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Jennifer Lopez said she has kept a relentless level of focus on her work life for years. Her drive for success has helped her become an A-list celebrity and continue to pick up jobs for years. She admitted that sometimes, her focus on work is a detriment to her. She said her natural instinct is to fill every minute of her life with work.

Jennifer Lopez said she throws herself into her work

Lopez has been a successful actor, singer, and dancer for years. She said her achievements are not due to her ability to network, but her relentless drive.

“I’m not the kind of person who goes up to everybody at a party and says hi,” she told Harper’s Bazaar, adding, “I’m not a networker. I’ve always just kept my nose to the grindstone.”

Still, she said she sometimes can get too caught up in her work. While her dedication to her job has lifted her to major heights, taking on too many projects doesn’t help her. She admitted that her natural instinct is to do too much.

Jennifer Lopez wears a yellow dress and stands on a red carpet.
Jennifer Lopez | Amy Sussman/SHJ2019/WireImage

“I’m a workaholic,” Lopez said. “My instinct is to fill every single minute of my life with work, so I’ve had to learn balance. When you take on too much, that can be the enemy of great.”

She believed her upbringing is what pushes her to succeed.

“I’m not one of those media darlings,” she said. “I didn’t get kissed into this business. I’m from the Bronx. I had to find my way, so I’ve always felt like I had to prove myself. Maybe that’s a good drive to have. I never settle for mediocre.”

Jennifer Lopez has reportedly focused on work amid marital problems with Ben Affleck

Lopez and her husband, Ben Affleck, are reportedly moving toward divorce after two years of marriage. According to a source close to her, Lopez has thrown herself into her work during this time.

“They’re still living separately,” the source told People, adding, “She’s back in L.A. for tour rehearsals. She seems okay. She’s very focused on work.”

Since then, though, Lopez has canceled her tour. Another source claimed she would be willing to give up her career for the sake of her marriage.

“[Jennifer] wants this marriage to work so much that she is willing to make any sacrifice including giving up being J-Lo,” a friend told the Daily Mail, adding, “She doesn’t want to be divorced. She doesn’t want to end up like Madonna — on her own at 60. She can’t bear the idea of failure.”

Lopez hopes to pass her work ethic on to her children

Jennifer Lopez wears a sparkling bodysuit and sings into a headset. She points one hand.
Jennifer Lopez | Joseph Okpako/WireImage
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Lopez shares two children, Max and Emme, with her ex-husband, Marc Anthony. She said that she hopes to pass her work ethic on to her kids. When asked what she’d like her kids to learn from her self-described “relentless” work ethic in her Vogue 73 Questions, she said, “If you work hard, you can accomplish anything.”