My Messy June Experiment As An Aries
Alright, so June was supposed to be this big career boom for us Aries, right? Fire signs getting fired up? Saw like three different posts promising major moves. Frankly, I was kinda skeptical, but hey, thought I’d give it an honest shot. No harm in trying.
First thing I did? Got super annoyed at the generic advice. “Take initiative!” “Show leadership!” Yeah, cool, but how? Felt like yelling into the void. My boss wasn’t gonna be impressed by me just walking in demanding things. Needed actual actions.
Started small, actually. Every single day, I forced myself to speak up in at least one team meeting. Not just saying “agree,” nah. Had to put a real point out there. Even if my voice wobbled a bit – mortifying, but did it. Week one? Felt awkward. Week two? People actually started asking me for input sometimes. Small win, but a win.
Next piece of advice floating around was “align with your team’s goals.” Sounds fluffy. My practical approach?
- Called a quick 15-minute chat with my manager. Said straight up: “Hey, heading into summer, what’s the absolute biggest thing you need help with?”. Didn’t pitch my ideas yet. Just listened.
- Wrote down exactly what they said. Took notes like my job depended on it. Their pain point was lagging client reports. Bingo.
- Spent two evenings automating a stupid report they were doing manually every week. Wasn’t my job. Didn’t ask. Just built it. Ugly code? Probably. Worked? Absolutely.
Showed it to them casually the next Monday. “Built something that might save us Tuesday mornings?” Their jaw kinda dropped. The impact wasn’t just the tool – it was proving I understood the pressure point.
Now, the “leap of faith” stuff. Risky moves? Scared me silly. So I aimed smaller. Saw a junior team member struggling with a spreadsheet mess. Normally, I’d just pity them and move on. This time? Stopped, sat down next to them. “Wanna see a faster way?” Spent half an hour teaching them pivot tables. Cost me time immediately? Yeah. Paid off three days later when they finished their task early and helped me. Karma? Maybe. Goodwill? Definitely.
The results weren’t a fancy promotion (June isn’t magic), but damn:
- Got pulled into a high-level strategy meeting because my manager needed “someone who understands our blockers.”
- That little report tool is getting used for THREE teams now. My name’s attached.
- My manager mentioned “proactive contributions” in our last check-in. Big shift from “meets expectations.”
Latest advice? Forget the vague “shine” or “lead.” Do this:
- Pinpoint ONE thing stressing your boss/team. Just one. Don’t overcomplicate.
- Build or fix it BEFORE anyone asks. Doesn’t have to be perfect. Functional is enough.
- Don’t wait for permission to help teammates. That quiet person struggling? Show one trick. Earn trust.
Was it the horoscope? Dunno. Was it useful as hell because I finally acted on specific stuff instead of wishing? Absolutely. Aries energy works when we stop talking about burning bright and actually light a damn match.
