Robert Downey Jr is one of a handful of people who changed the course of my life and I am forever grateful to him and for him.

I’m not a big TV or Movie goer nor a Hollywood fan. I’m a fan of people and their stories but I remember vividly watching Iron Man years ago and commenting to my wife what an amazing actor, talented  and resilient person beyond words I think RDJ is.  Like A true entrepreneur of life – I quickly did some reading up on him and realized that he literally reinvented himself. Coming back from the darkest of times which is not easy by any stretch of fantasy or reality, I tracked down the man who trained him in Los Angeles on LinkedIn, Brad Bose, to ask if he or someone he knew could assist with getting me as healthy as Robert. It takes a team and what I came to learn as that we all have angels around us – not just of the financial VC type – but of emotional VCs who believe and invest in us through the good and the bad.

Years later Brad and I remain good friends and business advisors to one another. My family moved from NYC to LA and live a healthy lifestyle – physically, spiritually, emotionally and professionally. I don’t believe in coincidences. What I do believe is that everything happens for a reason as Robert Downey Junior went through his journey to emerge stronger then ever as a parent, professional and philanthropist.

As an entrepreneur this sounds incredibly familiar. I’ve learned that it’s so important to be mindful of the purpose of life and to be careful not to fall into the trap of becoming consumed with what one’s purpose in life is. At the risk of oversimplifying – we’re all connected, and I’d like to believe whether consciously or not, at our core we believe that we can and want to be of service to one another. Perhaps this is the purpose of and our purpose in.

So today when I saw an interview of Robert Downey Jr where the intent was to sensationalize, I gained an ever greater appreciation and respect for the man and his character. With grace, dignity, charm, professionalism and a hint of humor he decided to step back and give cause for contemplation….in not so many words he conveyed that this was just not for him and sent a dignified message of respect for one’s self – respect for others and the integrity not only of who he is as a man – but for the business he’s in – and the integrity of the institution and others he represents. Sounds like he would make one heck of an amazing CEO.

Respect!