Despite their fiery determination, Aries, just like every sign of the Zodiac, comes with some weaknesses. Impulsiveness, impatient once, and even bouts of anger can challenge the sign of the ram.
If you have strong Aries in your chart, what should you be on the lookout for?
Aries is the daring, courageous, and carefree spitfire of the Zodiac, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t without its challenges. If you have prominent Aries placements in your astrological natal chart, what weaknesses should you be on the lookout for?
Below you will find some of the negative traits that Aries may encounter, but also some advice on how to work through them to bring out the best in your Aries.
1. Impulsive
Aries is the first fire sign in the Zodiac. The fire element has the potential to inspire its signs to act first and think later. This definitely holds true for Aries as it may jump headfirst into a situation without thinking about whether or not it is smart or even safe. Aries can find itself in some sticky situations due to its lack of self-control.
2. Stubborn
This is a sign that wants things to go its way. Compromise is not something Aries is that comfortable with. At times, this desire can shine through Aries as sheer, bullheaded stubbornness. Unshakable persistence is important for Aries to achieve what it came here to do, but if not kept it check it could push away people that it cares about.
3. Aggressive
Mars, the planet of battles and bravery, rules Aries, driving it to chase its desires. With no time for thinking about consequences, Mars demands action. Combined with the fire element, this can shape Aries to be quite aggressive. While this works well in some situations, excessive aggression can cause problems for Aries and those around them.
4. Impatient
Aries has the perfect storm for the potential for impatience: fire, Mars, and the cardinal modality. Together, these components create a sign that with vigor and passion is willing to fight to be first and jump into new endeavors with courage. Waiting doesn’t feel natural or all that pleasant for Aries and it may be difficult for this sign to sit still, wait in line, or be able to hold out for the “right time” to do something.
5. Reckless
When impulsivity, impatience, and a need to show bravery collide, this can lead to hasty and brash actions and not thinking through consequences. Luckily for Aries, it is a sign that has the courage to get through stressful situations, although it may have gotten itself into those situations to start with through reckless behavior.
6. Stressful Life
It may be hard to blame Aries for its reckless behavior because Mars requires Aries to test its will under stressful situations. If Aries doesn’t encounter stressors, it can’t grow. When times are tranquil and things seem to come easy, this sign may actually need to create its own stress. Due to the heavy influence of Mars, stressful situations will follow Aries its entire life. Luckily, it is well equipped to handle it, but the people in Aries’ life may not be and it could feel frustrating for them.
*Learn all about Aries’ positive traits in our article here!
7. Pushy
Aries likes to be first at whatever it does. First to try something, first to discover something, first in line, whatever it is, Aries wants to be number one. This sign can also struggle to pick up on the emotional cues of others, which can lead to Aries being pushy trying to be first, bulldozing over the people around them, and not really giving it much thought or noticing that they are upsetting others.
8. Overly Competitive
Along these same lines, Aries’ Mars and fire influence drive this sign to come out on top in any competition. And to Aries, everything is a competition, even if they are the only one competing and no one else even sees it as such. This potential to be overly competitive in any aspect of life can be a turn-off to others. Aries makes a fantastic leader but can struggle with teamwork when it views itself as a team of one.
9. Resents Authority
Aries is fiercely independent. It is a sign that wants to do what it wants when it wants to do it and anything or anyone that restricts that freedom could annoy Aries. The sign of Aries is the Ram and this sign can definitely find itself butting heads with authority figures in its life. Even if it can hide it beneath the surface, resentment may simmer in its heart for anyone who tries to exert their will or power over Aries.
10. Careless in Conversation
Because of its fire element, Aries can actually be a very warm and friendly sign. However, its direct nature and impatience may make it difficult to express those traits in conversation. Aries can be brutally honest and has the potential to “speak its mind” without thinking about how it may make the other person feel. Also, Aries can be quite impatient which can make it difficult for the sign to be a good listener. It may interrupt often or be more concerned about sharing its own points and ideas and not letting the other person get a thought in edgewise.
11. Hot Temper
The Mars and fire combination gives Aries the potential to have the quickest and hottest temper in the Zodiac. This isn’t to say that Aries can’t control its temper, but it may struggle with outbursts at times and controlling its temper may be something it consistently needs to work on. It may flare up quickly and seemingly out of nowhere, but then die down just as fast as it appeared.
12. Controlling
The nature of Aries is to exert its right to exist in the world. This could extend itself to “its people” as well, and Aries has the potential to be controlling or jealous of the people closest to it. Aries also struggles to deal with deep emotions so it may express anger or hyper-vigilance when what it is actually feeling is insecurity or sadness.
13. Struggles with Emotions
Aries has a warm heart for sure, but that doesn’t mean that it knows how to deal with its own sadness or the deep emotions of the people in its life. This sign may be at a loss for words if a loved one looks to Aries to talk through their feelings with. Aries desperately wants to protect the people in its life and wants them to feel safe and loved, but may have a hard time showing this with words.
14. Arrogant
To be able to do what needs to be done to be first in line or number one in the competition, Aries needs a healthy amount of confidence that it can succeed. When this confidence runs amuck, Aries has the potential to come off as incredibly arrogant. Obviously, this arrogance can be a turn-off to many who grow tired of Aries’ bragging and boastful ways.
15. Domineering
Aries just wants to stake its claim in the world. There is nothing wrong with this as long as Aries can remember that other people need to exert themselves at times as well. When this point is forgotten, Aries can try to dominate over others when there really is no need. It may want to take the reigns of power over a situation or over others just for the sake of exerting its will. This dominating nature can be very beneficial for Aries when used appropriately but can be very detrimental for the sign when it is overused.
Ways to Keep Aries Balanced
Despite its potential weaknesses, Aries has so much to offer to the people in its life and to the world. Just like any sign, it just needs to be in balance to be the most effective. So, how can Aries stay happy and balanced?
Learn Self-Regulation
For Aries, learning to not always react to the fire in its belly is paramount. The need to exert itself and feelings of anger and impatience will come for Aries, there is no doubt about that. The lesson Aries needs to learn is that it doesn’t have to, and shouldn’t, react immediately to them. And in fact, doing so makes it less powerful, not more so. Learning various breathing exercises that help calm the nervous system can be a fantastic way for Aries to find more self-regulation or become a better leader by being more in control of its own behavior.
Practicing Being a Good Listener
Hearing out other people and allowing them to feel validated can enhance Aries’ leadership skills and make it more well-rounded. Aries may need to make a point of practicing simply listening to others without thinking about how to respond, just listening. And if the discussion involves feelings that Aries isn’t sure how to handle, reflecting them back to the person as much as possible is a great tool to use that helps the other person feel heard, but doesn’t require Aries to understand exactly what to do with those feelings. For instance, after listening, responding with “it sounds like you are feeling really sad about…,” or “I’m hearing that you’re upset about…How can I help?”
Find Ways to Stay Humble
Arrogance isn’t a good look on Aries. Some Aries may need to make a concerted effort to keep this in check. One way to do this is to make an effort to compliment others on their strengths. This requires both looking for positives in other people and then the humility to communicate that to them. Another way that Aries can keep arrogance at bay is to make a quick mental list daily of people it is grateful for. This could be parents, coworkers, teachers, friends, anyone who contributes to its success in any way. Behind every highly successful Aries are a number of people who contribute to this success. Remember that can help keep Aries humble.
If you have a strong Arian influence in your astrological birth chart, this hopefully offers you some red flags to keep an eye out for in your own behavior, but also ideas to bring out the best from your Aries!
Want to know what shapes the sign of the ram? Find out in our article about the Aries personality.
