While the media might often make it seem like hard work is dead and that everyone is just ghosting their lives away, we’ve seen countless examples of how strong the work ethic is on every street and in every neighborhood in America. Hard work is alive and well and we asked some of the hardest working folks we know how they developed their work ethic.
Keith King
My work ethic comes from all that elder men that I had around me growing up. I was raised by grandparents and spent a lot of time with my grandfather and great grandfather. They were both hard working men who worked from sun up to sun down. My grandfather was a farmer and my great grandfather owned a small grocery store. Read more>>
JB Brown
Growing up I was always taught that there is no substitution for hard work. My mother and father ingrained that in me very early in life. Fast forward to 1999 and my decision to join the United States Marine Corps thinking I knew what work ethic was… not even close. I had a good foundation, but, the Marine Corps taught me discipline, and discipline excelled my life overall. Read more>>
Joseph Abitol
I got my work ethic from my father who has been a role model for me throughout my entire career. He has been in the business for almost 50 years and he is a true leader in the industry. He showed me exactly how to lead a business with ethical standards over money. Read more>>
Byron Ferrell
Great question- My work effort came from looking at other successful individuals before me. I surrounded myself around people who were doing better than me and it pushed me to reach new heights. Another factor to my work ethic is being told NO numerous of times but never gave up until the YES came! Read more>>
Jillian “JJ” Simmons
My work ethic finds its roots in the inspiring examples set by both my mother and father. My mother’s remarkable strength and determination became evident when she became a single mother when I was just 9 years old. She faced the challenges head-on, working tirelessly to provide for me, ensuring that I had all that I needed. Read more>>
SmithField
When you are an independent artist, work ethic has to be in your blood. It’s a hustle and grind to get your music out there when you are competing with the major labels. Our journey, whether on a label or independent, has always been non-stop work. Even when we had a team surrounding us, we still had to be the hardest workers in the room. I think it stems from our love of music. Read more>>
Chelsea Ward
The majority of my family are self-employed or small business owners with an amazing work ethic. I’ve always been surrounded by folks who had flexible schedules and the ability to make their own schedules and I’ve wanted to have that in my life. That said, it has definitely come with a lack of work-life balance and I grew up seeing that side of the self-employed life as well. Read more>>
William Gregory
I feel my work ethic stems from seeing people from my hometown (Detroit) growing and working in a tough economic environment, especially in todays time. You could be down to your last but a Detroiter will make something happen regardless at the end of the day! . Read more>>
Chris Gomez
I inherited my work ethic from my mother. Being raised in a single parent home I witnessed first hand the true meaning of the word hustle. I learned at a very young age how to be self sufficient as well as learning that if you want something in life you have to go out and earn it. Read more>>
Tory Jackman
My work ethic? My parents were very hard workers. I have 8 siblings and my father worked three jobs for as long as I could remember at least while there were still kids at home. My father was a school teacher and when not in school he was working at a golf course and or as a forest ranger doing what he could to teach the importance of conservation of the wild places. Read more>>
burak erdal
My work ethic has been shaped by two key factors: my commitment to treating others fairly and kindly, and the valuable lessons I’ve learned from experienced individuals in the fields of art and entrepreneurship. Read more>>
Alexx Calise
I’d say that my work ethic comes from my parents. They always told me that I had to work hard for the things that I wanted in life. I’ve been working since I was 12 years old. When you work hard for something, the results are so much greater. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of earning or accomplishing something for yourself. Read more>>
Arlela Bethel
I truly believe that my work ethic was derived from those who toiled and broke through barriers to ensure that my ability to flourish in this 21st century global market was not in vain. As I reflect on this question of inquiry, I am reminded of words so eloquently spoken by the late great American activist, Sojourner Truth, who stated in her poem; Ain’t I A Woman; “I could work as much and eat as much as a man – when I could get it – and bear the lash as well! Read more>>
Courtney Blake
I got my work ethic from my family. My grandparents were farmers and worked hard every day. They never complained and they never gave up. Through the Great Depression and the variations that come with a job dependent on the weather, they gave it their all every day. When my grandfather finally had to stop farming it was due to advanced age. Read more>>
Chris, Jon Fuller, Flynn
We get our work ethic from our passion of music, entrepreneurship and our drive to leave a legacy for our families and our communities. We classify ourselves as sports enthusiasts and have sports backgrounds, which has left us with a natural passion to excel at whatever we do. Read more>>
Tyler Sipe
I get my work ethic from my father. It seems like, for as long as I can remember, he worked from sun up until sun down with no breaks in between. Read more>>
Shequoia Henderson
My mother set the tone for me at a young age. When I was around 8yrs old, my family and I moved to Compton, Ca. This is where my mom became an entrepreneur by opening up her own child care. Eventually that small in home child care became a large non profit youth foundation. Read more>>
Siricasso Garcia
I get my work ethic from the women that stepped up in my life. They did whatever it took to provide and make sure I was good. Seeing them sacrifice time and energy inspires me to never gone up and keep going. Read more>>
Carlita Pitts
My work ethic is a direct reflection of my mother’s. Growing up in a single-parent household, my mother worked hard to provide for us and ensure we had the best she could offer. She was an entrepreneur, she ran a very successful day-care business out of our home. Read more>>
McKenzie Berquam
My work ethic is through and through from my parents! They are the epitome of growing their life from the ground up and throughout our entire lives have worked endlessly to provide for us and continually strived to give us better than we ever had. Looking back on their path to success, it seems like the picture-perfect walk up the mountain, but it was never easy and a rocky road to get us where we are; with them working multiple jobs, not always able to see us or be there for events but always giving 100% for our lives and well being. Read more>>
Joey Rassool
Early on in my career, I was working as a full-time freelancer on low-budget films with no previous connections or avenues into the industry. I had dropped out of film school, didn’t intern at a studio, and had no mentor to apprentice under. This meant that I would take any and every opportunity that came my way. Read more>>
Andrea Amaral
Without a doubt, I have the joy of being surrounded by strong, hard-working, responsible and enterprising women from whom I have learned a lot. Read more>>
Victoria Manginas
Simple. I get my work ethic from my late father. I watched him for decades be the hardest worker in every kitchen he worked in, even his own kitchens. He was always the first to show up and the last person to leave. He never complained, never whined, and never gave up. He always had his wife and his six children in mind whenever he did anything. After his death in 2018, when I took over our family business, I started to realize how hard he truly worked. Read more>>
Deborah North
My parents both came from farm families and are from the Great Depression era. As a result, I learned at a very young age about hard work having spent time on both of their family farms. When I was older, I was required to pay for all of my expenses, so I got my first job at age 15. and waited tables until I graduated from college. In the summertime, I would work two jobs. and paid 100% of my college expenses Read more>>
Raven Bell
“There is no such thing as standing still; you either move forward or regress.” – Bohdi Sanders. Being a business owner is not easy and it did not take me very long to learn that. But then again what’s so wrong about keeping yourself busy? I believe my work ethic only positively impacted who I am and the decisions I make today. In order to be prepared you need to take great care of your physical and mental health to avoid burnout from occurring. Read more>>
Athena Irving
I got my work ethic from my dad, Kelsey Smith. He is the hardest worker I have ever known. Then I married James Irving and he too is inspiring with his work ethic. It doesn’t matter what is going on with them physically or what is going on in the world both of these men work their tails off. Read more>>
James Liu
As a person of color and specifically Chinese descent, I have always felt that I was inherently programmed to strive for success and work hard to achieve a good life. I believe that work ethic is always driven by a motivating factor and my motivation growing up has been to make my parents proud and build a successful life for myself and loved ones. Read more>>
Cortney Hornyak
My parents have always instilled a strong work ethic in me. Growing up, we had chores to earn our allowance, I started babysitting at 12, got my first job at 15. I’ve had 2 jobs a lot of years to make my goals a reality. I work full-time at The Bookworm, we have an Etsy shop where we sell our book lamps that my husband makes, plus he has a full-time job as well. Read more>>
Hilarey Leonard
Early on, I got my work ethic from watching my grandfather. He owned a manufacturing company that made metal products like wash tubs and file cabinets. He worked very hard and fought through very difficult obstacles to achieve success. My father worked for him out of college, and my grandfather made him work his way up like any of his other employees. Read more>>
Terry Smothers
My work ethic came from watching my parents work hard to provide for my siblings and I everyday. They taught us the valuable lesson of doing your best and going the extra mile to obtain your goal. During the summer with my great grandparents in Florida, I learned the importance of being self disciplined and working hard each day. Read more>>
Clovis Kabongo
My work ethic comes from my ambition and passion for what I do. Storytelling means the world to me and working to effectively secure and maintain a place in the entertainment field is what has allowed me to have consistency in my work ethic. Read more>>
Blair Werline
Since I can remember, I have always worked 2 or more jobs. I have severe ADHD so I have to be doing nothing at all or everything at once. I am the queen of multitasking and I like to be challenged with my work. Creating art through sweet treats is so fulfilling for me because I get to utilize all my skills and learn new ones with every order. Read more>>
Yee-Sik Wong
I always have in mind of working towards my goals gives me work ethic. Also, I’m from Hong Kong, China—very competitive society. We all had to work very hard to get to what we want since we were little. Read more>>
Sara Danielson
Growing up in a blue-collar, hard-working family, I learned the value of persistence and dedication. If you work hard and save you can get those things, you desire in life. My dad would work several jobs so we could go on vacations and have a plentiful Christmas. I got my first job at 16 years old and while my friends where out having fun, hanging out at the beach, I was working. Read more>>
Tracy Beauchamp
I get my work ethic from my family! We weren’t the richest family but we never went without! I saw my mom and my aunt go to work everyday and make it happen! I’m a single mother and I make sure my daughter has everything she needs! I work morning, noon and night to ensure if something happened to me my daughter would be taken care of! Read more>>
