How did you develop a strong work ethic?

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.

Rick Palmer Jr

My work ethic comes from the understanding that no one will give you something you’re not working towards giving yourself. Additionally, growing up in poverty taught me that I only have two choices if I want to survive. One, go out and make something for and of myself by putting in the work, or, two go take it from another hardworking person and reap the consequences. Of course I chose option one because I was never the type to take from another! Read more>>

DeMario “Marquis” Ward

My work ethic honestly stems from the values and behaviors I observed and learned from my parents during my formative years. My parents demonstrated a strong work ethic themselves. They showed me dedication, perseverance, and responsibility in their own jobs and personal endeavors. Witnessing their commitment definitely had a profound impact on me, therefore I started to emulate their behaviors. Read more>>

Aamuro Kanda

I like to say my work ethic stems from my heritage and long lineage of farmers on both sides of my family. My father came from a small village in Kyushu, the southernmost island of Japan and immigrated to the states in the 70s. While he was a complete hippy in Oakland back in the day, he stayed true to his farming roots and understood the hard work needed to advance in life. Read more>>

Suzanne Klaus

Growing up my parents always emphasized doing my best in anything that I did. In both soccer practice and PE, we had cone drills that involved running, skipping, or some other variation from one cone to another. I remember my mom telling me to never stop early; always run hard through the cone and then slow down. Read more>>

Carol Miltimore

The most concise way to answer that is it comes from my dad, who is one of the hardest working people I know and raised me with the mantra “do not put anything off that can get done today.” I’ve had an intense work ethic since I was a kid, and in college my dad even wrote me a letter my junior year telling me he appreciates how hard I work but I should also relax a bit. I’ve come to realize as I’ve grown older and wiser that this kind of work ethic, while productive, is not always the healthy. Read more>>

Chelsea Barnett

My work ethic stems from my childhood. Not only my personal experiences but the work that I witnessed from my parents and their friends. I grew up with 2 hardworking parents. Each of them in their own career fields, yet both entrepreneurs. My dad being a family physician and running a doctor’s office for 35+ years, I saw how dedicated to his work he was. Read more>>

Shayna Dreher

Growing up, I always wanted to make my parents proud of me. At times, to a fault. It caused me to be pretty hard on myself, but it allowed me to always strive to do the best I can. Over time, I have learned to take a step back and give myself grace. But I have remained a hard worker, self-starter and now my goals are to impress my clients, make them proud to have hired me, and create a beautiful outdoor environment for them to enjoy. Read more>>

Trisha Nester

I think it comes from growing up in a lower middle class family. If ever I wanted to needed something for school or extracurriculars or even new school clothes it was always a struggle. So I started baby sitting at 13 and basically never stopped working. Read more>>

Yelena and Justin Williams

We’ve always been genuinely passionate about food, travel, and sharing local gems. This passion is the driving force behind our work. We are excited about the opportunity to share our experiences and connect with our followers. The world of social media and content creation is ever-evolving and we’ve had to constantly learn and adapt to new trends and audience preferences. Read more>>

Carl Weintraub

I had the best dad in the whole world. He was big and strong and funny and principled and really really smart. His first job was as a probation officer with delinquent youth, then he became a teacher, then a teacher for special needs kids, then a school phycologist, but most of all he was the founder and director of a non profit multicultural summer day camp in Griffith Park. Read more>>

Lina Cooper

I have always had pretty good work ethic. Actually I think every single thing that I have ever achieved comes from my hard work and not my talent/connections/etc. I think the biggest secret to having great work ethic is being able to motivate yourself. Read more>> 

Brianna Chapman

My work ethic comes from grandparents and parents, at a young age I was always told ” If I put my mind to it, I can do it”. Hearing that daily at the age 4 my sister’s and I created a lemonade stand in front of my parents house that day change my life, because it felt good to put in the work and feel successful. Read more>>

Russell Horton

I grew up in a blue collar lower middle class household. We had to work for what we wanted out of life. I think my drive as an artist comes from that background. The other influence on my work ethic comes from being curious about the world around me. Like a lot of artists, I have to know the subject or site completely in order to render it honestly as I can. Otherwise I will feel unsatisfied with what has been produced. “Meh, good enough” is not in my vocabulary. Read more>>

Catrisja Louis

As a young girl, and first generation I have watched my parents work so hard and obtain so many beautiful things like home ownership and cars and good education all while paying for college for 3 children. My parents would always say, if you want it, work for it so I’m committed to achieving my goal and committed to putting in the work to see results and its paying off. Read more>>

Ana Peralta Chong

To this day, I watch a man work seven days a week and twelve hours a day to provide a safe haven for his family. A few months ago I watched that same man pay off his house for his kids and decide to build a pool for him and his wife to retire. Read more>>

Kayla Bonina

My work ethic came from a very young age for me. I used to be on a national volleyball team that held me to a very high standard early on in life. I suffered an injury my senior year breaking my ankle and gained close to 100 pounds. From there I still fought to be able to From play in college. Once I graduated I always wanted more for myself and would always set very high goals. Read more>>

Trent Harris

Having a strong work ethic is something that is very dear and important to me. Watching my dad wake up every morning to go to work and be at work all day to take care of our family meant a lot to me. I  value having a strong work ethic because it’s who I am today. Working hard is how you make progress and making progress is how you obtain your goals in life. Read more>>

A.J. Hawkins

I’ve always been someone who takes pride in my work and enjoys striving for excellence, whether it’s in a professional or personal setting. I developed my work ethic over time. I was raised in a household where hard work and dedication were emphasized through school, structure, and sports. My parents were also great examples of what it looks like to always give your best effort and to never settle for less but to simply work harder. Read more>>

Mvrco Tha Goat

I’m very self motivated, however most of my work ethic comes from seeing my mom doing the impossible all her life and having her in my ear to never give up on anything. Read more>>

LaDarrel Johnson

My work ethic comes from the resilience of my city, Detroit. We’re a hard-working, roll your sleeves up, non-stop grind, back against the wall type of people. Nothing given, everything earned type mentality. It keeps me in a constant mood of wanting greater for myself and for those near and dear to me. Read more>>

Christina Stewart

I believe it started pretty early…I remember being about 6 years old and kneeling on the seat of my dad’s old white chevy pickup. I can still hear his voice in my head saying “keep it straight Sissy keep it straight” as I would steer the truck down the row through the field as he threw bails of hay on the back. Oh man, can I tell you how special and grown up that made me feel? I loved time on the ranch with my dad. Read more>>

Belle

From my parents. My Dad always had the belief that he could do anything that anyone else could do, and was self-taught in many areas of his life. He never shied away from a challenge, even if it was totally new to him in his field. I always admired that and aspired to be the same, and always be willing to learn rather than being intimidated or afraid of something new. Read more>>

Davell Wright

I get my work ethic from my journey. I always grinded hard whether it was sports and music I want to work as hard as I can thinking about where I have come from. Read more>>

Courtney Tate

Growing up in a single mother household, my two sisters and I watched our Mom work hard to provide everything we could ever need. Without a doubt, single parent households require so much from the sole provider. She was honest with us, and always made sure we knew what a dollar meant. Read more>>

Danae Labocki

Growing up, my parents embodied hard work and joy, setting the foundation for my work ethic. At 10, I joined my mom’s residential cleaning business during summer breaks, cleaning baseboards for a dollar a house. It wasn’t just about earning but learning the value of diligence firsthand. My dad, up at 4:30 am daily, was another inspiration, always ready for work, and then tending to things around the house with unwavering energy. Read more>>

Berry Boo

My strong work ethic was shaped by my mother, a single parent who tirelessly juggled 2 to 3 jobs to support my sibling and me. Her dedication to providing for us while nurturing my talents and allowing me to explore my creativity through various art forms left a profound impact on me. I was involved in numerous activities like dance companies, singing groups, piano lessons, and marching band – the list goes on. Read more>>

Marcus Fontaine

I’d say that my work ethic primarily comes from the past roles I’ve held, which range from traditional employment, volunteering, and more recently an internship. Growing up I can remember the first ever volunteer position I had, it was at a sleepaway camp, and I was brought on to be a CIT, I had been a camper with this sleepaway camp for many years before then, so I knew my way around the camp and the activities. However, being a CIT was a whole different experience. Read more>>

Devyn Moore

I like to think that my work ethic has always come from within, I would at one point have considered myself to be intrinsically motivated or had been up until recently. I was never the type who had to be told to get their school work and/or work done, I simply made certain things pertaining to work non-negotiable. When I had my daughter in 2020, I felt that shift a bit. Read more>>

Martha Frassica-Rivera

My mother! We immigrated to the US when I was five, she was recently divorced and fell in love with Homestead and it’s agricultural background. She spoke Spanish and Italian and no English. However she put in the work, and has owned successful businesses, her own homes and raised my sister and I on her own. She is the definition of work ethic and taught me if you want something badly enough, and you put the work in, it will come to you. Read more>>

Amy Stuttle

Work ethic often seems like an innate trait, something you’re born with. However, I’ve come to understand that when it comes to pursuing meaningful goals, taking shortcuts rarely leads to success. It’s the commitment to putting in the effort that ultimately yields the desired results. Read more>>

Tiera Cross LPCC-S, LCDCIII

My work ethic is greatly influenced by my parents and grandparents. I grew up watching them finish their post graduate degrees, while creating multiple streams of income, and never missing a beat with our family. I’m not sure when they slept, but they explained to me while leading by example how to create a successful life while still showing up for your loved ones. Read more>>

Arjia Thomas

I would say I got my work ethic from both my Mom and Dad. They were always both VERY hard workers and always consistent. They went above and beyond. I definitely pull a lot of my work ethics from them. Read more>>

Karen Shopoff Rooff

I am one of the lucky people who is and always has been internally motivated. From a very young age, my innate curiosity has propelled me to learn more, think critically, and take action. When I encounter a new situation, my response is to gather as much information as I can through observation and ask as many questions as I can to flesh out my understanding. It is this hardwired thirst for knowledge that has allowed me to invent and continually reinvent my work as a personal trainer and health coach. Read more>>

Jayla Eskridge

I got my work ethic from my parents. Growing up I saw my parents do it all while raising kids. From my dad opening up his own barber shop and him being a business owner and being able to take care of his family. To my mom working in healthcare and coming home to cook dinner and do the whole nine. They made sure we never went without and made sure we had everything they didn’t have growing up. Read more>>

Dr. Michelle Pierce Mobley

The creative team of Tab Talks attributes their success to good parenting. Dr. Michelle recounted always seeing both parents working and volunteering. My mother was in fashion retail and volunteered as a Sunday School teacher at our church. My father worked two jobs and was a frequent blood donor. Read more>>