Your Motivation ?

Over the decades and with my social sciences background, I find that I'm always watching people and listening. One of the things I listen to is the reason(s) why we do, or why we say we do, certain things. In this case, the question is what is your motivation for doing genealogy and family history? Did you come to this passion early in life or later? Was there a specific piece of information that someone needed that got you started in the work, like whether or not great-grandpa immigrated in 1885 or sooner or if someone in the family served in the Civil War? Were you intrigued to find out which countries your immigrant ancestors came from or why they came? Or if there were any noteworthy individuals that you could be related to?

And why do you continue? What is your motivation? Plenty of researchers give up on lines or on research all together. When "the going gets tough", some of them drop it altogether. Why do some of us press on, turning over every possibility and then still go on looking for answers and records? Why does it become more of an obsession than a hobby for some, like me? If I could, I would spend as many hours a week on research as I do on working for pay- this work is like breathing and eating to me- necessary. What's your story?