Chanukah is gone and the winter weather turns colder as the days seem to grow shorter. Why does it seem like your career is frozen and your opportunity list is shrinking?

Here are 5 steps to fire up your career.

1. Set Your Goals
Before you can further your career you need to figure out what you want to be. Make sure it’s reasonable (will you really be able hit a 90 pile per hour fast ball even if you practiced for a year?). Make sure you enjoy it and aren’t just doing it for the money or to satify others. Pick something you should be happy to do for no pay- then you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

2. Plan your Career
Do you need to learn new skills? How will you get to the job you want. What intermediate steps will you need to do to get in position? Research how other people got into your chosen career. Think of some unconventional ways to jump ahead of the pack.

3. Take Baby Steps
First you’ll need to spend two nights to update your resume. The first night is to get it all down and the second night is to review it. Then find fast ways to get started. Submit your resume to job boards. Ask your friends for leads. Follow up. Target specific companies and send your resume. Find creative ways to get in touch with companies you want to work for. Search the job boards for very specific jobs that meet your goals.

4. Do it with Passion

Everything you do in life should be done with passion. You’re in the process of finding a job that will pay you for something that you enjoy doing. That’s exciting. Let your excitement show.

5. Enjoy the process
The interview process can be daunting and rejections can mount but you only need one yes to get your dream job. As Thomas Edison said after another failed experiment “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” He eventually invented the light bulb.