TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Aries (March 21-April 19): You may think that you don’t need to be appreciated — that your ego is small enough and your spirit big enough not to require a lot of validation along the way — but appreciation is vital to your momentum. Go where it flows.

Taurus (April 20-May 20):

You help people make upgrades to their situation whether or not their scene is within your expertise. How? Compassionate inquiry. You ask the questions that get people thinking. You listen well, reflecting back what you hear.

Gemini (May 21-June 21): You already know that the way to accomplish big things is to do small things on a consistent basis. And today you’ll get a better idea about what those small steps really need to be.

Cancer (June 22-July 22): There are a few bad influences around. Possibly it can’t be helped. These may be forces that aren’t going anywhere soon. They’re just a part of the landscape right now, giving you good reason to keep yourself in check.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): Relationships get a longer look. You’ll notice how behaviors change from moment to moment, but what doesn’t change is the fundamental dynamic of the relationship, and there are insights to be gained through examining that.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Consider the actions that make up your routine. Habits are like compound interest. They may not seem hugely significant to the bottom line over the course of a day, but over time they are enormously consequential.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23): Most problems you encounter get solved with a commonly known solution. Problems that prove resistant to the usual solutions will require patience, awareness, empathy and nuance — all abundantly available to you now.

Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21): Emotional labor has always been a main component of the labor force that makes the world go around, though this work is often invisible and typically unacknowledged. Not today. Today, you’ll get props for your contribution.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): There are many things you could take issue with, and you would have in past eras, but now you’re too occupied with bigger things, too focused on what matters, to bother with them. It’s a sign of how far you’ve come.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Maybe it doesn’t seem like a lot of progress, or harm, is occurring, as the case may be. But Author William Kennedy is

91. Author-editor Norman Podhoretz is 89. Opera singer Marilyn Horne is 85. Hall of Fame auto racer A.J. Foyt is 84. Singer Barbara Lynn is 77. Country singer Ronnie Milsap is 76. Singer Katherine Anderson Schaffner is 75. Country singer Jim Stafford is 75. Talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger is 72. Movie director John Carpenter is 71. Actressdancer-choreographer Debbie Allen is 69. Rhythmand-blues singer Maxine Jones is 60. Singer Sade is

60. Pop/rock singer-songwriter Jill Sobule is 60. Rock musician Paul Webb is 57.

what would happen if this state continued daily? The trajectory will matter more than net results of any given day.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

What is the point of a book club where people don’t read the book? Many value the social and identity aspects of a group and yet don’t want to put in the intellectual rigor. This is a metaphor for the dynamic you deal with today.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20):

On a very scientific level, the world you know is created inside your mind, as it’s the only way our brains can process it. Today works this way: You will yourself to let in more light, beauty and joy and so it happens.

Today’s birthday (Jan. 16): RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET RATED PG

Remember when you came within inches of victory? The experience will only serve to make your victory in 2019 all the sweeter. Other highlights: the approval of someone whose opinion you cherish, a travel plan that goes better than your highest expectations and the fun you have circulating in a high-powered group. Virgo and Gemini adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 26, 30, 35, 2 and 5.