Feed the Hungry Lion: A Reality Check on Privilege and Purpose

I recently came across yet another Instagram video – you know the type: a white man with an off-white Osama bin Laden beard and Santa Claus hair, dispensing wisdom like candy. His message? "Don't do things just because you think you're gonna get something for it. Do things that are interesting to you. Follow what's interesting to you, don't worry about the outcome, you can't predict the outcome."

Let me be clear: I enjoy writing. I love sharing my thoughts, experiences, and knowledge because yes, it genuinely interests me. But I guarantee you that "interest" alone isn't what drives me. As a Nigerian woman in her 20s living in the United States, I haven't been afforded the luxury of doing things purely for the sake of interest.

Let's talk real.

Living in this country as an immigrant, you simply cannot afford to do things for aimless reasons. Every move must be calculated. Every step must lead somewhere. And it's always made me feel like an outsider when dealing with Americans. Many of them can volunteer their time, work extra hours for free, pursue passion projects with no end goal – simply because they "want to."

But when I put in intense work and go the extra mile, it's not just because I find it interesting. There's always another motivation, usually tied to compensation or a specific outcome I'm pursuing. And I'm tired of pretending otherwise.

To give someone the advice to "just do what interests you with no expectation of return" reeks of privilege. It's the kind of advice that comes from:

• People with US passports

• People with generational wealth

• People with trust funds

• People with safety nets

• People with the right skin color

• People who've never had to worry about a green card

When you don't have the intense familial pressure that most Nigerians face, when you're only living life for yourself and not carrying your entire family's hopes on your shoulders, when you don't have to navigate immigration bureaucracy, when you have mommy's and daddy's trust funds, real estate investments, IUL life insurance policies – and let's not forget, that Caucasian skin – maybe then you can afford to be so cavalier about outcomes.

But to those of us who are considered "foreigners" on this land, to those without the cushion of generational wealth, to those without the luxury of failure, I say this:

Keep striving. Keep hustling. Keep calculating.

While you explore your interests, it is not wrong if you do things because you want to get paid. It is not wrong if money is your motive. It is not wrong if you desire a favorable outcome in exchange for your labor. You're carrying weight on your shoulders that your privileged counterparts might never understand.

You are a hungry lion that must and will be fed.

So feed.

Don't let anyone shame you for wanting compensation for your work. Don't let them make you feel materialistic for wanting security. Don't let them paint you as less authentic for having multiple motivations.

The reality is:

• Your dreams require funding

• Your family might need support

• Your future needs securing

• Your status needs stabilizing

And none of that makes your work, your art, your contributions any less valuable or genuine.

To my fellow immigrants, my fellow strivers, my fellow hungry lions: Yes, follow your interests. Yes, pursue your passions. But never apologize for wanting – no, demanding – what you deserve in return.

Let them call it calculating. Let them call it mercenary. Let them call it whatever they want.

We'll call it survival. We'll call it progress. We'll call it feeding the hungry lion within.

A Note to the Privileged Advice-Givers: Before you tell someone to ignore outcomes, make sure you understand their starting line. Some of us aren't running a casual jog – we're running for our lives.