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.
Mariah Sammons
I am the founder and CEO so my job is to make sure the day to day is done for the company. My biggest duty finding funding for our non profit organization. As a public charity we get most of funding from donations and grants from corporation and the federal government. With that being said what I do most daily i look for funding. In my field of work there is a lack of place for those affected by domestic violence to go for safe havens. Read More>>
Bob Bergen
My parents instilled the concept of hard work and accomplishments based on earning, not entitlment. The idea of victimhood was out of the question. Success comes from merit. I took my first voiceover workshop at 14, and my parents agreed to pay for these classes as long as I kept my grades up. I got my first part time job at 14 1/2 and from then on paid for my classes. Read More>>
Justin Hardin
Honestly, my work ethic has evolved through experiences with each client and after every season. I reflect on how I could have handled situations better. One consistent practice since the beginning is treating my clients as if they were millionaires. In a way I am placing the client and myself in a position where we are speaking to their future to come manifest. I believe this approach not only benefits the client but also nurtures my growth in the creative process and work ethic. Read More>>
Amy Williams
I was one of 5 children. Growing up we all had chores that we were responsible for. My parents taught me that as a family member, I needed to do my part. To always do my best, whatever the task. To be honest and kind to others. That life isn’t always fair, and I won’t always get what I want. But I feel like if you are honest, work hard, and treat people like you want to be treated… that you will have what you need, and life will be good. Read More>>
Kosta Lois
My work ethic comes largely from the passion I have towards music and my craft of music production. I simply love what I do, so much so that it pushes me to be the best version of myself possible. Read More>>
MJ King
My work ethic was instilled in me at an early age. I grew up in a house of eight- with five brothers and my parents. In order to provide for our family, both of my parents committed themselves to their careers in the medical field. My father has dedicated over forty years of his life, including numerous sleepless nights and round-the-clock phone calls, to ensure his patients received the highest quality of care. Likewise, after several years of stay-at-home childcare, my mother returned to her career as a nurse, providing a foundation of care and support for Hospice patients and their families for over twenty years. Read More>>
Sasha Matkovski
My mother. My parents immigrated from the Soviet in 1990 to the US with next to nothing. My sister was a year old when they immigrated, and I had not been born yet. My parents both got jobs that barely paid, but it was something to support their small family. My mother was the one who really took initiative to learn english and establish our family in america. She ended up teaching herself website design and programming which in turn later allowed my sister and I to have a comfortable childhood. Read More>>
Robert Abtahi
My work ethic has been shaped primarily by those around me. Both my parents worked and worked very hard. They instilled in me the mantra that regardless of the task at hand, you have to give it your all and you have to take pride in your work. Read More>>
Roderick Camphor
I got my work effort from my mother, i know this sounds cliche but seeing her work all the time and seeing the nice things and places i can go with working hard motivated me to want and do better. Coming from poverty, hard work is instilled in you from trials and tribulations. I’ve found that through basketball. Read More>>
Franco Machado-Pesce
At the end of the day, work ethic stems from discipline. Growing up, my dream was to be a soccer player. I dedicated most of my youth to training, practicing, and trying to be the best athlete I could be. This journey made me sacrifice a lot of things and learn how to prioritize my own goals over other things, even social relationships. There’s something that comes with the hardships of being an athlete that really apply to every aspect of life. It’s cliche, but no matter how many times you fall, you need to get up. Read More>>
Tiara Luten
I grew up in a single parent home and watched my mother work overtime, on weekends and sometimes even during the holidays. My mother worked in executive leadership as a regional director and social worker for a well-known non-profit. I watched her feed families on Thanksgiving, visit community centers on the weekend and drop off toys on Christmas like she was the local Santa Claus. Read More>>
Reid Price
I get my work ethic from my parents. They instilled a hard work mentality throughout my brothers and I’s upbringing. It was a work hard, be strong while also being kind and courteous type of household; golden rules that have helped us all achieve our goals. They also led by example and I feel very lucky to have had the guidance and support my parents provided. Read More>>
Sydney Kramer
I would have to say I get my work ethic from my family! I come from a long line of hardworking and ambitious people who never give up and keep pushing to be the best or do the best they can. In the end all you can do is your best. Especially from the lessons I learned from my parents, sister and grandparents, I learned that there is no such thing as perfect only doing your best. Read More>>
Derek Almy
Work ethic for me was groomed as a young child. My parents were a middle-class working couple who’s focus was providing an amazing childhood for their three boys, so I watched them work very hard at making us boys earn what they were never able to have as children. I feel like the story is very common for many of us millennials, but until you open your eyes to see how hard they truly had to grind for a family, many do not fully appreciate that. I did, and I paid attention to the details of what I wanted to duplicate and how I wanted to pave my path differently. Read More>>
Regina Craig
This is an amazing question. I actually got my work ethic from my parents. All of my life I have known my parents to be hard workers who instilled in me that nothing comes for free, and that hard work was essential in order to receive the things that you want. I was also taught that being self dependent and having the ability to find your own way, make your own way and be able to take care of yourself from it was super important. As I got older, I understood the importance of integrity and that intern made my work ethic even better, because no matter what even when it didn’t benefit me, I knew that working hard would get me where I wanted to go. Read More>>
Jess Rogers
I credit my work ethic to my late mother. She was a single mother, an inspiring leader and a fearless business woman. My entire life I watched her overcome life’s challenges with grace and unrivaled determination to succeed. She used to say things like “If you want something you must go after it, noone is going to do it for you” I used to think that was harsh, but it’s truly just honest. Read More>>
Maria Burgio-Kline
I take my work ethic very seriously, as it is a crucial aspect of working in the wedding industry. In this line of work, meeting deadlines is of utmost importance, and I understand that missing them could lead to a complete disruption of one of the most significant days in someone’s life. When it comes to the aesthetics of a wedding, the stationery plays a vital role. Without proper planning and execution, dates could go unmentioned, and guests might not show up to the beautifully designed and meticulously planned event. Read More>>
Zach Ray
I started learning from my dad at an early age. There’s a scripture that says if you don’t work, you don’t eat and I like to eat! My dad learned his work ethic from my grandpa. He worked for the Post Office and would deliver mail in the mornings then come home and work on the farm until the evening and then wake up and do it all over again. Read More>>
Cooper Saunders
Helping businesses achieve growth is my passion, which is why I thoroughly enjoy my work. I always strive to put in the necessary effort to achieve success, as witnessing our clients accomplish their objectives brings immense satisfaction. Read More>>
Daquan Chambers
Just seeing my mother always provide for me my older sister and brother and make things happen when we didn’t have nothing. Hardest working woman in the world and I feel like all that transferred to me, I told her I’m gone get us everything we ever dreamed of . Till this day I hustle everyday no handouts no short cuts sometimes I do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders but remind myself I ain’t come this far for no reason and got people depending on me. Read More>>
Jessica Davis
A strong work ethic has been a goal of mine since I was young. I’ve seen the struggles from previous generations in my family of what it’s like to go without and dealing with financial hardships. I believe that no matter what your household growing up looked like, you always strive to do better. I want my name tied to strength and resilience. I do the hard work because challenges I’ve gone through are not things I’m willing to go back to. Read More>>
Augustine Rodriguez
I feel I get a great work ethic from my father and mother. As they both worked hard to provide for us .My father had military background and was pretty strict with us growing up, showing us discipline,and make sure everything was done right and on time.we had a lot of responsibilities but I do feel that later in life that all played a role into giving me a great work ethic Read More>>
Carl Anderson
My work ethics come from both my mom & dad. My mom is very business minded and my dad worked hard to make sure our family was didn’t want for anything. Not all to always be a hard worker but to take pride in your work and if you are providing a particular service do it to the best of your ability. Read More>>
Salpy Bedrosian Diaz
My work ethic is something that was instilled in me from a very young age. I come from a family of extremely strong and hard working people. Immigrant grandparents & parents who defied all odds, left everything behind, and came to a foreign country to give their families a better and safer life, with opportunities that they didn’t originally have back home. Read More>>
Sherrie “Shaie” Willis
My work ethic comes from the love I have for my craft. I honestly hated working a 9-5. There just wasn’t any job I had a love for. Doing what you love makes everything easier, you’ll never look at it as “work”. As of now I feel like I’m working more on my artistry when it comes to customizing my treats. I always say I get better with every order, and I stand in that. However, I feel like with social media there’s so much more to have to bring. Content is so important and I’m still figuring that part of my business out. I’m excited to dive deeper into it all. Read More>>
Jone Jones
I get my work ethic from my parents. They are both some of the hardest working people I know. My mom especially her work ethic inspires me. I’m an artist and I go by the name Jone Jones. I make alternative rock/soul music. My sound is like a mix between the Arctic Monkeys and Carlos Santana. I just recently dropped an EP called “Call Me When You’re Lonely” and I have released a few singles since. I’m on all platforms under the name “Jone Jones”. Read More>>
Sciarra
I grew up as a competitive figure skater. I started at the age of 4 and when I made the decision to start competing I had to stick to a strict schedule. This meant being at the ice rink at 5am every morning to practice and as I became more advanced I had to take dance classes, off-ice workouts, and other activities that would help me be successful. However, this also meant doing school work in-between as well as having a social life. It really taught me time management early on. Read More>>
Jana Farrell
I got my work ethic from my parents. My parents are also entrepreneurs. They own their own Karate school or “Dojo”. The Karate school is just behind my parents house where I grew up. So their business was basically just in our back yard. You could say that every parent impacts the way that you are to your core, and I can confidently say that they are a big reason I am the way that I am. Since I was little I was shown first hand what it meant to work hard. Read More>>
Iris Elliott
My work ethic definitely comes from my mother. I just think about all the hours she put in. With that being said. Being lazy isn’t really an option. I owe her everything. I don’t know where to start. I make music, I take photographs , I make videos , I paint , I like to do it all. Why not, right ? Something about just focusing on one thing doesn’t sit right with me. Read More>>
Sarah M Silverman
I began studying classical piano and also classical ballet from a very young age. These disciplines require so many hours of focused daily practice, which ultimately has served me in other parts of my life as well. I am great at creating and following schedules, and I am not afraid of hard work. I have had so many opportunities to experience the rewards that come from showing up and doing “the work” every single day. Read More>>
Kelly Wagner
I got my work ethic by having a close and open relationship with my parents and grandparents. Our relationship allowed them to share their professional experiences with each other and myself freely. As a child, I might not have fully understood what they did for a living, but I did know that going to work every day and doing your best was very important because it was the backbone of a successful career, stable income, and a happy life. Read More>>
Jacynta Harb
My work ethic came from watching my parents. I grew up in a very large family. I have a total of 10 brothers and sisters. I had a front row seat at watching my father, who was a school teacher, and my mother who was a stay at home. Mom worked very hard from morning til night. My mother and father never complained about having to put in so much time, energy and effort into raising their large family. They taught us that we all need to help out and pitch in. When was time to get things in life like a car I knew that it would be hard work and determination in order for me to get that and I did. Read More>>
Kim Hix
I had two hard working parents, mom a nurse, dad a realtor and business owner, both worked tirelessly. My mom loved her work and always worked extra shifts or worked late, always on time. My dad was a successful realtor, builder and business owner, very smart and business savvy. I have worked since I was 14, in High School, and had a regular 3 day a week babysitting job before then. I have always been independent and like taking care of myself, making my own money, never liked asking my parents for money, this desire to be self sufficient has stayed with me. Read More>>
Laurel Sorenson
My work ethic came from an early understanding that I was never going to be the most naturally gifted person out there. Most skills did not come easily to me and I could not control that. What I could control was how much time and I effort I put into getting better. If I couldn’t be the most talented person in the room, then I would make sure to be the hardest working person in the room. Read More>>
