Cloud Nine to Ground Zero: The Perspective Shift I Didn’t See Coming

Perspective from Cloud Nine to Ground Zero

Last week, I got some of the best news of my career. The kind of breakthrough moment I’ve been working toward for years—decades, maybe even lifetimes.

It put me on cloud nine.

I’m such a career- and achievement-oriented person. Call it visions, goals, or purpose—whatever name you give it, I’ve been relentlessly chasing mine.

And while I know my entire self-worth isn’t wrapped up in external achievements (I’ve ridden that roller coaster enough to know the dangers of seeking validation from the outside), there are certain milestones that genuinely matter.

Doors unlock. Years of effort do pay off. And taking a moment to celebrate before putting my head back down and continuing the work? That feels worthwhile.

But that’s not really the point I want to make.

A Hard Reset

The day after my career breakthrough, I got some different news.

A health scare.

Now, before I go any further—I want to reassure you that I’m fine. By the time I’m writing this, nearly all of the uncertainty has been cleared, and the results are about as good as I could have possibly hoped for.

But in that moment? I was in tremendous pain.

I went through tests, confusion, and a lot of uncertainty. And uncertainty is always fun when you’re in pain. (Not really.)

This was connected to a chronic condition I was diagnosed with about ten years ago—colitis, which causes inflammation in my stomach.

Since starting treatment, I’ve been mostly symptom-free.

Until a few weeks ago, when I had a violent reaction to something.

Suddenly, my career breakthrough—the thing that had felt so massive just one day before—disappeared from my mind.

When you’re in survival mode, everything else fades into the background.

Reframing What Matters

This experience forced me to take a step back and reframe some things in my life.

Here’s what I’ve walked away with:

1️⃣ Take care of health first. Physical health. Mental health. The health of personal relationships. These are always the most important things.

2️⃣ Go after your dreams. Live your passions. But also? Take everything with a grain of salt. Achievements are beautiful and meaningful, but in the grand scheme of things, they’re probably not the most important things.

3️⃣ Love and celebrate every healthy moment you have on this planet. Because nothing—not even the biggest career breakthrough—matters if you don’t have your well-being.

The Bottom Line?

I’m still all in on my dreams. I still believe in celebrating the wins.

But I also believe in keeping perspective.

Because sometimes life will remind you—in the most unexpected ways—what really matters.

—

Ari Welkom, known on stage as Avatari, is an LA-based alt-rock singer and actor. A Harvard graduate, married father of two, and former college athlete, he practices martial arts and champions anti-bullying, equal rights, and unity on his journey of recovery. Follow him on Instagram or Twitter (X)!

Join Ari for Mental Health Mondays at 4pm PST here >>> https://www.instagram.com/avatariworld/

See his videos on YouTube