipline and a commitment to always giving my best effort. From a young age, I learned the importance of taking every task seriously, no matter how big or small. I strive to give 100% in everything I do, whether it’s academic work, professional responsibilities, or personal goals. Read More>>

Ahlaam Yasmin

I come from a hardworking and ambitious family. My parents worked 9-to-5 and then went to school at night or worked on their business. As a result, I had a regimented childhood. Weekdays ran like boot camp, and we spent weekends preparing for the week ahead. I grew up fast. Read More>>

Eddie Mickenberg

I grew up having something to do all day and night. School was always a part of growing up, but it was the extra activities my parents signed me up for that I wanted to do like sports, art, I also was a child actor so that within itself was demanding. Read More>>

Caitlin Fierro

I definitely get my work ethic from my dad. He was an entrepreneur, and growing up I saw firsthand what it meant to build something from the ground up — the long hours, the relationships he nurtured with his clients, and how his dedication ultimately created stability for our family. It showed me early on that hard work pays off. Read More>>

Margaret Tamashiro

My work ethic was built through gymnastics from a young age. Growing up in the sport taught me discipline, perseverance, and how to push through challenges even when things get tough. Every new skill required patience, focus, and a commitment to showing up day after day — lessons that have carried with me into every area of my life. Read More>>

Angela Thomas

I get up at 4:50 a.m. every day. Early, right? It didn’t always sound too appealing to me either. People often tell me I have a strong work ethic or that I put my whole heart into what I do, but honestly, I never really thought about it much until recently. I’ve had this routine since I was 16. Read More>>

Simone Stier

I got it from watching my parents—both incredibly hardworking people who taught me that if you want something, you roll up your sleeves and go after it. I started babysitting when I was eleven because I had my heart set on a pair of cowboy boots. (Spoiler: I got them.) That experience stuck with me—I learned early that hard work pays off. Read More>>

Crystal Loverro

I have always been dedicated to my work, whether it was through getting good grades in school, getting into college, preparing for medical school, or now, writing, producing, and acting in films. My work ethic came from a need to excel and escape the childhood I grew up in. Read More>>

Sabrina Cosentino

My work ethic was developed at an early age. I learned that in order to reap the benefits of a productive and successful future, I would need to work hard. I believe my parents instilled this in me by growing up and watching how my parents who emigrated to this country from Italy and had made a good life for themselves and their family. Read More>>

Nazrin Farook

As a freelancer, my work ethic has grown from being fully accountable for everything I do. I’ve learned to create my own schedules, prioritize tasks and deadlines, and balance work with necessary downtime. Focus and dedication have become my guiding principles, shaping the way I approach every project. Read More>>

Yash Patel

My work ethic is something I carry with deep gratitude shaped by my upbringing in Vadodara, a cultural and close-knit town in India, and guided by the values passed down to me by my gurus and my mother, who was a lifelong schoolteacher. Read More>>

Anilly Cona

My work ethic was born from watching my parents work through every season of life, the full ones and the empty ones. No matter how tough things got, they showed up. I can still picture my dad heading out early in the morning, or my mom finding a way to make things stretch, never once complaining, just doing what needed to be done. Read More>>

Monika Reyes

I get my work ethic from my parents. Growing up, I watched them work incredibly hard to give us things I didn’t even realize were luxuries until I got older. My parents worked jobs they didn’t always love, but they showed up every day because they loved us and wanted to make sure we always had what we needed, and more. Read More>>

Sarah Sohn

I was always a rebel at heart and didn’t like the idea of someone else having control over what I can or can’t do. I believe you have to have your own and that doesn’t always come easily. I work hard to obtain ‘FU money’ to be able to have freedom from any situation if needed. Read More>>

Delia Ruiz

I grew up in a hustle mentality-Latino culture. Both of my parents worked since they were children in Mexico and continued to work while they raised my sister and me. My mother would bring us along to go clean homes. I remember playing board games with my sister as my mother cleaned. Read More>>

Kelly Jones

I was blessed to grow up in a family of creative entrepreneurs — my mom a graphic designer for the Philadelphia Inquirer and my dad a self-employed illustrator. I watched them grow and transform in their careers: my mom eventually started her own design firm, my dad became a tenured college design professor, and in 2020, we celebrated him earning his doctorate! Read More>>

Cameron Rennacker

It’s much easier to have a strong work ethic when you love what you do.

These days, I’m wearing a few hats: Co-Founder and Head of Creative at Rennacker Studio, Chief Ranger at Range & Focus, Assistant Teaching Professor at Arizona State University, and, to keep things interesting, I’m also working toward a PhD. I know… it’s a lot. Read More>>

Kenneth Vail

Primarily from my grandparents. My maternal grandparents were both rural school teachers from Lake Village, Arkansas, and my paternal grandmother was a homemaker and a lunch lady in the small town of Banks, Arkansas. As far back as I can remember, all of them were teaching me the importance of a strong work ethic through daily examples or learning experiences. They got up early, worked late, and I never once heard them complain. Read More>>

Lenor Penferd

I got my work ethic from my childhood a lot of people don’t know but we were homeless more than once. We lived from family to family members houses coming up but my mom never gave up and did what people thought she couldn’t. I looked up to that and I learned at a very young age WORK FOR WHAT YOU WANT. Read More>>

Autumn Weyandt

Justin and I were raised in homes where our parents taught this skill very early on. Our parents expected us to build this skill set throughout our growing up and into adulthood. Through their example and leadership, we were able to possess a great work ethic and it has served us very well in life & in our small business. Read More>>

Alyssa Mitchel

I’ve always been extremely organized. Maybe that comes from being a dancer my whole life and developing time management skills at a young age, since I was always having to balance school with dance and music (piano and choir). I think I also developed my strong work ethic at a young age because in third grade I was diagnosed with learning differences including ADHD. Read More>>

Changamiré

As a kid, I always created things. It was how I played. I remember making string art on black fabric for my cool, older cousin’s apartment; building a roller coaster out of cardboard and charging friends to ride on it to raise money for charity; and sewing my high school graduation dress from a Vogue pattern by Chloe. Read More>>

Kristin Healy

My work ethic comes from balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship—I’ve learned resilience, time management, and persistence from raising two kids and building my photography business. At the heart of it, I just love what I do, and that passion drives me to always give my best. Read More>>

Shaelynn Glieden

I get my work ethic from my dad.

I grew up with him owning his own business and seeing how hard he works and the process and the outcomes. Read More>>

Alexandra Wise

I get my work ethic from my family. My parents bought our flower shop in 1996, a year before my older sister was born, and it’s been part of our lives ever since. My sister and I didn’t just grow up around the shop—we grew up in it. Read More>>