Milestone is defined as “…a significant or important event.” It’s a word that can be used to refer to one’s career or life. My career milestone occurred after I made a major life decision, nine years ago, to return to New York. It has been ongoing ever since.

After moving, I worked for two years in jobs that I had taken, first to get me to New York, and, second, to keep me going. Then, I was laid off. I started looking for work, only to find out that potential employers were happy to offer me positions but at salaries that were insulting, given my experience.

I was at a crossroads. I decided to go into business as a communications consultant. I determined that I would rather be self-employed than be underpaid by someone else. It was a big decision; one that I will never regret. It has given me freedom and flexibility, allowing me to be more creative. But it has also given me many sleepless nights — the ebb and flow of business can be daunting.

Over the years, I have revised my original vision. I have a diverse clientele but have narrowed my target market, specializing in several niche areas. Several years ago, I made a leap of faith. I decided to try and transfer my skills to a field, which is my passion — film.

Throughout my more than 20-year career, I’ve held a variety of positions in the public, nonprofit, and private sectors — working on Capitol Hill and in city government, serving as communications director in nonprofits and the arts, helping to run a family-owned business, starting up and running a nonprofit. But I had always made choices based on what I needed to do rather than what I wanted to do.

My career choices were grounded in personal commitments or on the fact that I needed a job. For the first time in my working life, I decided to pursue work in a field that I love. I haven’t given up on my “day job” — my regular clients. But I have focused a great deal of my learning and networking energies on the independent film scene.

What does my story have to do with “What to Do When You Reach a Milestone?” Several things.

A career milestone can be positive (promotion, new job, new business) or negative (firing, layoff, losing clients). In addition, our work or business life is affected by real life milestones (marriage, children, divorce, illness, death of a parent).

In Hamlet, Polonius advised his son, “This above all: to thine own self be true…” This credo should be your guide.

It is essential that you know yourself. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What are your best skills? Worse skills? What are your passions? What do you love to do? What do you hate to do?

Ever wonder why people suddenly give up a long-time career to do something completely different? Often, it’s because they discover that what they’re doing does not speak to who they are.

We’re all a work in progress.

Use each milestone to review where you’ve been and where you’re going. A dead end job, firing, layoff, or lost client may not be the disaster it seems. Although it’s often hard in the heat of the moment, try and look at a negative milestone as an opportunity to stop and re-evaluate, so you proceed in a way that serves your essence. Even a positive milestone — a new job or business venture — is a good time to check out whether your priorities reflect who you are.

We live in difficult times. All of us will have to make choices that won’t totally lead us to what we think will make us happy. However, by knowing who you are and what skills and fields affirm your core values and interests, you will be able to use each milestone to make better decisions not only today, but also in the future.