The solar conjunction to Mercury has us using the scales of Libra to weigh our assets. What many of us have a lot of is responsibility, duty, expectation and obligation, which we'd gladly trade for the freedom to pursue challenges that are a good fit for our talents. Rest assured, there's happiness and much success in applying ourselves fully, even to suboptimal situations. In this new moon week, it's better to go wholeheartedly into a mediocre fit than to wait around for ideals that may never come.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You've gotten so used to taking care of people that you're not always aware of the sacrifice involved. All seems aligned to bring you to a more honest place where you can be yourself with far less compromise. You'll be surprised by your own self-expression, especially what sails from your lips. The truth brings relief to more than you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You sometimes wish you weren't the sort of person to ruminate on the way you played certain moments. However, what drives this and other uncomfortable behaviors is your will to improve, without which you would not have developed yourself in such a beautiful direction. You'll make another leap in the area you've been working on.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Assignments and deadlines will encroach on your life if you let them. Whatever room you give them, they'll take it and greedily push against the boundary. Prioritize differently so that nothing gets in the way of your peace and happiness. The aims that feed your passions need more attention.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). You're coming into your own, though this empowerment is not without challengers. This week features a contest of wills. Someone before you claimed territory, made an assertion or created a rule, whether or not it was within their right to do so. What are the likely consequences of accepting or rejecting their stance?

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). There is no miraculous fix for the change you seek, which is good news to you. You'll gain untold treasures in the process of figuring out the most efficient way to work toward your goal. Accept only the guidance of knowledgeable teachers who have achieved proven results. Leave the experimentation for another time. Don't mess around with this one.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Even though you love to work quietly without the added pressure of watching eyes, there are times this week when you crave attention. Take this as a signal there is a deeper part of you that realizes input from the world would be helpful and might keep you from needlessly spinning your wheels in an inefficient direction.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). What one person breezes through with nonchalance can be a nearly impossible feat for another, which is well illustrated this week. None would guess what your obstacles are. The breakthroughs that matter are specific to your own challenges. You will conquer a fear or gain a hard-won skill — a mighty victory that is unique to you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Your life hasn't been a bed of roses, and you're actually glad for it. There are things you will do because you had the sort of background that bolsters a work ethic. Deep fulfillment and new sources of pride are ahead. You'll also see how the aforementioned rose beds can cause thorny harms of which you're lucky to have been spared!

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). New places are more than just a change in the longitude and latitude coordinates. You are different in a new place, however slight or extreme. You will do your work differently because of it. You will relate to others differently because of it. The plot of your life will twist because of it.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Why do we sometimes want the attention of people who are not inclined to give it to us? It may be the sort of answer that extends to childhood, but this week, you won't have to ponder the past to get an answer in the present. A change of tactics is the obvious solution, and you will enact it to fantastic results.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). There's a right way to do a thing and there's a wrong way. This week features neither — and that's OK, too, because in the middle of the right and the wrong way is an entire array of methods that are effective to various degrees. You will find much success working the "good enough" zone this week.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You'd like to think you're good at relationships as long as you are well matched. It may be more apt to say that you have the ability to make most relationships work, though some take longer to click in. There's someone you've known a long time and you're still learning them — a process of wonderment this week.

THIS WEEK'S BIRTHDAYS: You set your attitude and the world adjusts accordingly. This is real power. The best part about it is that you recognize what you have and use it to the difference that only you can make. More highlights: New faces favorably change dynamics of old groups. You'll see much-improved numbers for the metrics you care most about. Your cause picks up support, especially financial, and publicity helps, too. This year's successes will be shared and credited to three extremely fortifying relationships.

Holiday Mathis' debut novel, "How To Fail Epically in Hollywood," is out now! This fast-paced romp about achieving Hollywood stardom is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit http://www.creatorspublishing.com for more information. Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

Photo credit: Zanyar Ibrahim at Unsplash