Thinking about celebrating is inspired by my wife, who has a big birthday tomorrow. We have made special plans with people we care about. In these times it would have been easy to not do so, have a quiet moment with immediate family, and move on. But, when you do that, time keeps marching forward and you’ve missed an opportunity.

The opportunity missed is the chance to celebrate a person, an occurrence, a moment worth celebrating. This applies in the workplace too. For me, I know the times I received a huge ruling from a court on a trial or appeal, or closed a large complex transaction, and then kept working. I read a long ruling, e-mailed congratulations to my team, and called my client, but, in hindsight, I should have done more. I should have taken my team out to celebrate for lunch, dinner, or drinks. The what doesn’t matter as much as doing something. If my client lived in the Phoenix metro area, I should have done the same with them, maybe along with the team.

Once you miss that opportunity to celebrate in the moment, or close to the time for a birthday or anniversary, the moment has passed. Letting it pass also loses opportunity for connection with others, which we all crave. Sometimes a big celebration is called for. Other times it could be a small, quiet event. The next time a reason to celebrate arises, mark the moment and do something. Those are the times remembered and spoken about in the future.