The Right Journey for the New Work World

By Mary Ann Faremouth, CPC

As a Career Consultant probing the psychology of success in the New Work World, I recently reflected on the words of Dorothy in the classic film, The Wizard of Oz. She says, “There is no place like home.” At the opening of the film, we find Dorothy in the midst of a tumultuous tornado, where she has been swept into a foreign place with the only familiar thing by her side, her little dog, Toto. As the film goes on, we see that Dorothy’s main quest is to find her way back home, and her journey to get there is truly filled with unfamiliar things, people, and events.

After so many years in the employment arena, I cannot help but see overlapping themes between what Dorothy went through and what so many of my candidates and employers are experiencing these days. We are all trying to find the right journey that leads us home to the right candidate or job, one that is in alignment with our goals and aspirations.

Coming home is a process we go through our entire lives. The “home” I am referring to is more metaphorical in nature. It relates to that inner peace and internal sense of joy and comfort we are all seeking. It may also refer to a place or a position we have never been in, yet it still feels like home. This can be a time of rediscovery, finding that sense of where we belong even if we have never experienced it before. Have you ever traveled somewhere and immediately felt as though the place was familiar and felt like home? Perhaps we are all discovering that place within ourselves that brings a greater sense of belonging and comfort. Perhaps it is also like the feeling we get when crossing a finish line, and the joy and satisfaction we feel as the ribbon breaks as we run through.

I believe there are a variety of themes in The Wizard of Oz that relate to virtue, the importance of friendship, good and evil, and self-sufficiency, among others. For the purpose of this article, I want to focus on the value of the journey.

When we focus on those times in our lives when things move from the known to the unknown, the lessons we learn are invaluable. My workbook, Revolutionary Reinvention, takes one by the hand and offers support to gain insight and awareness during a journey that may be filled with fear, trepidation, and panic for many. It is a process of reaching that crossing point where we meet our goals and find satisfaction and peace within ourselves.

As described in my workbook, “Sometimes our journey to get back home is filled with many roadblocks. If we let our internal determination and compass direct our path, and do not let external events affect our journey, we can emerge stronger and happier through the process.” That inner compass knows exactly where to go if we trust the voyage and follow our personal roadmap.

In my first book, Revolutionary Recruiting, with the workbook serving as a companion, I discuss Self-Evaluation and Self-Inventory in a subchapter titled “The Tin Man Story.” It explains that “In modern times or days of old, stories and metaphors come alive and are easily adapted to the experience of human discovery. We are born with gifts, hide them, or have them hidden from us as children, and spend much of our adult lives seeking, uncovering, and rediscovering them. Are we to find that hidden place somewhere over the rainbow, or are we to stay where we are and look within ourselves for the answers?”

Sometimes we need a tornado, like the one Dorothy experienced in The Wizard of Oz, to shake us up and force us to go somewhere we have never been. Losing a job might be the tornado you have experienced. You may have felt abandoned, angry, rejected, and confused. You did not know how to find that Yellow Brick Road that would lead you to the wizard within yourself to help you get back home. Home, for you, might mean a safe haven where you once felt support and direction.

Abraham Maslow, in his Hierarchy of Needs, discusses self-actualization, where we finally reach the top of the pyramid. I believe we strive our whole lives to self-actualize, but only perseverance and life experience allow us to get there. Staying stuck in a safe, easy job does not advance anyone. If you are trying to make an important change in your life, travel back in your mind to both your successes and failures, and reflect on the lessons along the way. Stop beating yourself up for what went wrong, for the job that did not work out, or for the mistakes you have made. How many successful inventors or entrepreneurs never made a mistake? Quite the contrary. If you read any successful person’s autobiography, you will often find that their failures far surpassed their successes.

Do not be afraid to take risks. Do not be afraid to try. You are an amazing creation, and there is so much inside of you that wants to come out. If you are feeling stuck, you owe it to yourself to begin a new journey. What you find along the way may surprise you. Have the courage of the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz to be brave and embrace the challenge. “There is no place like home,” Dorothy said. Home for you may be coming back to who you truly are. It is a wonderful place to be, and we can all get there if we follow our own personal Yellow Brick Road, with all its twists and turns. The journey will be worth it. Look what it did for Dorothy.

The Revolutionary Reinvention Workbook takes you on this journey through a series of questions based on a proven approach known as the Faremouth Method, which has helped many candidates throughout my consulting career. It is designed to reconnect us with the hidden gifts we were born with and to help unlock the door to a better present and future.

As discussed in the workbook, “The key is to change our mindset and realize that instinct and humanity always know the way back home and will guide us there. No matter what happens, tariffs, layoffs, reorganizations, and more, our core beliefs will help us achieve our goals.”

As you move forward in 2026, keep in mind how you can give back and make meaningful contributions to those around you. My latest book, Revolutionary Results, highlights life lessons about relationships, integrity, and contributing to the world.
You can explore more of my work and publications on my Amazon author page here:
👉 https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mary-Ann-Faremouth/author/B074Y376KW

Be determined this year to allow the right journey to guide you toward making meaningful contributions to those around you, creating a true win-win for all.

Mary Ann’s award-winning first book Revolutionary Recruiting has been listed by Book Authority as Number #1 Best 100 Recruiting Books; #1 Best Seller, Non-Fiction, Amazon (2019); Top 20 Recruiting books, Recruitics; Readers’ Choice finalist (2019), Houston Literary Awards; Best Non-Fiction (2018), Best Cover (2019), and Best Self-Help (2018), Authors Marketing Guild. This was followed by “Revolutionary Reinvention”, a workbook for job seekers giving advice on how to rediscover your skills and passions and reinvent your career. Her most recent book is “Revolutionary Results” , a collection of life lessons about relationships, integrity and contributing to the world.