Work Ethic

Lives Depend Upon It

Gratitude made me realize how much had been invested in me by others. Work ethic is how I honor that investment.

One of the first things drilled into me — both by my father back home and later reinforced in the Army — was simple: if a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing right. There are no shortcuts when lives, reputations, or trust are on the line.

I remember a field exercise where the easy thing to do would have been to cut corners. We were exhausted, wet, and hungry, and the temptation was there to just get it “good enough” and move on. But “good enough” doesn’t hold up when the pressure hits. One of the men I respected most, a decorated warrant officer, reminded me of that when he looked me square in the eye and said, “The standard is the standard. Meet it every time.” That stuck with me.

Work ethic isn’t just about grinding harder than the next person. It’s about consistency. It’s about showing up when you don’t feel like it, giving your best even when no one is watching, and refusing to let comfort be the deciding factor. The people who shaped me — the NCOs, the warrant officers, the teammates I served with — didn’t just teach that, they lived it. And it made me want to raise my game.

Over the years, I’ve learned that true work ethic earns something more valuable than recognition — it earns trust. People learn they can count on you. They know when you say you’ll do something, it will be done, and done well. That kind of reputation takes years to build but only seconds to lose.

And that brings me to the next lesson — integrity. Because at the end of the day, work ethic without integrity is just effort. But when the two come together, that’s when your name really means something.