Your 2003 horoscope: Leo

Your career in 2003

On January 2nd, Mercury retrogrades for the first of four times this year, suggesting cautious evaluation and fiscal canniness. But New Year's resolutions often lose their immediacy after two or three weeks. By the month's end, you're hurling yourself into risky career moves with all your usual blind faith and bountiful charisma. Around February 22nd, substance becomes more important than style. The switch from marketing to fulfillment may be hard if your team isn't assembled or cued up when someone buys what you're selling.

Spring and Summer are your busy seasons. Expect positive attention to be lavished on your work around April 3rd. Even if you soon outgrow the project, colleagues expect your loyal participation from the 26th onward. By mid-May you develop serious ethical questions. After the Sun enters Gemini, you have an easier time separating the message from the messenger. If you can foresee challenges to your authority on the 30th, you'll spend June with a better-defined sense of what you actually control.

After the Sun arrives in Cancer, expect a surge of honesty among focus groups and other opinion providers. Favourable reviews and special offers make you a regular member of the inner circle in late July and mid-August. You may notice that your professional support system has undergone a complete revolution. After August 24th, keep your phone and email lists current under the Virgo Sun. If you need an associate's help in the future, you want to be sure this person is still talking to you. Early September feels like a fresh start, recalling the childhood anticipation of a new school year. Eagerness to learn is always good for your career.

Your influence expands after September 27th. Others come to your aid or buy your product because they want to, not because they have to. But fame is fickle, and your public seeks a different flavour of the month around October 25th. Even if this shift isn't your fault, spin control becomes your responsibility. It doesn't help when an event in early November precipitates a personal crisis. Good will and increased revenue save you between Thanksgiving and the December holidays. Maybe this hasn't been your most successful year on record, but how do you measure real success? Wait until you get the last word from your accountant.