I was reminded of an important book I read long ago, which seems even more timely now. In Escape From Freedom, Erich Fromm distinguished between two kinds of freedom: negative freedom, casting off the shackles of social, political, and cultural restrictions; and positive freedom, finding a truer expression of self and identity. When the former occurs without the letter, the newly won freedom appears as a curse; people are free from the sweet bondage of paradise, but are not free to govern themselves, to realize their individuality [or their collective responsibility].

It seems to me that we are called to resist the current rush to put the shackles back on out of fear. For those of us who coach, it is no longer enough to help our clients cope with their lives and workplaces. We need to find more ways to help them create and contribute to better lives and workplaces for us all. We need to enable people to be free from but also inspire them to be free for. It is about purpose not just perseverance. It is about building more windows through which we can see more clearly not more walls that only cast our Shadows onto others.

What do you want to free yourself for? Here are three tips:

• Create a ritual to honor the release of old restrictions, such as wakes I've done for organizational clients (freedom from)
• Identify what you need to bring to the threshold, such as a greater accountability and candor in conversations (freedom with) 
• Allow yourself to begin, such as challenging yourself to stop waiting and start changing how work is done (freedom for)

Here are three tips if you find yourself in a storm in your life or work, drawn from my own hard-earned experience. 

1. Recognize that storms grow. I realized over the years that many of the storms I experienced were self-inflicted to varying degrees. I observe the same with the people I coach and the organizations with whom I consult. We put off dealing with changes we need to make, we cling to stories and relationships even though they harm us, we hold onto stereotypes rather than open to new possibilities. I found it helpful to ask myself, "What can I let go of today?"​
2. Recognize that storms move. If you want to keep dancing, keep moving with the storm. The center is both a natural part of being human and a natural part of the storm. It its about searching inside yourself and outside yourself—all with deepening your trust in your instincts that everything you need is right in front of you. I found it helpful to ask myself, "What do I most need today?" 
3. Recognize that storms pass. It is easy to get caught up in storms such that everything else is blocked out. A storm is a part of the larger flow that is your life. There will come a time again when it is less consuming and less defining. In the meantime, the stillness at the center of such times is an invitation to see more clearly what matters most to you, what is true for you, and what is calling you. I found it helpful to ask myself, "What can I learn today?"

Where is your eye? What is your dance?