We asked some of the hardest working artists, creatives and entrepreneurs we know to open up to us about where they think they got their work ethic from. Below, you’ll find some of those responses, stories, and advice.
Nick Leydorf
Without a doubt, my parents. I’m an only child, and I grew up in a very rural area, so I was around my parents all of the time. We lived in a trailer for most of my childhood. My parents were always working hard to give me a better life. My mom worked about 45 minutes away so she was up early every morning to get to work by 7am. Eventually, we moved into a home that didn’t have wheels! That always stuck with me. If you have a goal in mind and you work hard at it, eventually you can achieve it. Read more>>
Matondo Kiantandu
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My Father before he passed he would travel back and forth from the US to Africa for a job translating bibles for third world countries. He had a PHD and could have made way more money but he wanted to help people. If Im tired or frustrated I think of the sacrifices he made including coming up with a plan to build a house with zero architecture knowledge that ended up being profitable. Read more>>
Joe Grasso
My grandparents, on both my mother’s and my father’s side of the family, we’re Italian immigrants. They came to the United States at the turn of the 20th century seeking a better way of life. They were young, poor and hungry, but they had a burning desire to work, prosper and raise their families. Read more>>
Luis Tovar
A strong work ethic comes from the positive outlook of the individual. Everyone has a different form of work ethic. For me, my schedule is the opposite of many people’s routine. Getting up at 6 am and starting the day, then going to bed at 9 pm is far from my world. I get up at 10am and go to bed at 2am and sometimes take a nap in between to recharge. Read more>>
Amari Leath
I come from a family of educated hard workers. My grandfather was an entrepreneur who worked very hard, and my parents also worked very hard. I got my first job shortly after I turned sixteen, and I realized that if I worked hard, good things would happen. Read more>>
Denice Woller
My parents absolutely inspired my work ethic. I grew up on a dairy farm in south central South Dakota. Anyone who knows the lifestyle of a dairy farmer understands they are not known for taking breaks, because they can’t. The cows always have to be milked. Read more>>
Miranda McIntire
I would definitely say that my work ethic comes from my parents, grandparents and other family members. I come from farming and ranching families and there is always work to be done, animals to be fed, and repairs to be made. So much so that we rarely took time out for fun activities, and when we did it was usually centered around a rodeo event or something else that needed to be done. Read more>>
MitchCK
My work ethic is ingrained at the very core of my being. It’s as if it’s woven into my DNA, a part of who I am. I never found it unusual until I spent more time around others, and realized that it doesn’t come as natural to everyone. Read more>>
LeeAnn Barnes
My work ethic has definitely come naturally from my dad’s side of the family. I would say its a generational thing overall. Read more>>
Ian Hyde
From a young age I was taught that hard work yielded results, and “responsibility” yielded opportunities. Household chores were something assigned at a young age, from there cutting yards in my neighborhood at the age of 10. By 15 I had a pretty sound yard service business, and my love of animals led me into my 2nd job at our veterinary clinic that I worked at during the week after school so I could still cut yards on the weekends. Read more>>
Brian Carlson Carlson
My work ethic has been influenced by a combination of factors. First and foremost, I come from a family that values hard work, dedication, and perseverance. My parents instilled in me the importance of giving my best effort. Additionally, throughout my education and career, I have been fortunate to work with mentors and colleagues who have demonstrated strong work ethics, and their commitment to excellence has inspired me to strive for the same level of dedication. Read more>>
Ray Boyd
my work ethic came out of my willingness and desire of wanting to be a better version of myself then when i went into the penitentiary. i never held a job in society in my life until i was 49 years where i was hired by Lewis Real Estate Services as the Brokers Assistant. prior to that, i put in over sixteen years or so in the kitchens throughout the Connecticut Department of Correction working at the low point as a row man or the high point as the lead clerk. Read more>>
Estee Schuster
From my mom, she’s a hardworking person. And I see that since when I wast a kid she raised me good and my brother and sister and she help a lot also to my relatives. Read more>>
Leon Araujo
My work ethic comes from my parents. Seeing them work hard to achieve their dreams really allowed me to become a hard worker man and pursue my desires. Having immigrated to the United States, hard work was necessary to survive. I began working at the age of 16 and haven’t really stopped since. Long days, long nights and a lot of work have helped me achieve everything. I’m quite thankful for my work ethic and the privilege of being to work on something I truly love. Read more>>
Jenna Nation
I was very fortunate to come from a family of hard working people. All of my life, my parents instilled in me the importance of hard work whether it was getting good grades in school, practicing my music and preparing for competitions, applying to schools or learning a new skill. They helped guide me through the process of working towards something by helping me to organize my thoughts and make a plan and set goals for myself. Read more>>
Jon Worthy
Everyone in my family works super hard at what they do. Observing that work ethic has taught me that you need to outwork people in order to get what you are after. I also think that starting out, I wasn’t the most naturally gifted musician so putting in the hours to hone in on the craft was key to getting me to a level where I felt I could compete at a high level. Read more>>
Meet Kadiz
From my mother. I watched my mother work multiple jobs to take care of us. Also, my uncle, he drilled in my head that ” no one is going to do anything for you, especially being a man. Read more>>
Jessica Doaks
My work ethic stems from watching both my mom and dad growing up and being committed to whatever it was they were involved in or working on. They have both always had a great work ethic. Because of this, I truly thinks it’s something within me that finds pleasure and joy in giving any task, job, or obligation 100%. I find it helps character building and created discipline. Read more>>
Grant Emerson
I developed my work ethic from high school sports, specifically Cross Country running. XC was the perfect venue for me to find my limits while also being a part of a team and cheering teammates on. I loved that everyone on the team was on an individual journey as well as a collective one. Through running I learned that I was capable of more that I thought possible. Read more>>
Kaitlyn Bryant
A few factors fed into my work ethic. The first being my mother, I grew up watching her work multiple jobs and raise two kids alone. She worked so hard to make sure we never went without, I knew if I wanted anything in life I need to work for it. I saw how hard my mom worked to give me a chance and I didn’t want to mess it up. Read more>>
Sarah T.G.
I’m a strong believer that a hard work ethic is learned, and therefore taught. My parents instilled the principle of hard work in me from an early age and I often went to work with them. Working hard is a choice and it’s one that artists and writers and makers have to make every moment of every day. Once you realize you have something special to offer the world it is often not enough without the will to work hard to have it seen. Read more>>
Altravise Taylor
In terms of work ethics, it came naturally to me. I’ve always witnessed my Mother & my paternal Grandfather work while being gainfully employed. Read more>>
Jeramiah Birdsong
Growing up where I’m from in MT. Juliet TN, the concept of grinding and working hard for what u want is not new to me. I really am a product of my environment I. The fact that all I saw/ know from coming up was to bring and pursue my dreams and ambitions because at the end of the day the only person to make it where I’m trying to go is me Read more>>
Kaire Umoja
Definitely my dad. The way I’m obsessed with what I do is because of him. He’s a bodybuilder and has been competing for as long as I can remember. Being in the gym with him and seeing the behind of the scenes of what it takes to be good if not great in that world, it’s insane you know? Having to train ones body to exhaustion, aiming for perfection, putting yourself through the wringer for ten plus weeks for one day. Read more>>
Mary Velazquez
As a daughter of an immigrant and single mom I feel the drive and dedication work ethic came from my mother. I am the oldest of 5 siblings. My mother had me at a very young age she was always a single parent, she worked long hours and days to provide for her children .She was never too sick or tired to not work so I definitely learned from her and the examples she set Read more>>
Coraline Yang Kong
My work ethic stems from a profound passion for filmmaking, a passion that is continuously fueled by the inspiring filmmakers around me. It is crucial to surround myself with people with the same enthusiasm, as filmmaking is not easy. There are moments when exhaustion sets in when my passion seems insufficient to push me further. In such times, the support and drive of these inspiring filmmakers rekindle my motivation and urge me forward. Read more>>
Amanda Davis
My work ethic comes from within myself. As a clinical injector, I strive to continuously grow and learn to provide the best practices, injection techniques, and safety to my patients. Aesthetics is an ever evolving practice, and I truly put in the hard work day in and day out to improve my skills. This drives me even further to see the reward…… making people feel and look their best. Read more>>
Nikki Stinson
Unquestionably, my work ethic comes from my parents. Having grown up in a suburb of Denver, Colorado, with two hard working parents, my mom was a stay at home mom until I was in high school and my dad was in the retail optics business, both creative and with a knack for doing things on their own, I quickly developed the mentality that DIY was the only way to go. Read more>>
Shreyans Zaveri
I get my work ethic from my interpersonal relationships. Having grown in a big joint family, everyone did their part without the expectation of a reward. I just carried that forward in my life and work. After all, the world is one big family. I do my work from a place of service. Any or every work is an act of service. Some of it is aligned with my purpose and a lot of it is not. Read more>>
Barrie and Laurenzo Rose and De Camilla
Our work ethic comes from knowing our “why” and the impact we want to make in the world. In difficult moments, returning to that central purpose is key to our long-term success. We also believe in slow, consistent effort that sustains our longevity. Read more>>
Gabrielle Chen Gracilla
I watched my father work 2 jobs day and night as we were growing up. I am so proud to see him achieve his dream of living in a house on the water. 3 years ago, we moved to Huntington Harbor where we swim with sea bass and moon jellies. I remember him traveling to Minnesota to ace his test to become a franchisee owner of Dairy Queen for the next 20+ years. Read more>>
JOHN MEDINA
I got my work ethic from my family. From an early age I watched my Parents, Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles work really hard. It was part of our culture. I was taught that no one owned you anything, you had to work for it. At around 12 years old I started working on a sportfishing boat in San Pedro, CA. We started at 5am and ended at 5pm. Read more>>
Rick H. Jones
My parents. I saw them, after migrating to Ohio after WWII to build a better life than would have been possible in their eastern Kentucky hometowns, begin working in a Dayton factory. Twelve years of that was enough, so they trained to be a barber and beautician and opened their own businesses side-by-side. Read more>>
J. Daee Lesly Alcantar
We love this question! We are both children from immigrant parents. And we both have had to navigate our parents high expectations they have for us while staying true to ourselves AND not disappoint them all at the same time. Also, having to watch our parent’s work tirelessly in a country that did not value them and continues to not value them as immigrant workers. Read more>>
Nitara Mohabir
I definitely get my work ethic from my mother. I am first generation and both of my parents were born in Guyana, so them coming over to the states at such a young age and providing such a beautiful life for my brother and I, is truly admirable. My mother was the sole bread winner of the household and even went on to owning her own mortgage company, and for that she showed me how unstoppable I can be. Read more>>
K. Shon Tillman
We started True Digital Marketing in 2017 shortly after the worst hurricane in Texas history, Hurricane Harvey. The city of Houston was going through an experience like never before. A lot of businesses didn’t make it, some couldn’t come back. Three years later, the world would go through an experience like never before, we got hit with the COVID-19 shutdown. Read more>>
Lisa Gerstenslager
This is a tough question for me because my work ethic does not come from one specific place or person, but from many people around me and the different experiences I’ve had in life. First and foremost I have to credit my mom for showing me what hard work and resilience looks like. She taught me to show up, be accountable, and do whatever it takes to get the job done. Read more>>
Dr. Shavonne Ekeledo
My work ethic is influenced by a combination of factors, including my personal values, upbringing, education, experiences, and intrinsic motivations. I am driven by a desire to make a difference, contribute to knowledge, and achieve goals. Read more>>
KIMBERLY WHITE
My family of course I come from a long line of hard-working people. We would do anything it took to survive. Sure, I had help along the way but down deep we just got it done. Read more>>
Michelle & Evan Schmidt
Our strong work ethic comes from our childhood experiences and our parents. Read more>>
