Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)Have you got big plans for 2011? If not, why not? This is a year in which you could accomplish a lot, if you diligently plant the seeds right now. It might seem early for a “spring planting,” but this is actually a very good time to sow some possibilities and begin to carefully tend them. Be warned, this is not a casual project! By summertime they could have enough momentum to keep growing on their own, but between now and then, they will require quite a bit of regular extra attention and care. Still, if they grow into your dreams, isn’t it more than worth it?Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)Would you rather take a 30-minute drive or a one-hour train ride? Obviously, the train takes twice as long, but you can nap, read, or do any number of things during it, whereas driving can be stressful and less environmentally friendly, and doesn’t lend itself well to multitasking (although, unfortunately, many people try anyway). This kind of decision reflects on your priorities, your need for control, and your ability to relax. There’s no right or wrong decision, of course—but your preferences could teach you a lot about yourself, and how to approach challenges in the year ahead.Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)In the strictest sense, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. But in life, the direct approach occasionally results in a much longer journey than if you’d taken a subtler, more circuitous route to your intended destination. This is one of those times. Luckily, detours are a specialty of yours—although most of them happen less consciously than this one. You’ll find, though, that choosing to pursue a roundabout route can allow you to enjoy it more (and get more out of it, too). What are you waiting for? The road less traveled awaits. It’ll take longer than you planned, so the sooner you get going, the less “late” you’ll be. Aries (March 21-April 19)One of your strengths is your childlike sense of wonder and excitement about the new stuff in your life. However, one of your weaknesses is finding ways to stay interested and invested in stuff once the novelty has worn off. Without that enticing sparkle, many Rams simply move on the next new thing, which makes getting deeply involved with something (or someone) tricky. Of course, skimming the surface of life, while endlessly interesting, doesn’t get you very far—so many things (and people) require a deeper commitment than that. This week, work on finding ways to dig in happily and stick around for the long haul, long after the glamour of the new has faded.Taurus (April 20-May 20)As much as you’d like everything to run on a predictable and reasonably accurate schedule, you know it rarely works out that way. So many people are terrible at time management. They either can’t realistically predict how long something will take, or they get distracted and pursue schedule-destroying tangents. The “why” is mostly irrelevant, anyway, since our concern is coping with it. Since you rarely suffer from such problems, it’s up to you to work and plan around them. Maybe making stuff happen shouldn’t be so complicated, but sometimes—like right now—it quite simply is. Deal. Gemini (May 21-June 20)Some people can soundly and blissfully sleep through anything; others need climate-controlled settings, blindfolds, and earplugs. Not much can be done for those in the latter category. They can’t choose to be one of those lucky deep sleepers, much as they might wish to. Similarly, there are things that those around you can’t change, no matter how hard they might wish otherwise, and insisting that they try is both cruel and pointless. Either deal with it or walk away from it—but trying to change stripes into spots is just not going to happen; quit hoping it will.Cancer (June 21-July 22)All kids love to get gifts, but some of them grow up to be adults who get much more satisfaction out of giving than receiving. Of course, we all must do both in most normal human interactions, but recognizing which you like more can go a long way toward making you (and everyone around you) happier, because you can seek out people who synergize with your natural tendencies. If you’re a giver, go find a bunch of sweet and grateful takers who’ll appreciate all you have to offer—or vice versa. Embracing your own nature is this week’s big lesson—especially a challenge when it’s not what you wish it was. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)Try to take things at face value this week. Sometimes your intuition is sharp enough to read into things and correctly grasp the subtext. This is not one of those times. You’re apt to completely misinterpret anything you read between the lines, and make a mess where there doesn’t need to be one. That doesn’t mean there isn’t more going on than meets the eye—just that you’re not likely to guess accurately, so it’s safer and better just to go with what you can clearly see. No one can blame you for acting on that basis. Leaping to faulty conclusions, though—that’s something you can and will get blamed for. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)What you want is a crystal ball, one that works. What you’ve got is a situation that can’t be accurately forecast, no matter how badly you wish otherwise. You simply can’t know ahead of time all the crazy, fascinating ways things play out; if you want to find out, you’ll just have to wait and see like everyone else. That may be galling, frustrating, upsetting, or anxiety-producing, but the more swiftly and gracefully you can simply accept it and try to get into the absolute, unpredictable, exciting adventurousness of it all, the happier you’ll be. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)When you buy a gun, standard advice is that if you pull it out, you’d better be prepared and able to use it. Otherwise, it’ll put you in worse danger than if you had none. Same goes for any weapon, including a sharp tongue; whip it out and you’re likely to face equal or greater retaliation. Can you take what you dish out (or dish it out so decisively that there won’t be any backlash)? If you’re not prepared to see things through to the conclusion made inevitable by what you set in motion, it may be best to stay out of the fray altogether.Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)Most people’s singing skills can be improved with instruction and practice, but this is one of those things where talent is a strong limitation. There are some who will never, no matter how hard they work, become great singers. It’d be cruel to lead them to believe otherwise. That said, singing skill isn’t necessarily a prerequisite to musical fame, as many huge stars have already proven. If you find yourself blocked from where you want to go by a limitation you can’t overcome, don’t necessarily give up on the dream—see if you can re-envision it instead.Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)If you’re going to go digging for buried treasure, at least have half a clue about where it might be hidden. Just randomly digging holes isn’t particularly likely to yield much. Without a treasure map, evocative riddle, or metal detector, you’re pretty much wasting your time. Don’t let the mostly imaginary lure of a big score tempt you from more consistently fruitful activities this week. You can go back to treasure-hunting later, when you’ve at least got a decent idea of where to look.