The best (and worst) Aries traits to keep in mind while dealing with the Fire sign

If you were born between 20 March and 19 April, you have undeniable Aries traits. Arians are known for their optimistic and youthful energy, and other people love to be around them. Sometimes, though, they can be rash or quick to anger.

Everything you need to know about Aries signs:

Aries is… nicknamed the baby of the zodiac

As the first of the 12 zodiac signs, Arians are known for their playfulness and innocence, and like to be number one in everything they do.

Aries is… symbolised by The Ram

This connects back to Aries’s ties with the ancient Egyptian god Amon, who was frequently depicted with a ram’s head.

Aries is… a fire sign

Like Leo and Sagittarius, Aries is a fire sign, meaning those born under it are passionate, motivated and creative, as well as born leaders. As the cardinal sign within this group (more on which below), Arians are trailblazers, as impulsive as they are intense.

Aries is… a cardinal sign

Like Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, Aries is a cardinal sign, meaning it marks the beginning of a season, in contrast with fixed signs (ie, Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius, which fall in the middle of each season) and mutable signs (ie, Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces, which come at the end). Specifically, Aries marks the start of spring, coinciding with the vernal equinox. Cardinal signs are generally considered to be driven, visionary and ambitious, sometimes at the expense of their personal relationships and emotional well-being.

Aries is… ruled by Mars

Aries is governed by Mars, the planet of action and desire, named after the Roman God of War. By extension, it is associated with the colour red, Mars being the Red Planet.

Aries is… compatible with Leo, Sagittarius, Gemini, Libra and Aquarius

In general, Arians get along best with other fire signs (namely, Leo and Sagittarius) and air signs (Gemini, Libra and Aquarius).

Aries is… associated with The Emperor

Like Aries, tarot’s Emperor card is linked to confidence, assertiveness and leadership.

And now for the best and worst Aries traits:

You can be a little impatient

When you decide you want to start a project or go somewhere new, you may expect everything to happen immediately. You may not understand why everyone else isn’t as quick to take action as you are, and this could be very frustrating at times. Practising greater patience and giving certain situations time to play out may be something you need to work on.

You are a natural leader

You like taking initiative, and you might be the person in your friend group or at your job who is always ready to jump into the next, new experience. Even if you may not know exactly what you’re doing, you would never let anyone else know when you’re feeling insecure. Others usually look up to you because of your confidence and leadership skills.

You need to stay active

You might feel like you have a lot of pent up energy inside, or it could just be difficult for you to wind down after a busy day. Regular exercise or finding a hobby outside of work to pour all of your energy into is probably necessary for you to destress.

You don’t always finish what you start

You’re constantly coming up with fresh ideas and new interests that you want to pursue. However, once that initial rush of excitement is gone, you could find yourself losing interest in whatever you’ve started. A big challenge you may have to face is in sticking with one task and seeing it through until the end.

You’re direct and to the point

If you’re feeling a certain way about a situation or a relationship, you are not going to beat around the bush and pretend you don’t care. You are quick to voice your opinions, and you’re usually very honest about how you’re feeling. It may also be hard for you to disguise your emotions when you’re upset, and you usually let people know exactly what’s on your mind.

You don’t shy away from a challenge

You don’t take no for an answer, and fear of rejection has never held you back from taking risks in your life. If someone tells you that you can’t do something, that may serve as even more motivation to keep at it until you accomplish what you want.

You rush into relationships pretty quickly

When you like someone, it’s probably difficult to disguise your feelings. You may jump into relationships super fast, and you’re probably not one to follow the usual dating protocol. If you’re into a person, you may want to be around them all the time at first, but it could be that your flings fizzle out just as fast as they started.

You have a very competitive side

Whether you’re tracking your progress at work or engaging in a fun game with friends, you always like to come out on top. Not winning isn’t really an option for you. You may see everything you do as a challenge, and you never want to come across as weak or not good enough.

You tend to act first, and plan later

You dive headfirst into projects, hobbies and relationships. You may agree to do a lot of things without fully understanding how you’re going to accomplish them all. Instead of having a huge to-do list or game plan in place before you start a task, you may prefer to figure it out as you go along.

You are extremely independent

You don’t need to look to others to give you direction, and you’re confident in the decisions that you make for yourself. However, you may have difficulty compromising or seeing a situation from another person’s perspective. Developing better teamwork skills might be something you want to explore.

This article first appeared on Vogue.co.uk