After reading that, Daniel told himself, "I have got to get to New York City." Later in high school, when selecting which colleges to apply to, he asked his guidance counselor, "What's the best school in New York City?" The counselor replied, "Columbia University, but you can't get in." Not being one to listen and obey, Daniel applied anyway and was accepted.
Lesson: Follow your dream, even if people tell you it can’t be done.
Daniel arranged with the Columbia basketball coach to live on campus for the summer, play basketball in a summer league (his dream since 6th grade), and work for the summer. Because Columbia was an Ivy League institution, Daniel assumed he would get a prestigious summer job, perhaps at ABC Sports, where a Columbia alumnus was president, or maybe at The New York Times, as he was an aspiring journalist.
As the plane descended to land at New York’s JFK airport, the flight attendant said, “Welcome to the real world.” Daniel did not understand what she meant.
Two days later, he understood.
The Columbia coach got him a job digging weeds on Broadway Avenue. Daniel’s older brother sent him a discount coupon for a weed-cutting device at a local hardware store. His brother thought it was funny. Daniel found no humor in this. He was homesick and miserable.
Lesson: Dreams don't always work out the way we plan.
After a month, Daniel got fired for not digging fast enough. Relieved, he called his dad to tell him that he was fired and ready to come home for the rest of the summer. Daniel’s dad loved hard work. While in law school, he worked as a janitor during the graveyard shift and attended law school during the day. After graduating, he passed the California bar on his first attempt. When he would remind Daniel of this accomplishment, Daniel would remind his father that when he took the bar there were only Ten Commandments.
After Daniel told his dad that he was ready to come home, Daniel’s father calmly said, "Son, don't you ever call here again. And don't you ever ask me for any more money. Goodbye." His dad hung up the phone. Immediately, Daniel envisioned himself as homeless, pushing a shopping cart down the street.
Lesson: Living your dream will test you in ways you never imagined.
In the fall before school started, Daniel’s father called to say that he was going to support him in his education, but that he was expecting a 3.5 average. Daniel said, “At Columbia??!! Dad, that is no problem. You want that average in points or rebounds?” Daniel’s father didn’t laugh.
Years later, Daniel said, “My dad had an unusual way of saying ‘I love you.’”
Postscript: A month after being fired, Daniel volunteered to work at the Democratic National Convention, which was held in New York City. He worked with the Office of Press Information on the convention floor. As a soon-to-be political science student at Columbia, he was in heaven. Two months after the convention, The White House called Daniel at his dorm room to ask him to drive in President Jimmy Carter’s motorcade when he traveled to New York City the next week. Daniel went from hell to heaven in one summer.
