We’ve all heard the phrase “work hard, play hard,” but where does our work ethic come from? Is it something we learn from our parents, or are we born with it? Do our friends, work environment or the city we reside in impact it? We asked some of the hardest working folks we know to share where they think they get their work ethic from.
Hannah E. Fahoome
Growing up with a mixed cultural background of immigrant and working-class ancestors, I think that work ethic came very naturally to me. As a little kid I went to work with my grandma in a retail shop and would help her tag merchandise; I even helped my dad clean carpets as he was starting his Restoration & Cleaning company from the ground up. Read more>>
Kaylee TooCold
When I was growing up, it was just me and my mom. She was 20 when she had me so as I look back, as I watching her grow up as I was growing up as well. My mother would work 2 and 3 jobs pretty much my entire childhood to make sure I had everything I needed and so many things I wanted. Read more>>
josh gall
My work ethic honestly comes from my drive and my desire to succeed. When i wanted to get into DJing / music production it was up to me to begin the journey and to sit myself down everyday to learn the basics and fundamentals. Even to this day i am always learning something new and I do not like staying stagnant in my learnings or abilities. Read more>>
Janette Hinton
Even though my dad had a good job, he was very adamant about making sure all 5 kids including me earned everything. My parents would pay us for doing “extra” chores after we finished what was expected. I have memories of pulling 100 weeds for $1 and cleaning windows for $25 a window. When we all turned 16, we always had to borrow our parents car as they did not get a car for us. We had to buy our own. Read more>>
Mara Benson
I never planned on being a Realtor. I struggled at school and tried college twice, I just never enjoyed it. My father taught me to work hard. I always had visions of owning my own business, I just didn’t know what that looked like. In 1998 I moved to Arizona, met my husband and we had two children. I had my first taste of sales in the .com era, I absolutely loved it! Read more>>
Melodie Allegre
I developed my sense of work ethic from my father and parts from my mother. My father immigrated to the United States from France in his 30’s and worked his way from taxi cab driver in nyc to CEO of a hugely successful company through years of hard work, resilience and determination. Im lucky to be privy to morning lectures from him about life and never giving up. Read more>>
Kyle Oueis
Just like everybody else and their job you work hard and you get paid. You work hard and you move up. Regardless if you work a 9 to 5 or your dream job, you bust ass to get ahead. Growing up with my mom and seeing my dad in the summer, seeing how hard my dad worked owning his own business and my mom working a 9 to 5 I saw both worlds. Read more>>
Astin
I keep going because I have to. I know that if I quit trying to make high quality recordings of my music or stop aggressively promoting myself, then that’s it. People aren’t going to listen to my music as a growing local musician unless I put it right in front of their face. It took quite a while to develop this mindset however. Read more>>
Bianca Mojica-Torres
My mother. She is the most hard working person I know. Growing up I saw her raise 4 girls all on her own while working daily 14 hour shifts just to provide food on our table and a home over our heads. There were times where she would take us to her Job and we sat in the back. Sometimes I would peak over and observe everything she did. Read more>>
Tre Franklin
I got my work ethic from watching my parents. My Mom worked hard at a nuclear company for over 30 years, and my Dad had jobs in oil & gas and ran a side business working on cars. They both taught me the importance of working hard and giving my best in everything I do. Read more>>
Nicole Liveoak
I’d definitely have to say I get my work ethic from my mother, Jamie Basler. Growing up my mother was a single parent, she had no choice but to work hard. I admire her for that. Growing up we never went without and it can all be attributed to her hard work. She has truly inspired me and always encouraged me to do and be whatever I want. Read more>>
Eyal Alfandary
I actually learnt that from my parents. They always taught me that if I have something to do, it’s best to do it right away and then you’ll be able to do other stuff because I know that I finished with the things that I have to do. It also comes from the place that I want to be perfect and that I want to be the best version of myself so I’m always working super hard. Read more>>
Melissa Stynski
100% my work ethic comes from my parents. Growing up on a farm, they taught me the importance of God, family and work balance. I am forever grateful for that. Read more>>
Alia Reedy
I source my work ethic from a few different places. Some of my ethic has been cultivated with time and experience. Some of it comes by an inner strength (a gift perhaps) because work creates growth and confidence. For a time as far back as I can remember, my Father worked harder than anyone I knew. Read more>>
Teresa Bush
My parents! Absolutely, my parents! My parents bought a small business in a small town over 50 years ago….it is still in operation and still family owned! My entire life was spent in “business”. Owning a small business is hard, it just is. Read more>>
Cariece Peck
The question of where my work ethic originates from is truly significant. Let me begin by outlining what work ethic signifies to me. It embodies how I conduct myself in my daily life—it reflects my character, punctuality, integrity, professionalism, approach to tasks, dependability, and, most crucially, my pursuit of excellence. Read more>>
Arron Foster
My parents, family, and the community of my youth were instrumental in developing my sense of what it means to have a good work ethic. My parents were incredibly young when they started their family and faced a lot of challenges together. While this context doesn’t work for all, fortunately for me, it worked for my parents, who drew together and maintained their vision of a thriving, happy family. Read more>>
Danny Apodaca
For me, work ethic is a will that I inherited. With that being said, my pops is the hardest working person I know. It’s easy to say I learned a lot from him. He told me at a young age that character is doing the right thing even when nobody is around. So keep working hard in any given situation. I’ve found I can use this strength in almost every facet of life. Read more>>
Blake Mendenhall
I’m so thankful that I have come from a long line of family members who have shown me and all around them the importance of showing up. Weather you are prepared or weather your not, you have to still show up. Read more>>
Lizzie Hershberger
My work ethic comes from growing up Old Order Amish. Read more>>
Cielo Roth
I have so many great people to thank for my work ethic. Both of my grandfathers started their own businesses in Los Angeles. My material grandfather was a cook and eventually opened his own restaurant in San Gabriel, CA. Read more>>
Tebonye Crawford
I watched my grandparents work hard to provide for the family through rains sleet and snow and heat just to make sure that we had what we needed. They really had a resilient work ethic as they set the example for me. They took pride in their work and in helping others who didn’t have much. I have always had a strong work ethic since being a teenager. Read more>>
Pakob Jarernpone
I have always believed that if you want something to happen you have to put in the work, put in the hours, and go all in, almost like a psychopath in some respects. I learned this quality from my mom. I heard in a podcast once that success and insanity are each other’s neighbors, and that they borrow sugar from each other. Read more>>
Raquel Fowler
Honestly, ever since I was young I was always a hustler. Whether is was sports or grades… I always had a strong work ethic. Both of my patents are extremely hard working as well, so I definitely get this mindset from them. I’m also competitive, so I feel as if though work ethic and a competitive spirit go hand in hand. Read more>>
Alex Louie
I’ve always believed in the value of hard work and the principle that success is earned through determination and perseverance. This mindset was ingrained in me from an early age, shaped by my family’s experience of running their own small business. Many cherished memories of my childhood revolve around our family restaurant, where everyone dedicated themselves to long hours and various tasks each day. Read more>>
Giovanee Welcome
Growing up in a Jamaican household the culture and lifestyle kind of becomes a part of you. Seeing how life was growing up in Jamaica I understood that hustling was big part of the culture. Knowing this I felt like there was so much I can learn taking on countless jobs. Theres was a point in time where I’ve even worked 3 jobs at once. Read more>>
Gary Thomas
My parents were hard workers. I also had school teachers, dance teachers, and sports coaches that didn’t allow people to give up. I was taught that when you start something, you finish it. Read more>>
Sin Quirin
I definitely get my work ethic from my parents. They were both immigrants from Mexico and came to this country with literally nothing but hopes of a better life. Both my parents were extremely hard workers that started at the bottom and worked their way up to owning their own businesses. They instilled that hard work ethic in me and showed me by example that in order to achieve things you had to work hard. Read more>>
Chrissy Santos
From a young age, I worked really hard. Whether it was doing extra assignments for extra credit in high school , or working multiple jobs in college while being a collegiate athlete, it has been in my DNA. My mom, who should have retired long ago, is still the hardest working person I know. I know that is where I got my work ethic from. Read more>>
Shannon Hallstein
Growing up, I was a quiet child. I wanted to have a lot of alone time where I could daydream and be bored to let my creativity flow. I had great parents, a good home, a wonderful sister which all helped to foster this time of growth in the arts. I grew up in the age just as cell phones were coming into the picture, and when the internet was just beginning to take flight, so the distractions growing up were very few. Read more>>
Alphonso Harvey
I got get my work ethic from my parents. My father always taught me to “get my mule out of the ditch”-work until the job is done. The best example of this was when we had to fit a pipe for the kerosene stove that heated our home. Read more>>
Jessica Lee
I come from a long line of multi-taskers and givers. Both sets of my grandparents grew up during the Depression in rural Mississippi. My grandmothers had to learn how to do a lot with very little resources, but always found a way to give to others, too. One of my grandmothers was a preacher’s wife, raised six children, three grandchildren, and always found ways to support her community. Read more>>
Edward Leal
Throughout my life, I have been fortunate to have been influenced by various sources that have contributed to the development of my strong work ethic. An important factor has been my education. Growing up in a family where hard work and dedication were valued, I learned from an early age the importance of perseverance and commitment to achieving goals. Read more>>
Landon Fraker
My work ethic was passed down to me through my family lineage partly but also instilled in me as a young boy by my dad. My grandfather never stops working even to his detriment. The same goes for my dad who worked very hard his whole life to make sure my brother and I were taken care of. Growing up I was given a lot of opportunities to develop good work ethic. Read more>>
Katie Morrell
I grew up in a family that was fortunate. My great grandfather was one of the founders of the successful company Vulcan Materials. The old cliche, “The first generation makes it, the second generation spends it, and the third generation blows it.” Read more>>
Samantha Mergler
My work ethic came from both my parents. They have always displayed the consistent drive to succeed and provide for my brother and I when we were children. As my father ran his own business, my mother went to college, later in life, to pursue her teaching degree. We grew up knowing that it is never too late to start your passion/career and that with hard work you can make that dream happen whether it is for yourself or your spouse. Read more>>
Mary Tsegaye
I definitely get my work ethic from my parents. They are 2 of the most hard working and resilient people I know. My family (parents and 2 older sisters) moved to Canada from Ethiopia when I was 5 years old. From the day we landed, I watched my father work endless hours to provide for us and my mom worked part time and took care of us full time. Read more>>
Marie Montano
My work ethic is a mixture of genetics and teachings in my upbringing. Both of my parents are self-made, hard workers. They moved to Dallas around 1990 from Nebraska for my dads job as a pilot. My mom was a painter and homemaker. Read more>>
Lakiesha Simpson El
I learned the value and dedication of my work ethic from my late mother. As a young woman my mother instilled in me how to work hard and appreciate any job that you do to earn a living. My mother worked as a phlebotomist for over 20 years, which involved drawing blood samples from patients and preparing those samples for testing. Read more>>
