Many early adopters may have been in it for the technology and advancement of society. Some foresaw what it could be and the value it may get and saw an opportunity to make money. Most probably do not understand the underlying reasons why a certain coin is made and what good it plans to bring and are just there to flip profits. A good portion took interest into projects that may help them in their respective fields and others, plainly just have tons of money and trades for the fun of it.
For me, I guess, the main driving force that pushes me is my idealism for equality - bridging the gaps in society/economy and making more of a human race rather than split people of governments. I live in a third world country and it saddens me to think that doing work here does not equal the benefits of doing the same type of work done in other countries. One does not have to carry the burden of luck being born somewhere not of your choosing. One might argue that the cost of living probably corresponds to how strong your local currency is - they would be correct to a large extent - but taking scale, luxuries, lifestyle and commodities set on a global pricing standard dampens one's ability to fully enjoy what life has to offer.
I know this is mostly limited now to your trading craft but at least, we have a platform where we can play on a better, more even ground. I hope soon, education, technology and industries are more accessible because of cryptos. I wish for it to succeed and hopefully get rid of money that discriminates. That said, I'm putting everything I could afford and invest to help the technology push further and hoping to earn along the way. :)
What's yours?
This is just my first welcome post, thank you for dropping by and reading! :)