There is a craft beer brewery in only one National Park. It happens to be at Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas. Rose Schweikhart saw an opportunity. The bathhouses in Hot Springs began to shut down in the 1960’s when people discovered that those hot springs didn’t really do the physical good to their bodies they thought it would. In fact, only one of them has remained in operation from the very beginning. These days people come to the one remaining bathhouse more for stress relief than they do for physical healing.

So Rose Schweikhart petitioned the National Parks Administration for permission to open a craft brewery and restaurant in one of the abandoned buildings. It was the perfect opportunity to take something old and make it new again. Now the building has been repurposed so that she can brew craft beers and have people literally enjoy the local flavor. Hot Springs is known for its water, so why not use it to make some really good craft beer?

Anyone could have done it. But Rose was the one who saw the potential, thought through the obstacles, and took the leap. She saw something old that could be refurbished and made new. In addition, she recognized that the biggest strength of Hot Springs, Arkansas, is the water. She combined the two and now she’s having the time of her life living a dream come true.

Who would have ever thought that there would be a place to make craft beer in a National Park? Well…Rose did. She saw an opportunity and took action. She didn’t just think about it. She didn’t just talk about it with her friends. She did it. She sent in a petition to the National Parks, was given the go ahead, and built a business. Rose Schweikhart turned specialty craft beer into an amazing opportunity.

There are opportunities around you every day. You need only open your eyes. To do it like Rose, try this:

1. What’s something old that could be made new? It could be an old abandoned bathhouse or it could simply be an old way of doing things. Lately my wife, Tammy, has been taking old pillows in our house and covering them with new material. The result has been amazing. With some new material, pillows that were old and tired have brought new life to our living room.
2. What strength could be leveraged to bring benefit to the venture? For Rose, she recognized that Hot Springs was known for its water. It was the most famous thing about the town. Your strength might be a strength that you think everyone else has. But you would be wrong. You are an expert in something that other people would pay dearly to have. Tammy has an eye for coordinating fabric and knows how to sew. She’s leveraging her strengths. She may soon even turn it into a little business.

Maybe you don’t know how to make craft beer or run a restaurant. But you most certainly have old things around you that can be repurposed and “made new.” And you have strengths that can be leveraged to help move the process along. I encourage you to give that some thought today.

When have you seen something old made new?