Ahh, it’s been a while since I’ve written one of my “blogs about nothingâ€, as one detractor so succinctly described my writing style some time ago. So, drawing from last week’s experiences at Unique Corals, I was left with the memory of a particularly though-provoking convo that I thought I’d share with you.
What is the pinnacle of achievement, known as "success?"
On Wednesday afternoon, I found myself on the phone with a rather chatty customer (Hey, most of us reefers ARE super chatty- and there’s nothing at all wrong with that, right?), and he began by telling me that he was a successful reefer, and started rattling off a long list of hobby “accomplishmentsâ€, most of which started with phrases like “I was the guy that bought the _____________ MindWarp Psychedelic Chalice†or “…and I paid like $650 to get that 1/2†frag of the “Bombdiggity Neutron Blaster Acro from _______________.â€
Yeah, okay…you know where this is headed, right?
In between sketching stick figures on my legal pad, rifling through my zip lock of mixed berries in my lunch, and trying to google whatever the heck corals this guy was talking about, my mind started wandering…I know, I know. That’s not a very good thing to do when you’re in a customer service oriented business, but this could hardly be labeled a “conversation†in the traditional sense…Rather, it was one-way dissertation on this reefer’s hobby “achievements.†Now, if you know me, you realize that I’m the biggest cheerleader of every reefer, always looking for the positive in any reef keeping situation (“Okay, well all the Acros bleached out, but your Green Sinularia looks FABULOUS!â€). However, this guy gave me very little to work with, if you know what I mean.
Successful? Or just another yawn-inducing tank of coral?
The one thing I did keep locking in on was his assertion that he’s a “successful†hobbyist. And of course, I started wondering just what that term actually means. I suppose it means a lot of things to a lot of people- and it’s absurdly subjective, isn’t it? I mean, to this guy, “successful†meant he won every E-Bay auction for ___________ highly photoshopped, obscenely-priced frags. He never mentioned that he grew such-and-such a coral from a frag to a giant colony, or that he managed to keep a Blueberry Gorgonian alive for over a year and a half, or that his Centropyge Angels breed regularly…ya' know, stuff that we would consider the “traditional†measure of success in the reef keeping world.
So, once my friend ended the call (I still haven’t figured out what he called about- I think he asked one question about the lighting we use in our facility before he meandered off rapidly into his “LEâ€-filled journey into his own world..I was just an ear to bend, I suppose), I thought long and hard about “successful†hobbyists that I know. I mean, the term “successful†is almost insulting to think about in this context. Who has the right-or the “powerâ€- to deem this guy successful and that one not? And what is reefing “successâ€, anyways?
Ahh, THESE are the people who determine what is "successful", right? No? Um...?
To some reefers, it’s about being able to have a great-looking, healthy display with rapidly-growing corals and happy fishes. To others, it’s about being able to keep that incredibly difficult coral alive. Some reefers, like our buddy the Meanderer, define success as acquiring stuff. Some folks define “success†in our world as building out the tank of their dreams…Still others think of “success†as being the winner of the “Tank of the Month/Week/Year/Decadeâ€, etc. award.
Is just acquiring the seemingly unobtainable "success?" Perhaps to some, it is. Genicanthus personatus.
I take a more cerebral view, and define success as the ability to derive enjoyment from the hobby in one way or another, and to share what I’ve learned (or screwed up, as is often the case) with fellow reefers.
But that’s just me. You probably have a totally different thought on the subject, and I’m curious.
My way of easing into the new week with you, my fellow geeks.
What do you define as “success†in our hobby, and what defines a “succesful reefer?â€
Discuss.
As always, thanks for stopping by, and thanks in advance for sharing. Stay enthused. Stay engaged.
And Stay Wet.
Scott Fellman
Unique Corals
What is the pinnacle of achievement, known as "success?"
On Wednesday afternoon, I found myself on the phone with a rather chatty customer (Hey, most of us reefers ARE super chatty- and there’s nothing at all wrong with that, right?), and he began by telling me that he was a successful reefer, and started rattling off a long list of hobby “accomplishmentsâ€, most of which started with phrases like “I was the guy that bought the _____________ MindWarp Psychedelic Chalice†or “…and I paid like $650 to get that 1/2†frag of the “Bombdiggity Neutron Blaster Acro from _______________.â€
Yeah, okay…you know where this is headed, right?
In between sketching stick figures on my legal pad, rifling through my zip lock of mixed berries in my lunch, and trying to google whatever the heck corals this guy was talking about, my mind started wandering…I know, I know. That’s not a very good thing to do when you’re in a customer service oriented business, but this could hardly be labeled a “conversation†in the traditional sense…Rather, it was one-way dissertation on this reefer’s hobby “achievements.†Now, if you know me, you realize that I’m the biggest cheerleader of every reefer, always looking for the positive in any reef keeping situation (“Okay, well all the Acros bleached out, but your Green Sinularia looks FABULOUS!â€). However, this guy gave me very little to work with, if you know what I mean.
Successful? Or just another yawn-inducing tank of coral?
The one thing I did keep locking in on was his assertion that he’s a “successful†hobbyist. And of course, I started wondering just what that term actually means. I suppose it means a lot of things to a lot of people- and it’s absurdly subjective, isn’t it? I mean, to this guy, “successful†meant he won every E-Bay auction for ___________ highly photoshopped, obscenely-priced frags. He never mentioned that he grew such-and-such a coral from a frag to a giant colony, or that he managed to keep a Blueberry Gorgonian alive for over a year and a half, or that his Centropyge Angels breed regularly…ya' know, stuff that we would consider the “traditional†measure of success in the reef keeping world.
So, once my friend ended the call (I still haven’t figured out what he called about- I think he asked one question about the lighting we use in our facility before he meandered off rapidly into his “LEâ€-filled journey into his own world..I was just an ear to bend, I suppose), I thought long and hard about “successful†hobbyists that I know. I mean, the term “successful†is almost insulting to think about in this context. Who has the right-or the “powerâ€- to deem this guy successful and that one not? And what is reefing “successâ€, anyways?
Ahh, THESE are the people who determine what is "successful", right? No? Um...?
To some reefers, it’s about being able to have a great-looking, healthy display with rapidly-growing corals and happy fishes. To others, it’s about being able to keep that incredibly difficult coral alive. Some reefers, like our buddy the Meanderer, define success as acquiring stuff. Some folks define “success†in our world as building out the tank of their dreams…Still others think of “success†as being the winner of the “Tank of the Month/Week/Year/Decadeâ€, etc. award.
Is just acquiring the seemingly unobtainable "success?" Perhaps to some, it is. Genicanthus personatus.
I take a more cerebral view, and define success as the ability to derive enjoyment from the hobby in one way or another, and to share what I’ve learned (or screwed up, as is often the case) with fellow reefers.
But that’s just me. You probably have a totally different thought on the subject, and I’m curious.
My way of easing into the new week with you, my fellow geeks.
What do you define as “success†in our hobby, and what defines a “succesful reefer?â€
Discuss.
As always, thanks for stopping by, and thanks in advance for sharing. Stay enthused. Stay engaged.
And Stay Wet.
Scott Fellman
Unique Corals
only kidding 
