From Part 1 of a series by Patty Vogan. This is a great story about chasing an entrepreneurial dream, and is well worth the read.

If the opening paragraph doesn’t get your attention:

As Jimmy Buffett would say, “Have you ever dreamed of escaping from your dull existence to a new life on a tropical island?” My guess is many of you have had that thought once or twice. Well, back in 1991, I did just that. Only once I was there, I didn’t relax; I became an entrepreneur.

Maybe this will:

Sailing around the idyllic islands with warm winds and diving in 200-foot visibility was a true piece of heaven. One day, after diving, we joined a group of salty dogs sitting in the sand bar discussing life. Thomas, the manager of Moorings Yacht Charter Company, where we rented our floating home, then asked: “If you could do what you really wanted to do in life what would it be?”

After being put on the spot, I told him that I’d always wanted to have a scuba diving shop in the tropics, where it’s warm. “Well why don’t you do that here and do it now?” was his response. I mumbled something back about being the next in line for VP of marketing. “Oh I get it,” he said. “You are just one of those people that talk about your dreams and never make them come true.”

Check it out on Entrepreneur.com.