Regina King, a Capricorn.
Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photo: Getty Images
If you have trouble staying focused today, don’t blame yourself: Venus and Jupiter are squaring off, making it harder to tap into the discipline you need to get things done. If you can’t adjust your schedule, then at least adjust your expectations (of yourself and others). Everyone has an occasional off day, but if you accept it and follow distractions where they lead rather than pushing yourself to work harder, you might even enjoy it.
You might feel unnoticed or undervalued today — and the harder you’ve been working lately, the more this will sting. Sometimes when you don’t get the credit you deserve, the solution is to make yourself impossible to ignore. Right now, though, flying under the radar could be surprisingly pleasant, finally giving you the freedom to do what you want without worrying about what others think. Trust that the spotlight will swing back onto you soon enough; for the time being, enjoy some peace and quiet.
In general, you’re good at pacing yourself. While some people attempt to do a dozen things at once and quickly burn out, you move at a more sustainable speed. Every so often, though, you worry that you’re not using your time wisely, and that if you don’t hurry and achieve all your dreams right now, you’ll never get the chance again. Today, try to avoid this impulse to hurry through your life. Rushing will only lead to mistakes, and it won’t actually get you where you want to be any faster.
You find it flattering to be asked for help — it shows that others trust you and think you’re capable. So when your friends ask for favors, you say yes as often as possible. But today, it’ll be easy to overcommit yourself — whether because you’ve overestimated how much time you have to spare, or because you can’t figure out how to gracefully decline. Try to be honest with yourself and others about what you’re actually able and willing to take on. It’ll be better to say no up front than to make promises you can’t fulfill.
If you want to make your dreams a reality, you can’t keep them to yourself forever: Eventually, you need to put yourself out there, to let yourself be seen trying, and failing, and trying again. But today, remember that you also don’t need to rush to take action. Right now, there’s satisfaction to be found in brainstorming and planning. Take some additional time to make sure you know what you want. You don’t have to let anyone else in on your ideas just yet.
It’s easy to feel like all your time needs to be used productively, and all your relationships need to serve a purpose in your life. You’ve got big dreams, and you don’t want to waste your energy on people or activities that don’t get you closer to them. But today, take a break from trying to optimize everything. Relationships don’t need to do anything other than make you feel good to be worthwhile, and the seemingly unproductive days often end up being most fulfilling.
It might be tempting, today, to simply tell others what they want to hear. The more agreeable you manage to be, the easier your day will be; the less you contradict people, the more they’ll want to support you. But be careful not to be so accommodating that you end up making bold statements you don’t really believe or know enough about. Though it might smooth things over in the short term, it’ll ultimately create much more trouble than it’s worth. Try to stay honest, even when it’s inconvenient.
Today, you could feel especially motivated. New ideas might light up your imagination, or new projects could offer the challenge you’ve needed. It’s a good day to immerse yourself in whatever you’re most enthusiastic about, but it probably isn’t the best time to make long-term plans or commitments. Your interest and energy levels might stay steady, but they could just as easily fade in a few days, so for now, take it slow.
Normally you’re slow to trust new people, but today, you might be uncharacteristically willing to overlook the red flags. It gets lonely holding everyone at arms’ length; as suspicious as you can be of others’ motives, there’s still a part of you that wants to believe that deep down, people are good. Don’t be afraid to relax your guard — but don’t ignore your common sense, either. Give others the benefit of the doubt, but when your gut tells you something’s genuinely wrong, listen.
You might be swept away by nostalgia today. The more you reminisce about old relationships and bygone times, the sadder and duller the present seems, and the more dissatisfied you feel with everything you have now. But don’t rush to make changes in your life — there’s a good chance that right now the past seems much better, and the present much worse, than either one is in reality. Wait a day or two to decide what, if anything, you’ll do with what you’re feeling now.
When there’s work to be done, you’re often the one to step up and take charge — not necessarily because you want to, but simply because you know that somebody has to do it. Others might shy away from the responsibility or imagine that it’s not their problem, but your sense of duty won’t allow you to do that. Today, just remember that you can’t do everything, no matter how much you care. Spreading yourself too thin won’t do anyone any good, so pick one or two projects to commit to.
Most of the time, the more effort you put in, the better the results. If you put in longer hours, you’ll get more done; if you push yourself harder, you’ll make better progress. Today, though, it’s unlikely to turn out that way. Your hard work doesn’t guarantee success; if anything, you’re likely to overthink things and move in circles, tiring yourself out but ending in the same place you started. You’ll have productive days again, but this is unlikely to be one of them, so try to relax.
Thanks to your quiet confidence and your genuine interest in others, you might find that you’re able to charm practically anyone today. People are drawn to your energy, and it’ll make socializing feel especially rewarding. Just be careful not to get so carried away by your own popularity that you forget what you truly care about. You won’t be able to live up to others’ ideas of you all the time; if you have to choose between pleasing other people and doing what’s right, choose the latter.
Buy Claire Comstock-Gay’s book, Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars, here.