The Wizard of Oz is a story about a girl who gets swept up into an incredible adventure and has to use all her creativity and determination to get to where she needs to go. It’s a hero’s journey because she is representing far more than just her own interests.

In that way, the story is very much like the adventure that you and your fellow team members are on right now. Yours may not be quite so exotic, but it’s just as exciting and holds just as much promise—and it’s probably filled with just as many colorful characters! You are on your own hero’s journey—or at least you will be once you discover your Emerald City.

In the movie, the Emerald City represents Dorothy and her friends’ passionately desired destination—it’s the vision that drives them and gives them purpose. It’s the promise of fulfilling their dreams and getting them to where they want to go.

So consider these questions:

Do we as a team really have clarity on our own Emerald City vision—our passionately desired destination?

Do we really know where we want to go so that we can better determine how to get there?

Do I have a clear sense of what my own personal Emerald City vision looks and feels like?

If you haven’t fully clarified where you’re going, then how can you set your GPS to make sure that you arrive? How can you get there sooner rather than later?

Your Emerald City vision is not a goal. Goals are things that you accomplish along the way. But we’ve discovered that goals are not very motivating or inspiring on their own. A goal might be: by the end of the year, to get 50 more people to yes than you did last year (sounds like work!) A vision is waking up every morning with energy and enthusiasm, excited to embark on the work, contribution, or play mission that you’ve chosen for this day, knowing that you are living your dream and making a positive difference in the lives of the people you serve (sounds like fun!)

Your Emerald City vision is the attractive, purpose-driven force, the beacon in the fog, the exciting, inspiring, and fun destination that makes achieving goals worthwhile. Your Emerald City is not what you do, but what outcomes and feelings your achievements create in your life.

Arriving at your Emerald City is not a goal, but rather the desired end result of how you Feel, Act, Live, and Love (remember: “F.A.L.L.”) once you realize that you’ve earned your dream outcomes through dedication and the passionate expression of your contribution.