Kids complete Sammy Rabbit Dream Big worksheets at Walnut Elementary School at Baldwin Park, CA

In our house, work was both talked about and demonstrated.

My late father was fond of saying “Sam, you can have anything you want, if you are willing to work for it.” He was a small business person for several years owning both a gas station and restaurant. Later he had a career as a sales person. He often left home before we were awake and returned after we were asleep.

With my mother it was the same but played out slightly different. She had a full-time job during the day and worked at home until everyone was asleep.

My grandmother lived with us. And she started her day figuratively with the roosters, in other words, before the sun was up. And she ended her work day well after the sun was down, around seven or eight in the evening.

If someone asked me what I learned about work from my parents, including my grandmother, or, what our family work manifesto is, I would share, the following: Work hard. Give and do extra voluntarily. Be a contributor and a part of the solution.

Interestingly, I don’t remember anyone begrudging work. Perhaps that was because there were seven of us in our house with only one bathroom. Some say necessity is the mother of invention, perhaps it is also the mother of a good work habits.

If someone asked me what I learned about work from my parents, including my grandmother, or, what our family work manifesto is, I would share, the following: Work hard.

Recent communications with author and keynote speaker Mark Sanborn inspired me to reflect more on this subject and how vital having a robust work ethic is to a child’s success and esteem.

Mark has articulated his thinking in a wonderful written piece titled: "Work Manifesto." One of the lines that jumped off the page at me was: Work often requires that we do what needs to be done as well as what we like to do. This was a philosophy my father also wholeheartedly subscribed to. I can still picture the two of us in our kitchen late at night. He would be washing dishes and I would be drying them. I would ask dad, why don’t we do this in the morning and go and watch TV or play cards. And his typical response would be if you want to be successful, it is important to teach yourself to do what has to be done.

Interestingly, Mark's "Work Manifesto" correlates well with Dr. Jordan Peterson's "35 Tips to Develop a Strong Work Ethic."

Below is a short snippet and a link to Mark’s full article. Thank you Mark!