Why would someone want to colonize other planets?

It’s a sentiment among some optimistic scientists…we will be colonizing planets by the next century. My question is: why? I don’t see how a colony on another planet could be useful or how a colony could prosper, given the impossible conditions of space. And why would an individual want to go? Sure, the universe is spectacular from afar, but currently we haven’t found any Pandoras, just gas, rock, cold and used energy.

How would it pay and what would be some personal reasons of an individual to go? Thoughts?