Actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry has come a long way from his early days to his current fame. He recently recalled an old experience and shared it with his fans on his Instagram feed.

He was touring his first apartment after becoming homeless when he heard that the building was going to be demolished (although it still stands today).

Perry shared some photos of the apartment and revealed that at the time he was quite happy to have gotten the apartment, but at the same time he was worried about whether he could afford the $425 rent each month.

Perry recalls that although he was ultimately forced to move out by his landlord due to late rent payments, he now admits that it was better that way.

“8 means new beginning in the Bible,” he wrote above a photo of himself standing in front of the door of his old apartment. “I know now that I experienced a new beginning. I know now that if he had let me stay there because I was comfortable, I would never have left.”

During these difficult times, Perry says, he had a job in UPS collections and was pretty depressed because he could barely make ends meet on his wages, let alone pay the rent. However, when he finally earned enough money from his theater performance, he was overjoyed that he had enough money to pay his apartment rent.

He also mentioned how his then-landlord pressured him to pay on time. When the landlord knocked on his door to collect the rent, “I just stared and prayed he would go away,” the star added.

Falling behind on his payments nearly every month, he was eventually asked to move out. “The landlord had posted an eviction notice on my door,” Perry wrote in the lengthy post he shared.

Today, after years of struggle and achieving fame, Perry wrote that he understands that “stagnation, just like standing water, can destroy your dreams,” adding, “I know now that you don’t get to the other side by getting comfortable.”

“Now I know and I thank God that this man took me away from that place,” he continued. “I can hear his voice: ‘You have to go, you have been here too long.'”

He ended his moving post by encouraging his followers not to be afraid to start over and make new beginnings in life.

Celebrities like Tina Knowles commented positively on Perry’s words. Musician and entrepreneur Chris “Classic” Davis thanked Perry for sharing his story and expressed a desire to make it available to a wider audience.

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