Filipino-Canadian comedian YouTuber Mikey Bustos recently walked down memory lane.
On Facebook, he shared an inspiring story to followers.
He started by advising them: "Never stop working towards your dreams and never give up hope!"
Mikey noted how everything can change in an instant.
"Here's what the past 15 yrs looked like for me," he said, along with side by side then and now photos of him, as well as his place.
According to him, in 2008, he was renting out a studio apartment in French Canada, working first in an office for $11.50 per hour then later a transport boy wheeling in food from a warehouse into a truck then into restaurants at 5 in the morning.
"I slept on an air mattress, ate frozen food packaged by my mom on weekends, and did my dishes in my bathtub because my sink was too tiny," he shared. "I was 27 and a college dropout. I was considered 'too old' by industry standards to be in the entertainment business."
Still, Mikey worked hard relentlessly towards his dreams, booking any gigs he could at events and bars, singing at karaoke bars hoping to be discovered by record label A&Rs, carpooling for five hours to take acting classes in Toronto on weekends, and even saving up to record an album which he mailed to every Canadian radio station and music channel.
"Delusional levels, I was willing to die trying," he stressed.
"For those who watch my vlogs, this is what I was talking about. As I look back on old photos and remember what life used to be like just 15 yrs ago, I can't possibly take a single thing I have today for granted. I wake up every day pinching myself, and have made it my personal business to show people that dreams really do come true if you want them bad enough and are willing to work hard for them to delusional levels!"
Last month, the online content creator gave a glimpse of their farmhouse in Cavite, Philippines.
"It has been a long 5 year journey to complete our dream farm house. In this video, we give you a full tour of the house and property with full details on furniture, design, functions, features, amenities, etc. Hope you enjoy this celebratory, guided tour through our loving home in the Philippine province. Mabuhay!," the description of the video on YouTube read.
Mikey is a professional singer-songwriter from Toronto, Canada who moved to Manila, Philippines which became his Hollywood because his first Youtube channel MIKEYBUSTOSVIDEOS grew popular due to Filipino comedy videos.