As I prepare to uproot myself and begin a new life chapter in Chicago, many folks have sent good wishes -- along with comments such as: "I'm so envious! I'm ready to move on. How can I do it?" (For those of you a bit behind the curve -- I'm moving to join the faculty at Columbia College Chicago to teach business skills to the talented art students there. Working Solo is looking for a new home, and I'm also letting go of eight small business domain names.)

As I continue to pare bookshelves, purge closets, and stuff boxes, I've been thinking about the many ways to let go. Here are three elements I think are important in the mix:

1. Bring out Bette.
I'm talking about Ms. Midler, the Divine Miss M, who reminded us in that nasal twang that "Ya gotta have friends...." Yes, navigating transitions is best done with the support of friends and colleagues. Some may take joy from a safely vicarious stance, glad that it's you being the brave one, not them. Others will celebrate your achievement of a long-sought goal. Still others will offer quiet support as you sort through the myriad external and internal shifts of this transition. Change can be exhilarating, thrilling, and liberating. It can also be unnerving, exhausting, and fraught with frustration and moments of doubt. Surround yourself with good friends and colleagues to anchor yourself during this time.

2. Think pull, not push.
It's often much easier to be pulled to a new stage in your life or business than to push yourself to get there. The mental image I've often used is of tossing a grappling hook toward a goal and pulling yourself toward it. (Remember how Batman could swing his grappling hook onto rooftops and easily scale buildings with Robin at his side?) What might give you a toehold to secure your progress toward a dream? Make some calculated tosses and see what grips your imagination enough to pull you forward.

3. Choose lightness.
As soloists, it's easy to get bogged down with endless to-do lists, new project ideas, marketing opportunities, and the sheer stuff of one's life. In actuality, we need very little to get by. When the books and gadgets and toys and meetings and commitments crowd out the simple joys of working on one's own, it's time to re-assess. Choose to live life with lightness. This is partly a decision to reduce physical burdens. But it's also a mental shift -- to recognize the inherent transitory nature of it all, and to consciously decide to walk with a lighter step -- on the planet, and in our relationships, both with others and with ourselves.

For years, my husband Robert has counseled me to "Lighten up, Terri." His words have taken on deeper meanings over time. I offer a similar message to you, my solo colleagues: What is it time to leave behind? What do you need to lighten up?

-- Terri Lonier
Founder, WorkingSolo.com

P.S. A reminder: Here's my new email list if you'd like to stay in touch.