Horoscope: Friday, Jan 23

What seems like a bad situation now will resolve itself over the next few days and you may well look back and wonder why you took it so seriously. No matter how much certain people may try to provoke you, stay calm. You can do that!

Even a Taurus must acknowledge on occasion that there are limits to what any one person can do. That is the message of the stars for you now and if you heed it you won’t feel like a failure if something does not work out as planned.

Hard work, enthusiasm, and dedication are now paying off for you financially, Gemini. New opportunities could be opening up for you to profit from your artistic talents The downside of this is that you might be working so hard that you're too drained to be creative, even though the inspiration is there. Take a moment to rework your schedule to accomplish the most in the least amount of time.

Don't get discouraged by other people's failures today, Cancer. There may be signs that warn you of potential roadblocks ahead, but this doesn't mean that you should turn your car around or give up on your goal. Perhaps you only need to slow down the pace or select a new route. Either way, you have the perseverance and inner drive to accomplish any task you undertake.

You may think that you have plenty of energy at your disposal but the planets warn there is a danger you could be overestimating your physical reserves. Don’t take unnecessary chances with your wellbeing today, either at home or at work.

Just because a friend or relative expects you to knuckle down and do your “duty” does not mean you are under any obligation to do so. If you have other plans for your time and energy then ignore what they say and go your own way.

What you think is a problem most likely isn’t a problem at all and what occurs today and over the weekend will hammer home that point in a way that cannot be denied. Despite what some people might be saying the sky is not about to fall.

You need to look at your situation from a more positive angle and to embrace, mentally and emotionally, the fact that you are following the destiny that is right for you. Life is better than you think it is, and will be better still next week.

Even the smallest effort will yield big results over the next 24 hours. Creatively and romantically the sky is the limit, so decide what it is you want most out of life then go after it with laser-like intensity. Expect great things of yourself.

Someone will tell you a fantastic story today and if you are smart you won’t believe a word of it. Just because they don’t seem to know the difference between fact and fiction does not mean you should lose touch with reality as well.

The influence of Mars is making you want to do outrageous things but your generally cautious nature is holding you back. You need to get past that caution and break a few rules, especially those that limit your ability to express your ideas.

You may be tempted to smash your way through an obstacle and you may well succeed but is it really the best way to go about things? Brute force can take you only so far. Charm and intelligence will take you all the way.

You want to be left in peace so you can make sense of those big ideas flying round your brain but others need your support and, being the nice guy you are, you will do what you can to help. Block off some “me” time for the weekend instead.

What happens over the next few days will change your thinking in various ways and also both deepen and heighten the way you look at the world. Most importantly, you will begin to see connections where before you could see only conflict.

Your natural warmth and loving nature should be more apparent than usual today, Capricorn. You're likely to attract new people, both men and women, into your aura. Perhaps old friends you haven't seen for a while suddenly reappear on the scene. This is an excellent time to plan a social event or invite a friend to lunch. You might also want to fix yourself up and plan a romantic evening!

If you want the week ahead of you to be a good one you must first come to terms with the fact that your plans have gone a bit awry. So the answer is . . . stop making plans. And forgive yourself for the mistakes you have made.

Try not to be so blunt in your speech this weekend. It may be that you are telling the truth and it may be that you are doing so for positive reasons but if you sound too harsh you could turn a friend or loved one against you.

It could be that you've been losing faith in your dreams and fantasies lately, Pisces. Now is the time to refocus on what you want and move forward with confidence. You've done enough reflecting and reviewing. It's time to implement and create. Dream big and don't let others stand in the way of your progress. Today's shift may be subtle, but it should indicate smooth sailing for the next few weeks.