It's 3 a.m. on a rainy monday morning in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I am thinking about the word "motivation." What is it that motivates young entrepreneurs?

There is surely great power in motivation. Without it, our Freudian id would be ever conquering, and we would sleep and vegetate all day. But there is something that drives us entrepreneurs. There is some little voice, perhaps our superego, that makes us get up, lead, build, innovate, execute, and inspire. Discern your core motivations and you’ve found the heart of your being.

Is money a motivation? It is for nearly all of us. But it is by no means the most important motivation. As entrepreneurs
we actually prefer the thrill of the venture. We hope to do something noteworthy. A desire for respect motivates us. A thirst for achievement motivates us. The desire to excel and an internal drive to pursue and attain challenging goals to reach our full potential adds to the pot. Finally, a desire to innovate, create, and make the world a better place all factor in.

No matter your age, if you do not have a framed and visible listing of your goals and what you want to accomplish in your life, I challenge you to stop what you are doing for the next 45 minutes and write them down. Create your own mission statement. Define who you are. Know what you are striving for. Discern your core motivations.

I was fortunate to attend a private reception recently with renowned venture capitalist, Tim Draper. The one thing he said that has stuck with me the most was, “Give it that extra 10%. People don’t realize that the true benefits, the true gains, come from that extra little effort, that extra ounce of proactive diligence, the writing of those thank you cards,
the reading of that extra book each month, the calling on those last prospects, the preparation for your next day.”

Get out there and give it all you’ve got. You’ve got one life to live. Better make it worth it. Achieve your goals. Find your motivation and core reasons for being. Then give it your all plus that extra 10%. And in the end be happy that you made a difference, accomplished something meaningful, added value to the world, and had fun all the while.