No one expects the best in the world to be located in Manchester NH, Omaha NE, or Bentonville, AR. They don't expect much from you when you say you're from the South Side of Chicago, The Bronx, or Gary. Tell them you graduated from Michigan, or Oklahoma, or Vermont and they blur.
It's not their fault they don't have your vision. They don't understand that greatness doesn't ask for permission from geography. That hunger grows deepest where it's least expected. That the chip on your shoulder can become the foundation you build on.
They're looking for pedigree. You're building proof.
They see limitations in your zip code. You see every reason to prove them wrong.
The world has its spotlight cities, its "right" schools, its expected paths. But history is written by people who refused to wait for the world's permission slip. Sam Walton built an empire from Bentonville. Warren Buffett stayed in Omaha. Tom Brady was the 199th pick. Adam Sandler got laughed out of audition rooms before he became one of Hollywood's biggest box office draws. The greatest stories often begin where no one thought to look.
They didn't wait for the world to believe in them - they believed in themselves and put in the reps. Day after day. Rep after rep. When it felt thankless, when it felt impossible, when everyone else had moved on to easier paths.
Stay the course. The work you're putting in right now, in the shadows, when no one's watching - that's not wasted. Every rep counts. Every small improvement compounds. Every day you show up is a day you're building something they can't see yet.
Yes, it's hard. Yes, some days it feels like you're pushing a boulder uphill in the dark. But here's what's harder: looking back years from now and wondering "what if?" Living with regret weighs more than any struggle you're facing today. No matter how hard things feel right now, it is so much better than regret.
So when they underestimate you, smile. When they overlook your hometown, your school, your starting point - remember: low expectations are just runway for a higher flight.
Believe in yourself when no one else does. Put in the reps when no one's counting. Stay the course when the path gets dark.
That's not just advice - that's the only way greatness has ever been built.