
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
The numbers from 1 to 8 are arranged in a circle. A number is called big if it is greater than its neighbors, and small if it is smaller than its neighbors. In the arrangement, each number is either big or small. What is the maximum possible sum of the small numbers?

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
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