12/19/2025
Once you’ve stopped, breathed, and processed, the question becomes, “Now what?”
This is where “Proceed” comes in. Many decisions are made in response to emotion. You can usually tell when that’s happening because the decision is about moving away from something; a feeling you don’t like, a situation you want to escape, or discomfort you want to quiet as quickly as possible.
Emotion-based decisions aren’t wrong. They’re fully human, but when they’re the only thing guiding us, we tend to react instead of choose.
Proceeding is about shifting toward value-based decisions instead. Value-based decisions are about moving toward something (your goals, your values, or the kind of person you want to be) even when you feel uncertain, scared, or uncomfortable in the moment.
The earlier steps help make that possible. They create enough clarity and grounding to pause and choose direction over relief.
A practical way to try this:
Before making a decision, ask yourself:
· Am I trying to move away from discomfort, or toward something that matters to me?
· If the feeling wasn’t the deciding factor, what would I choose?
Proceeding doesn’t mean having a perfect plan for the new year. It means taking the next step with intention, guided by what matters and not just how you feel in the moment.
This is Proceed, the final step in our Stop. Breathe. Process. Proceed. series. You can read the full approach in our blog post in the comments below.
