In this motivational success story, you will understand that everything is possible. You will appreciate how Robert Downey Jr. rose from the bottom and became a superhero.
“Remember that just because you hit bottom doesn’t mean you have to stay there.” Robert Downey Jr.
His journey to this enormous success was surely not an easy one. He went through a lot of failures, rejections, and setbacks. But his persistent hard work and dedication paved the way to his fame. His story is an inspiration to several people.
Robert Downey’s early struggles
Robert Downey Jr. started his journey as an actor at the age of 5. During his early days, he had minor roles in his father’s movies. Life was not as easy for Robert as his father impacted him in a disastrous way.
He grows up with drugs, and the sole reason for this was his father, who was himself a drug addict. His father introduced drugs to him at a very young age and also let him use them. Life changed into a nightmare for Robert.
He won over his audience’s affection in 1997 for the role of a drug addict, which he never again played in any of his films.He got many good reviews and job offers from top directors because of how realistic he was in this role.
It was a key to opening the doors to Hollywood for him. The doors were wide open for him for the next four years. This was a major breakthrough in his life. He decided to put in his best efforts and successfully prove himself to the world.
From 1996 to 2001, Robert was arrested many times on charges related to drugs. He went through many drug treatment programs, but nothing worked. In 1996, Robert got arrested for possession of drugs and an unloaded handgun. In 1997, he was sentenced to 6 months in prison for violating his parole by missing drug tests.
Many other prisoners attacked him during this time in the jail. The next day, he woke up in a pool of his own blood after being beaten blue and black. In 1997, because he missed another drug test, he was arrested again. He spent one more year in prison. In prison, he worked in the kitchen and washed dishes for 8 cents an hour.
After Robert got released from prison, he still couldn’t get over his drug addiction. He ended up getting fired from a series in 2001 because of drugs. Similarly, at that moment, he almost went bankrupt. The several hurdles made him very weak, but things changed when he met his wife, Susan Levin.
Robert Downey’s breakthrough:
In 2003, he had a major turning point in the form of his wife, Susan Levin. She insisted that she would only marry him if he stopped using drugs. So after so many struggles with arrests, he found a new life. Now he was ready to work hard to make a full recovery.
In a very filmic way, he threw all his drugs in the Pacific Ocean. Following this, he entered a program in which he performed yoga, martial arts, and meditation. And the biggest battle of his life began. Life seemed hard, but he was all set to work harder. He has a new lease on life and is determined to make a difference.
He worked for almost five years to reach what he has now achieved. After five years of struggle, he got the opportunity to play the role of Iron Man in the movie and made a grand entrance into Marvel. There surely is no doubt that Robert Downey Jr. went through a tough time in his life, but he didn’t let anything stop him, and that’s made him a successful man.
Now that he is one of the most talented and popular actors of all time and one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood, his net worth is $300 million.
Life lessons from Robert Downey’s life:
Robert Downey Jr. is an example of persistence and hard work. He proved that you don’t have to do everything alone; it’s okay to ask for help. But having self-confidence in life is very important to achieving even the smallest of things. We learn it’s never too late to change yourself.
You are the master of your own destiny and the creator of your life and future. If you want your destiny to look like what you’ve always dreamed of, do something about it now. Failures and hurdles are a part of life.
Try your hardest to get past these with utmost dedication, and you’ll be able to achieve your goals in no time. Therefore, never give up and keep moving forward to chase your dreams.
Courtesy: Failure Before Success