Horoscope 2018 for Leo

Sun in Leo, July 23 - August 22

General: This is a year where you mostly focus on you. The first part of the year is about your health and your habits. You're starting from the ground up. You realize that in order to make big changes, you have to make small ones first. Spend the winter trying to develop habits that will eventually make you different. That is what you want: to stop being second best, to stop being the follower and to become the leader you know that you can be.

As the year goes on from April to August, you really do come into your own in a way. You may still struggle for autonomy, especially if you have overbearing or otherwise strong partners. However, it'll take more work on your part to really establish your own habits and routines: all the little things that really set you apart from others. You start to realize that it's not the big things you do or profess that make you unique, but rather, the small, subtle ways you interact with the world.

Your relationships are going to be more important in the fall and winter, but they may also be draining, so it's important to not give too much to someone else. If someone else is calling the shots for you, you will end up shorted by the end of the year. Take responsibility for yourself and find your own power before the year ends. It may be lonely, but it has to be done. You may be most fearful of spending time alone to tend to the details of your life, but it's your turn.

Love: You may give more than you receive in the early part of the year. Ideally, you and your partner will both be working hard on transforming yourselves and creating a more secure foundation. However, if you're single and you meet someone between winter and early spring, they may not be as smart as you are, or as capable. You have to decide whether their charm is enough to make you want to continue to take care of them when you really should be focused on taking care of yourself.

New life will be breathed into your relationships this spring. If you're not in one now, you may suddenly find yourself in the middle of a heated romance or flirtation. There's a chance that it's all one-sided, with you doing the chasing. If it doesn't end up working out with you winning, see this as a blessing; chances are, if you won their heart, you'd come down from your cloud and realize it's not something you want to maintain.

As August fades into autumn and then into winter, you start to put more energy into your relationships. Either your partner or close friends demand more attention, or you do. Of course, if you're single someone may try to win you over and do it with everything they've got, or you may be taken with someone and go after them full force. The problem is that whoever is doing the wooing is not quite doing it directly. It's passive-aggressive. There's teasing, mind games, and the like, which doesn't always turn into a happy ending.

Money: In the beginning of the year, you have quite a capacity to make money, and you'll probably be working a lot. Of course, you might not be earning more over all, or that you'll be pounding the pavement looking for more or better work. However, if you're tired of the rat race and living to serve someone else, you'll take steps to gain more control over your working life. You may do this behind your boss's back. Be careful about looking for a new job at work.

This spring, look for a new job that promises more money, or makes an explicit promise that you can be promoted within the company. This is the best time to seek out more money and a better paying position. This is a good time to learn the art of persuasion, since you may be prone to suddenly overvaluing or undervaluing your work, and then kicking yourself later. While it's no terrible thing for you to learn to be more humble, be too humble and you're just holding yourself back.

In fall and winter, you're probably going to keep your money close and not invest in much. You and your family are the thing you'll invest money in. There's a good chance that you'll spend more than you'll save by winter, especially if you're celebrating the winter holidays. You may get the urge to spend a lot on your family and friends, regardless of whether or not you can actually spare the money. Do yourself a favor and make a budget in the summer and have someone else hold you accountable so you don't blow it.

Career: It's not so much your career, but the work you're doing on a daily basis that captures and holds your attention. Your health is going to be an issue - and has been one - for some time. Your body is changing in some way, from losing weight, to less pleasant things, like disease, but it does have an affect on your career. Trying to look as attractive and healthy as possible will transform into the respect you want. If you make a New Year's resolution to change your body, do it, and by spring, you should see a turnaround.

If you do look for another job, wait until spring, when you're ready to spread your wings. You may very well be offered something without trying to get hired. If not, go ahead and try to get a new job. You'll have more success if you try to do something different rather than the same job or something in the same area. Even if you're not entirely sure if you're qualified, go ahead and apply anyway if you think you could do the job.

In fall and then through the rest of the year, you'll shift gears. You've probably been wondering about your future for a while, and chances are, you want either change your career or public persona drastically. If you're not in the spotlight, you'll yearn for it, but if you are in the spotlight, you'll wish you could hide away. Either way, you'll want to make serious changes in 2019.

Read: Horoscope 2018