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.
Bojack Carter
My mother. She’s an immigrant from El Salvador, came to Texas in the year 2000 when she was 16. Since she moved here, she’s always worked her *ss off. While she was going to highschool, she was working as a cleaning lady. She never ended up finishing school due to some unfortunate circumstances with my great uncle, she moved to Stockton, California where she met my dad. She got pregnant when she was 18. Read More>>
Jeff Donaldson
I think my work ethic comes from a mix of curiosity, resilience, and an excitement for starting new things. I’ve always been driven by the idea that opportunities come from progress —if you keep showing up, refining, and pushing forward, incredible things happen. Read More>>
Sidney Wood
I attribute my strong work ethic to the example my father set. I specifically recall one rainy evening when I was about 10 years old when it clicked for me. We were at the gold mine, doing maintenance on a massive mineral jig plant he and my grandfather designed. This was after the crew had called it a night and I was cold and tired. He was teaching me how to replace a motor pulley that hung down under the frame. Read More>>
Nicole Bekerian
I get my work ethic from my parents, without a doubt. My brother and I were raised to always work hard, be respectful, and to listen and learn. My parents both worked full-time—sometimes taking on extra jobs—but no matter how busy they were, they always made it a priority to show up for us. Whether it was our sports games, school achievements, or just making sure we had quality family time, they never let their hard work take away from what mattered most. Read More>>
Alexandria Willis
My mom. When my mom and I moved to New York from California, I was 16 years old. We immediately faced hardships that we didn’t expect, but my mom had a vision and goal for us. Seeing my mom overcome some of life’s hardest battles inspires me. Seeing a single mother with a little money and a prayer come to New York to follow her passion inspired me. Read More>>
Layo Bright
After completing Law School in Nigeria, I wanted to gain experience in the art world, especially with regards to understanding what it takes to be an artist. I applied for and got a position as a studio assistant for the artist Peju Alatise, who I deeply admired. Prior to starting the position, I believed myself to be serious about my art career and held on to the belief that an artist is mostly inspired on the spur of the moment. Or creative genius of some sort, working only when inspiration strikes. Read More>>
Mohammad Jamal Abdul Kader
My work ethics are a result of my principles.
My principles are focused on the problem solving side of work because that’s how I see life as a whole. We all have our unique problems to solve.
Using that mindset, I spend less time complaining and more time coming up with solutions. Read More>>
Brian Bruno
I was raised on a farm and grew up working. As a young adult I realized I had a work ethic that set me apart and I took pride in it which pushed me to work even harder. Read More>>
Alex Basaldua
I get my work ethic from the same place most people get theirs from, my parents. From as far as I can remember both my parents worked long hours and had multiple jobs as they had to support a family of five. Read More>>
Aleesha Nash
That’s an interesting question because there was a time when I would have craved a glowing performance review—where my work ethic stood out and made my boss see me. But over the years, my perspective on work ethic has shifted. Traditionally, it’s been measured by how professional, reliable, or valuable we appear in the workplace—often through the lens of performance reviews and external validation. Read More>>
Tishawna Wilson Hill
Our work ethics comes from a combination of personal values, upbringing, and experience. Hard work, responsibility, and reliability are things we here at Healthy Heartbeats CPR Training always believed in. At Healthy Heartbeats we are deeply committed to saving lives and empowering other with essential skill. we operate with dedication and professionalism. Read More>>
Ellen Thomas
I think my work ethic comes from both of my parents. Both of my grandpas owned a small family business, where both my mom and dad got their start. Later my dad would go on to start his own LLC in the 2000s essentially starting from the ground (literally he started the company in the basement of our house) and working his way up to success. Read More>>
Tony The Hitman Hernandez
My work ethic started at the young age of 12.. I would wake up at 3am on Saturdays and summer time to go work with my dad. My dad had a delivery route and I loved spending time with him and learning.. My dads work ethic was like no one else. He sacrificed weekdays, nights and weekends to provide for his family and thats what I learned at a young age. So I have to give that to my dad for teaching me the fundamentals of hard work. Read More>>
Rikki Andrea
My work ethic comes from two of the most important people in my life—my mom and my grandfather. As a child, I would spend summers going to the office with my grandfather, who set an incredible example of discipline and dedication. He woke up at 5 a.m. every day and was always the first one at work. I admired the way he welcomed everyone and was never late. His commitment taught me the importance of punctuality and starting my day early to accomplish my goals. Read More>>
Hana Damavandi
From a young age, I realized that if I wanted something, I had to go after it. I had to find a way to make it happen. As soon as I was able to work, I did—never being picky about jobs—until I discovered my strengths and the quality of my skills. That journey was a great learning experience. Read More>>
Vassilia Binensztok
I think my work ethic is innate, but it’s deeply fueled by my passion for what I do. I’ve always been someone who’s driven by curiosity and creativity, constantly coming up with new ideas for business, therapy approaches, or creative projects. When people talk about FOMO—fear of missing out—they usually mean missing social events, but for me, it’s about not wanting to miss out on opportunities to create, build, and contribute to something meaningful. Read More>>
Katelyn Rhoades
My work ethic is deeply rooted in my upbringing and personal experiences. I grew up knowing what struggle felt like. My parents were teenagers when they had me—my mom was still a child herself while raising me. That meant I missed out on things, things that many take for granted. Because of that, I’ve always carried this drive to work harder, to build something bigger, not just for myself but for my own children. Read More>>
Chris Ferenzi
I’d say my strong work ethic comes from my background in engineering. Studying engineering in college trained me to be a fast learner, solve problems efficiently, and adapt to new challenges quickly. That mindset carried over into my photography career, where every shoot requires me to think on my feet—adjusting to changing lighting, capturing fleeting moments, and working seamlessly in different environments. Read More>>
Miller Mccoy
I really appreciate this question because work ethic is something I’ve thought about a lot over the years. I believe it comes from two key places: the environment you grow up in and the personal ambition you develop over time. Read More>>
Chace Auvia Parker
I think A lot of my work ethic comes from both of my parents especially my father . For as long as I’ve lived I’ve never not seen my dad keep going. Always having multiple business and ideas that he’s actively making steps to accomplish everyday, never complaining but rather using what he’s been through and is going through as fuel to keep creating the life he wants and he did just that . Read More>>
Jacob Morales
I credit all my work ethic to the sport of wrestling. Growing up, I was never that into sports until in middle school I found the sport of wrestling. I instantly fell in love with it and became obsessed. I would wake up go for a run, then lift before school then after school we would have practice and some days I would have club practice then I would run again in the evenings. Our holiday breaks were spent driving all over Southern California looking for places to wrestle. The work ethic of a wrestler is unmatched. Read More>>
Ricardo Ramos
I was a competitive swimmer in high school, so the grueling 5:30 AM workouts and 8-9 weekly swimming sessions required a tremendous amount of discipline that I carried with me into college and now apply in my career. Those early call times for swimming practice have been handy whenever I have to be on location for a shoot at an ungodly hour. However, if I have to credit a person for my work ethic, that would be my Mom. Read More>>
April Todd
My work ethic came from my Mom and Dad. I grew up seeing my parents working hard and achieving great success, not only in their careers, but in their personal lives, too. They were the poster couple for work hard, play hard. I saw intense commitment to work ethic from both my Mom and Dad from a very young age; my parents truly led their lives by the guiding core value of, “work hard, play hard and always treat others how you would want to be treated” and I will be forever grateful that they didn’t just tell me to have a good life/work ethic, they embodied it in every single thing that they did. Read More>>
Tugsoyun Davaadorj
My work ethic is deeply rooted in my Mongolian heritage, resilience, and passion for excellence. Growing up in a culture that values hard work, perseverance, and integrity, I learned early on that success comes from dedication and a deep sense of responsibility. Read More>>
Tiara Lyn
I developed my work ethic from watching my mom struggle. Seeing her go through so much made me realize early on that I wanted a different life. That pushed me to move out at 16 and start building my own future. I had to make tough choices, even letting go of the dreams I once had, but that experience shaped my drive and determination. I learned that nothing comes easy—you have to go get it yourself. Read More>>
Robert Ramos
I got my work ethic from my parents. They both came from Mexico to make a better life for them and for my siblings and I. I saw them both work long and hard and attend meetings with the local government to help our schools and recreational parks get better funding. They raised 5 children, worked full time jobs and still managed to learn english. I also got my work ethic from my independence. I was told by my parents that if i chose to pursue a career in Hair over college i would be on my own. Read More>>
Kiana Parsons
I get my work ethic from my mom. I have vivid memories of playing with my little brother in the sunny living room of our first childhood home on the South Side of Chicago. My mom felt ever present, driving us to school with 90s hip-hop blasting, making dinner every night, filling our world with warmth and care. To my young mind, it seemed like her only job was making sure we were happy. And in a way, I wasn’t wrong. Read More>>
Alec Baker
I get my work ethic from the people I grew up around. My parents were teachers, and every day, I watched them wake up at the crack of dawn, get us ready, commute 45 minutes, teach all day, stay late to help students, then come home, take care of us, and somehow still squeeze in more work before bed. Hard work wasn’t something they preached—it was just part of life. On top of that, a lot of my best friends’ parents were business owners. One family ran a hotel and restaurant; another had a home-building company. Read More>>
Bav Patel
My work ethic is shaped by years of experience in the gym and the discipline of waking up early in the morning. I start my day at 5:30 AM, focused and disciplined. Eating the right foods also contributes to my productivity. I make it a point to write down my tasks and concentrate solely on those. Read More>>
