As much as I hate to admit it, I’m a pretty cynical person. I’m envious of people who can place their belief with ease – no matter how much I want to believe in an afterlife, karma or fate, there’s always that little bit of me which wants to question everything.

I’m the same way with horoscopes. Although I do read mine occasionally and enjoy the process of reflecting on what’s going on in my life, I struggle to subscribe to the idea that the position of the moon and stars has the power to directly influence my day-to-day.

But when it comes to my star sign, it’s a different story. I was born on 28 March, which makes me an Aries (apparently the star signs have changed now, but I reject this wholeheartedly for reasons you’re about to find out). If you’ve ever taken a look at those “signs as …” memes, you’ll know Aries’ are known for being fiery, passionate and over-the-top. Because Aries is the first sign in the zodiac, they’re known for being energetic and turbulent – they revel in competition, and want to be the first at everything. 

The downside to all this? Aries are also known for being impatient, moody and seriously impulsive – according to the zodiac, when an Aries get angry, their rants are often directed at other people.

Growing up, I absolutely hated being an Aries. As someone who has always wanted to be known as a kind, considerate and loyal friend, the idea of being an Aries – with all the fiery rage that came with it – felt like a dirty secret. Underneath, I knew I shared quite a lot of the traits that defined my star sign (I was always opinionated and passionate, I just didn’t share it with the world), and that scared me.

But somewhere along the line, this hatred of my star sign dissipated. The more I learnt about who I was (and gained some serious confidence at university) I started to look at things in a different light. I’d hated being an Aries when I was younger because I was scared to admit to all those traits I saw as ‘loud’ or ‘offensive’ – I’d always been passionate, opinionated and turbulent, I’d just been too afraid to let those things surface.

Learning to embrace my inner-Aries has, most importantly, helped me to embrace my flaws, too. I do have a tendency to get angry and passionate about things, but that’s only because I care a lot about the people, causes and ideas I love. And even though I can be impatient and on-edge when things don’t get done quickly, I’m also determined and work hard to get the job done.

When all is said and done, I bloody love being an Aries – even if I’m not quite sure I subscribe to the theory behind it. 

My star sign has helped me to embrace the parts of myself I used to see as flaws. Whether it’s actually got anything to do with the Zodiac, I’m not sure. Either way, so what if I’m a bit all-over-the-place?

Images: Getty