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.
Neftali Hernandez
Growing up in Puerto Rico and then moving to Georgia at a young age instilled in me the importance of adapting and working hard to achieve one’s goals. My family has always been a significant source of inspiration, displaying an unwavering work ethic in the face of challenges. Their resilience and determination in providing better opportunities for our family were instrumental in shaping my own approach to work. Read More>>
Sheryl Matheu
My parents. Their parents immigrated to the United States at a very young age because they heard there was work in the steel mills and the factories. Both my parents came from not much and worked very hard to give my sister and I the life we had. Read More>>
Udlin Etienne
I got my work ethic from watching my emigrant parents migrate from Haiti to America with nothing but hopes and dream on providing a better life for me and my siblings, fast forward to them working hard, getting their green cards, and buying a house. I think that really motivated me to work harder so that I could retire them. Read More>>
Royce Monroe
My work ethic derives from my childhood in how I was raised. My mother always made it clear to me that I can do whatever I want to do in the future as long as I take it seriously and give it my all. Throughout life, I’ve seen the results of having a goal, executing a plan and receiving the results of those efforts. Once you begin to design your life versus survive in life, you can begin to understand the extent of your own power. Read More>>
Anita Ivancevic
My work ethic absolutely comes from my mom and dad, Goran & Nermina Ivancevic. At a very early age they instilled in me an appreciation for excelling at whatever the task at hand is. I grew up with the mentality that no matter what you are doing, regardless of how big or small, be the best you can be at it. This has served me well in my academic career, professional tennis career and now in my business. With a good work ethic comes discipline and due diligence. All of which are instrumental ingredients to success. Read More>>
Shadey Liadi
I definitely developed my work ethic by watching my parents growing up. They both would always tell my brothers and myself that nothing is out of your reach. Put the work in and you will get what you want. Read More>>
Rachael Guigno
I definitely learned my work ethic from my father. I grew up in a long line of military men from my grandfather in the Air force, my uncle in the Marines and of course my father in the Army. He was a single father to me for many years and we had to overcome so many challenges together. His job required him to travel, be away for week long field training exercises and we moved every few years. Despite how busy his schedule was and how often we had to relocate, he worked hard to make it all seem effortless. I learned a lot about balance, prioritizing and work ethic. Read More>>
Sebastian Livingston
I believe work ethic is something that most people, given the opportunity, are able to cultivate. That being said, I appreciate the fact that I had amazing people show me how a determined work ethic could manifest itself in all sorts of ways. Read More>>
Jessica Thomas
I get my worth ethic from my mom. Just seeing how much of a boss she is and how she was always consistent with everything she does; that’s who I look to for the true definition of a boss! So it was only right that I turned out to be the same way. Read More>>
Ashley Nichole
I honestly get my work ethic from my parents. I watched them raise 7 children. It was hard for them but me and my siblings was always kept with food on the table and a roof over our head which was more than enough now that I’m a parent and I understand the importance of needs versus wants. Read More>>
Daquesha Chever
I grew up in a household where my parents always reflected what hard work looked like. They displayed the necessary level of dedication in both their personal life and career. I honestly don’t have one memory of either of my parents missing even one day of work! This type of behavior and diligence poured over into me and my sisters. We made the connection early that hard work pays off. Now as an adult, my strong work ethic comes naturally and I am able to release great accomplishments at home and work- just like my parents. Read More>>
Tam “Koko” Khodanian
I was brought up by parents that were both entrepreneurs. They had their own jewelry business that they still own and operate for the passed 40 years. Growing up, my mom would pick up my siblings and I from school and bring us back to the store every day so I really grew up seeing them run their business, talk to and create relationships with their customers, and make a living for themselves and for the family. Read More>>
Rachael Roach
A major part of my work ethic has come from my mother and honestly, the struggle to survive. My mom worked very hard to provide me with great schooling and when things got difficult she never gave up. Read More>>
Oliver Draper
Everyday I get up, slam down 3 raw egg and go for a 10 mile run. Then when I get home I have 1gal of water that I alkalinize MYSELF (extremely healthy) and sit down with the grand piano for 8-10hrs doing very intense songwriting. This typically yields incredible results and I think I really owe it all to my strict morning routine. Read More>>
Asper Hegwood
Faith without works is dead. Nothing given, only earned. I have always been a planner and I am the type of person who makes a 5 year plan of what I want out of life. I also know those plans won’t come to pass unless I put in the work. Read More>>
Joi Bailey
I’ve always wanted to be successful. One of the ways to becoming successful is watching successful people and doing what they do. I found tattooing at a young age. I remember wanting to be really good at it so I tried to surrounded myself with good tattooers. I kinda copied what they did. Worked all the time. Constantly drew pictures. Practiced the craft. There were very few days off in the beginning. Read More>>
Lois Rusco
My work ethic has been influenced by many factors over the years. My parents, of course, were a strong factor in developing my work ethic Hearing stories about and observing how hard they had to work to achieve their dreams has been truly inspiring. I was taught at a young age that if I wanted something, I would have to put forth a strong effort to succeed. I began earning money at an early age and found that working hard led to some nice rewards. Read More>>
Shamar Barkley
My work ethic stems from my own need to be successful at what I put my mind to. I love having a hand in producing quality productions that resonate with audiences, build connections, and leave a lasting impact. I cannot do that without a strong, consistent work ethic. I accredit my work ethic to my grandmother. As the matriarch of the family, I’ve seen her deliver and provide in ways that only stem from her work ethic, so I subconsciously adopted it and applied it to my life as well. Read More>>
David Gort
Growing up in a single parent home, I watched my Mother work multiple jobs to make ends meet. She never complained about having to work more than one job, she would always say “you gotta do what you gotta do to take care of home”. Read More>>
Heather Ford
When you’re a one-woman show apart from event days, a consistent work ethic is crucial to my progress and success. Nobody else is going to do what is required to plan, design, and produce an event the way I expect, nor the way I have communicated to my clients. This notion is a compelling reason to constantly move the needle and maximize any available time to continue with my planning process. Otherwise, I find my husband and parents to be exceptional role models and my support system as it pertains to work ethic and discipline. Read More>>
Eva Horner
I get my work ethic from my mom. I floundered for a lot of years before I figured out what I wanted to do, but through all of that, I’ve watched my mom. She’s a military veteran, who served for 27 years, then she retired from the school district, and she still doesn’t quit. She’s almost 70 years young and travels the country with Team Rubicon helping clear areas that get destroyed by natural disasters. To be able to work half as hard as she does is the least I should expect from myself. Read More>>
Shannon Palmquist
Definitely from my parents, My dad always told me to kill with kindness, always be on time and do your job to the best of your ability. If you work hard you will always be employed. And that has always stuck with me and was passed on to my kids and I hope my grandkids! Read More>>
Contrina Jenkins
My work ethic comes from my father. My dad always pushed us to work hard and try our best. The only thing that beat a failure is a try. As a little girl, I remember him saying if you want something go get it and depend on yourself. Read More>>
Katrin Baghdasarian
I get my work ethic from my parents. My father and my mother are both leaders in their own way. I grew up seeing them work hard to raise my siblings and I. It encouraged me to go on my own and open up my own business without fear of failing! Read More>>
Daniel Ruczko
I think it’s deeply rooted in the intrinsic love I have for what I do. I’m truly passionate about something, and the boundaries between ‘work’ and ‘play’ blur, It’s more like I’m just having fun with it, and that makes it easy to keep pushing forward. Furthermore, my mind is like this constant stream of ideas. Sometimes I think it’s got a life of its own! It keeps me excited and makes me think, ‘What’s next?’ So, yeah, I guess my work ethic is less about being strict or disciplined and more about following creative impulses. Read More>>
Good Grief
Our work ethic comes largely from each other. It’s quite rare for anyone to be able to build a business with their best friend. That being said, we are both very lucky to be in a duo where we share such strong motivations, but also have very different ways in which we approach business and creation. Our compatible differences allow us to push each other with opposing perspectives while simultaneously holding the other accountable to their goals. Read More>>
Toni Manar
I got my work ethic from both of my parents. Those two both have a work ethic like I have never seen! Maybe that is what brought them together! I remember being a kid and hearing people ask my mom how she manages to work so many jobs and take such great care of us. The lady never seemed tired to me. We never felt like we were inconveniencing her or stopping her from doing fun things because she only wanted to do things that we could do with her. I think it was easy for her because all the money she made was to make sure we have everything we needed and most stuff that we wanted. My dad worked just as much and he always had another hustle going on, I don’t care if it was just getting you access to a tv channel or a movie, that man always found another way to make money. Read More>>
Lauren Wyman
My work ethic comes from wanting to see change in a broken healthcare system and wanting to end suffering. I have personally had many health struggles that were attempted to be “managed” with medications by the healthcare system, however, I was never given hope in actually healing or understanding why my issues were occurring in the first place. I was simply provided with bandaid solutions. I began to understand and realize that my personal habits & daily practices were fully contributing to my health issues and it was something that I had complete control over. Read More>>
Shauna Devenport
I got my work ethic from watching my dad work extremely hard to raise four children on a single parent’s salary. He was an electrician by day, and a handyman by night. He worked extremely hard to gain his electrician license, and I would sit in the car in the parking lot with my siblings doing my own homework while he was in class. My dad would then come home and do his own homework at the table into the night. He worked two jobs, and when he wasn’t in school, he would come home and just fall asleep deeply on the couch, wake up to eat whatever we made for dinner as kids, and then fall back asleep. Read More>>
Carter Eve
I have always been a bit of a perfectionist. Before I discovered jewelry, I had dedicated my life to playing the violin. Hours and hours of practicing were put in to each piece before it was “performance ready” and I believe that dedication inspired the strong work ethic I have today. Many times when I make a new jewelry design for the first time (the prototype), it is not quite right, and it takes several rounds of revisions to get it “perfect”. While this process can feel frustrating at times, I always trust that the next version will be better than the last. Read More>>
Lydia Rakov
I very much believe in the philosophy that if you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work! I’ve never been afraid of hard work, and I’ve been blessed with a strong internal work ethic. Prior to being a dog trainer, I was a professional ballerina, and an intense work ethic was something instilled in me from childhood. In order to be skilled in such a high level art form, one must work hard every day and have motivation from within; no one else can do the work for you! This motivation has helped me be successful throughout my life, and it is no different in dog training. Read More>>
Natasha Davis-Burke
I got my work ethic from my mother. Growing up, she always worked hard for her children. She held down multiple jobs, went to school and earned a degree, and always expressed how important it is to always do your best at anything you’re doing. There were several days at a time in which I would not see my mom due to the fact that she was working several jobs and our schedules not lining up; regardless, we were always taken care of. She would always go above and beyond whether it was a work event, church event, or simply doing house chores that we were all involved in. Read More>>
Lesly Foreman
As a child of two parents that were always working, it is safe to say that my work ethic was derived by watching them. When it was time for the bigger purchases in life, a car at the age of 16 and a cell phone to tag a long side of it, my mom was very clear that if I wanted those luxuries in life I would have to pay for them. I can still remember to this day when I walked in to Verizon Wireless in the early 2000’s to get my very first cell phone my mothers words, “This is your phone and your responsibility, but as a minor, my name is on your account and you had better make your payments on time.” Needless to say, it was noted. Read More>>
JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM
When my brothers and I were growing up, my parents always said “First you work and then you play.” Whether that was doing our homework, practicing a musical instrument, or doing chores, they instilled in us the importance of doing what we had to do before doing what we wanted to do. Read More>>
Rodger Penzabene Jr
I had a very strong work ethic cultivated in me starting with my grandfather’s, both were very ambitious and driven men who were professional businessmen. They taught me to always look eye to eye, head up and a firm grip to all I do business with. To learn all I can about business from successful people and do only my best and never stop striving to be better and do better. I compete against myself, I challenge myself and question my own reasons, ideas etc. Read More>>
