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CAREER: Executives and the self-employed make sound decisions during the first days of January. Charting your course for the year always comes first. You operate in a near-perfect vacuum until the 22nd. Customers and committees may be at odds with your vision, but you have to listen to them. For style- and trend-based careers, these are interesting times. Enough is enough toward the end of February. After the 22nd, you settle comfortably into your groove. Your imagination does stellar work within budgetary limits. You have a month to accomplish great things.

Consider personal advancement at the Vernal Equinox. If you don't like what you're doing, there are ways to change it. Job seekers use a better offer to gain leverage with their current employer. You're less eager to play with job security once the Sun comes to Taurus. Workplace relations improve, especially for design professionals. Salespeople stake out a different territory on May 3rd. For about two weeks you're at the top of your game. Then the rules change. A deadline or presentation around June 6th is the epicenter for this unrest. After this point, your job becomes easier.

Plans run smoothly in late June, especially when you're the boss or the expert. Between July 24th and August 23rd, authority is challenged. Young or unstable employees find ways to act out during this time. Around August 28th, promotions happen from the inside instead of readjusting a balanced team around the unknown quirks and qualities of new hires. Projects are iffy throughout most of September, and the company infrastructure may be precarious. Everyone should understand the importance of working together.

Loyalty is sacrificed for profit around September 27th. In the long run, this equation is a losing proposition for everybody. About a month later, you might claim the moral high ground. Even if the players are completely different, redeem yourself by seizing this noble opportunity. An event around November 8th throws a counter-intuitive monkey wrench into your engine of commerce. It's business as usual if you're paying attention. If the 23rd finds you faltering, it may take a while to recover. A competitor's enthusiasm outshines your confidence. Tune out the distractions on December 23rd. At the core, you still have what it takes.