My youngest son Jackson took Valentines cards and candy to school for his classmates. I have plans to celebrate with my true Valentine, Darla.

Are you celebrating at your office?

Would celebrating Valentine’s Day at work be child-like or childish? Fun or foolish?

I don’t have strong feelings about this particular day (I have always believe Valentine’s Day to be first and foremost about romantic love and not just fond feelings). What I do feel strongly about is the importance of celebration and expressing appreciation in the workplace.

We all share the need to be known and appreciated. Hopefully we each do business in a way that garners respect for our commitment and professionalism.

Unfortunately many employees and managers are taken for granted. Their good work goes ignored. Nobody seems to notice much less celebrate.

A sincere thank you or thoughtful note or email will do more to improve your workplace than a frivolous romantic holiday.

Remember those you love in your personal life. But don’t forget to acknowledge those you appreciate in your professional life as well.

The greatest challenge of the holiday season isn’t the preparations or frenetic activity of the celebrations themselves.

The greatest challenge is keeping the spirit of the season alive after the celebration ends.

Most of us know the let down that so often occurs after the first of the New Year. Resolutions are made and quickly broken. With no immediate holidays in the near future, a fatigue of the spirit can set in. We resign ourselves to a temporary elevation of the spirit.

It doesn’t need to be that way.

Some are able to exhibit the compassion, appreciation and joy of the season throughout the year.

How do they do it? And how do leaders keep the spirit of an organization’s culture and values alive long after the kick off or launch?

My observation is that those who do best at keeping the spirit alive–whether of a faith, holiday, belief or even a corporate culture–do three things: they remember, remind and rehearse.

Remember what you want to retain. It sounds so simple and is so hard to do. How many times have you slapped yourself on the forehead and said, “I knew that!” Yet somehow you temporarily forgot.

Have you clarified exactly what the spirit is that you want to keep alive? You can’t remember what you never knew to begin with. Summarize the key values and behaviors you want to remember. Write down key phrases where you’ll see them often. Reflect on those things frequently and etch them into your memory.

Remind others of what you want is important. An excellent call center manager constantly reminds her team about the importance of extraordinary service. A top-notch sales manager doesn’t quit

talking about and demonstrating what was taught in the sales training course. A good parent looks for teachable moments to remind children of important lessons.

Of course there is an additional benefit: reminding others helps you remember as well.

Rehearse the behaviors of the spirit you embrace. A great actor rehearses his or her lines until they are delivered with perfection. There is no substitute for doing. Almost everyone knows what is good, right or important but leaders are those who act on their knowledge. Have you considered what you can do each day to demonstrate the spirit you value? Let your behavior be a witness for your words

Don’t let the spirit of any important seasons or event evaporate. Remember, remind and rehearse to keep the important messages and themes of significant events alive long after they are over.

Self absorption is not the same as self reflection.

The former is focused on what it gets, the latter on what it learns.

Being aware of one’s self–the good, the bad and the otherwise–is key to self reflection. We all change over time so we need to reassess regularly to determine if we’re on course and how we can improve.

Self absorption seems to be far more common. From the airline passenger who brags about putting  his knee in the middle of the seat in front of him so another passenger can recline to the person who runs a red light because his or her “hurry” is more important than your safety, many seem obsessed with meeting their needs at any and all costs.

Like the familiar saying says, a person wrapped up in himself makes a very small package.

Interesting, isn’t it, that one antidote to self absorption is self reflection?

TV rewards egregious behavior by creating reality shows around it. Adults act childishly and get spotlight attention. The more outrageous and imbecilic one’s behavior, the greater the odds for media attention. Boorish behavior has become prime time entertainment.

What should lead to shame now leads to fame.

Our culture provides negative role models in an unprecedented way.

When our nation’s kids act badly, it should be no surprise.

The consequences? You get the behavior your reward.

It’s been a couple weeks since I last posted a blog. That’s because my wife Darla and I were in Israel visiting the Holy Lands. I did post regularly on Facebook and Twitter using my PDA but blogging would have been far more laborious from the little keyboard.

I was reminded of something I learned long ago: travel is good for the soul. It is also good for the brain, too. I’d read about different stories and locations in the bible since I was a child, but visiting those actual places provided a rich context I could never have achieved otherwise. From the Sea of Galilee to the Jordan River to the Kidron Valley to the City of David, I was continually impressed and awed with how little we really know until we get out into the world.

Of course it isn’t just about geography. You can have an opinion about Israel, but until you’ve met and talked with the people who live there, you are missing important pieces of the intellectual puzzle. Someone once observed that we don’t see things are they are, but as we are. It is advisable to re-examine perceptual filters when traveling lest you filter out information and insights that don’t fit your pre-existing ideas.

I’ve traveled in a manner highly organized (as this trip was) and also made up an itinerary as I went along. I’ve found that for return on investment of time, an organized agenda enables you to see and learn more. The big benefit of going with the flow is the unexpected gem that you can find as a result. I’ve had a bit of a readjustment creating my own agenda now that I’m back (although “catching up” has provided me plenty to do…)

I hope you get a chance to travel this summer, locally or internationally and by whatever means possible. Think of it as soul enrichment.