Stuck in the Mud, Looking for a Kick
Listen, before August 2021 rolled around, I was just flat-out done. I’m a Virgo, yeah, and I usually scoff at those fluffy horoscope columns. But mid-2021 felt like a financial wall. I was pulling my weight, maybe more, running my consulting gig, and yet the bank account was moving like a snail stuck in molasses. Every project I pitched seemed to get lowballed. I felt like I was constantly chasing pennies, justifying my value to clients who only wanted the cheapest solution, not the best.
I distinctly remember sitting on the couch in late July, feeling that familiar knot of frustration. My partner, bless her heart, was the one who showed me the reading. She sends me these things sometimes, mostly for a laugh. The title grabbed me: “Virgo career horoscope August 2021: Get your big money luck!” I didn’t buy any of the cosmic alignment nonsense, but there was a specific line in the reading that hit different. It wasn’t about patience or waiting for the stars to align. It straight-up said I needed to “aggressively re-evaluate existing partnerships and demand immediate change.”
That wasn’t fluffy. That was a challenge. That reading, which I normally would have tossed aside, became the permission slip I needed to stop being polite.
Executing the Aggressive Re-evaluation Protocol
I printed out that silly forecast and taped it right above my monitor. My plan wasn’t based on mystic energy; it was based on leveraging the external motivation to finally do the things I had been putting off out of fear of conflict. I realized I had three major clients who were soaking up 70% of my time but only contributing 40% of my revenue. They were the anchors holding me back.
My first move was to compile the data. I spent two days rigorously logging every single minute I had dedicated to these low-paying giants over the past six months. I didn’t just look at billable hours; I included the scope creep, the midnight emails, and the “quick phone calls” that dragged on forever. I quantified the pain.
Then, I developed three distinct action plans for August 1st:
- Client A (The Negotiator): This relationship was salvageable but needed a 50% rate hike. I drafted a professional but unyielding email detailing the expanded scope of work and the necessity for the increased fee, effective immediately. No wishy-washy language.
- Client B (The Time Sink): This client was friendly, but their project was a black hole of administrative waste and constant revisions. I scheduled a termination meeting. I decided I would politely, firmly, and immediately sever the contract, citing a shift in strategic focus.
- Client C (The Future Pivot): They were decent, but their niche didn’t align with where I wanted to go. I decided to upsell them hard on a massive, long-term package that was priced so high it was almost guaranteed they would say no. If they accepted, great, big money achieved. If they declined, I had the space to find better work.
The August Scramble and the Shocking Results
August 2021 started with a terrifying bang. I sent the emails and made the calls. That first week was a rollercoaster of anxiety, constantly checking my inbox, feeling that old fear of losing stable income.
Client A, the one I demanded the 50% raise from? They grumbled for exactly six hours and then they signed the new retainer agreement. Just like that. The whole time I had been hesitant, thinking I’d scare them off, but the data I presented about the value I delivered shut down any argument immediately. Suddenly, my hourly rate jumped significantly without losing a single project.
Client B? The termination was clean. They tried to guilt me, but I held the line. By clearing that space, I instantly freed up about 15 hours a week of pure headache time. I didn’t replace them immediately, but I used that newfound time to polish my portfolio and aggressively network with higher-tier potential partners. It felt risky, but the breathing room was worth it.
The biggest shock came from Client C. I presented the ludicrously expensive pivot package, fully expecting them to laugh. Instead, they didn’t just accept it—they negotiated a slight increase in the scope and signed on the spot! It turned out they had been looking for someone to handle exactly that kind of major, strategic overhaul, and my aggressive pricing signaled to them that I was serious and established. That single contract tripled my projected revenue for the rest of the quarter.
The Takeaway: Action Trumps Waiting
By the end of August 2021, my net income was higher than the previous three months combined. I attribute exactly zero percent of that to planetary alignment. I attribute 100% of it to the fact that I stopped being scared and took the aggressive action that the stupid horoscope inadvertently pushed me into. I had the facts, I had the value, but I was waiting for someone to offer me what I deserved. The universe didn’t grant me big money luck; it just gave me an excuse to go grab it myself.
I realized that sometimes, you just need some ridiculous outside nudge to stop letting low expectations define your worth. I never looked at a horoscope the same way again—not as a prediction, but as a weird trigger to finally act on my gut feelings about where my business was failing due to my own timidity. I recommend everyone try it: find the most audacious advice for your sign, and just execute it mercilessly. You might be shocked at what happens when you finally stop asking and start demanding.
