Robert Downey Jr. the star of movie hits such as Iron Man, The Avengers and Sherlock Holmes is now a rich, famous and successful actor at the box office. He had a troubled past that was holding him back from reaching his full potential as a young actor, according to John C. Maxwell’s book ’Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn for Teens’ .
He goes on to say while Downey was once described as, “the best actor of his generation.” With a drug addiction from as early as the age of 9. His private life was in turmoil where he eventually began to have trouble with the law, visited rehab numerous times, had court appearances quite a few times and he’d even spent twelve months in jail. His destructive path was leading him nowhere and his career seemed to be in jeopardy.
In his book, Maxwell describes the events that lead Robert Downey Junior to making a life changing decision in the following excerpts.
Responsibility: The First Step of Learning
“Finally, around 2002, after losing yet another major acting job and becoming uninsurable in the film world, he made a decision. He took responsibility for himself. “I just happened to be in a situation the very last time and I said, ‘You know what? I don’t think I can continue doing this,’ ” he told Oprah Winfrey in an interview in 2004. “And I reached out for help and I ran with it, you know?”
“Today Robert Downey Jr. lives a much different life. He takes responsibility for his actions every day. He stays busy with work. And he practices wing chun, a martial art that he credits with developing discipline in every area of his life. He has also surrounded himself with people who will help him and hold him accountable. When asked about his past, he doesn’t deny or minimise it. “To me, here’s the only thing: You take responsibility, whether you’re outraged by the results or not, that you in some way participate in and create what you’re experiencing,” he’s said. “I don’t pretend it didn’t happen.”
“We tend to think of responsibility as something given to us by someone who is in a position of authority, such as a parent or a teacher. And that is often the case. But responsibility is also something we must be willing to take. And after more than forty years leading and mentoring people, I have come to the conclusion that responsibility is the most important ability that a person can possess. Nothing happens to advance our potential until we step up and say, “I am responsible.” If you don’t take responsibility, you give up control of your life.”
“Every time you fail, you have a choice: to take responsibility and do things that lead to future success, or to avoid the temporary pain of responsibility and make excuses. If we respond right to failure by taking responsibility, we can look at our failure and learn from it. As a result, we won’t be as prone to making the same mistake again. However, if we bail out on our responsibility, if we don’t examine our failures, we don’t learn from them. As a result, we often experience the same failures and losses over and over again.”
Permission attained. The John Maxwell Co.
Copyright 2014 The John Maxwell Company. Articles accessed via http://www.johnmaxwell.commay not be reprinted or reproduced without written permission from The John Maxwell Company, except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.
Falling doesn’t mean that a teenager has to remain that way. There is hope to change and as the National Youth Week theme states, “it starts with us “. How? By simply choosing to make the right decisions for our lives then seeking help for where it’s needed.
If we fill ourselves up with the Word of God and if we think about and meditate on Good and pure thoughts that change is achievable.
Most parents with teenagers can tell you that this is probably the most difficult years of their child’s development where they sometimes seem to get stuck between childhood and adulthood.
If you’re experiencing difficulty in this area as a parent you might want to consider talking to a professional counsellor.
Search for a registered counsellor near you, www.theaca.net.au
For emergency help or suicide prevention.
Call Lifeline on: 13 11 14 – 24 hour service
Teens who would like to talk to someone please call The Kids Help Line: 1800 55 1800 – for under 25 Year olds.
Image courtesy of: www.freedigitalphotos.net/ “Young Man Thinking Seriously” by podpad
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