Do you have a holiday hangover? Are the bills coming in and making you realize that yet again, you overdid it this year? In our society, we tend to overeat, overspend, overwork, over-analyze and over-commit. When is enough good enough?

I’ll admit that this past holiday season, even though I tried to stay focused on not overdoing it, I still have that holiday hangover. Sure, we cleared out toys and donated them to charity, we tried to be frugal, we tried to avoid committing to too many holiday parties, but we found ourselves in the same boat as the year before.

I think I am finally learning that it isn’t about what you spend, how much you do or how much you have, it’s about who you are and who you surround yourself with. The readers, advertisers and partners of Beson4 Media Group are people I am happy to have a relationship with. They are stakeholders in the community invested in making our small corner of the world a better place. I take tremendous pride in my career because it means every day I surround myself with people who are motivated to make a difference and to improve the lives of those around them.

That’s why as HealthSource magazine and our company’s 10th anniversary approached, I opted out of the big anniversary bash. Instead we decided to partner with the American Heart Association and help host a party with a purpose. Please join us for the 2012 First Coast Pulse Young Professionals Party on Thursday, February 23 from 7:30 to 11 p.m. at Suite. Pulse is a group of local young professionals committed to changing the epidemic of obesity and heart disease in children. Join us for a night of cocktails, live music and great food and know that your pulse beats for the community. To learn more or to purchase tickets, call Maggie Bartlett at 904-256-5731 or visit http://www.heart.org/firstcoastheartball and click on the PULSE tab. Also, you can check out the event on Facebook here.

Friday, February 3, 2012 was National Wear Red Day to raise awareness about heart disease in women. The American Heart Association (Jacksonville, Florida) took over the Jacksonville Landing at 6:30 pm that evening with this entertaining flash mob.

Beson4 Media Group has been in the Jacksonville area for almost 10 years. From media and creative strategy development through execution, Beson4 brings together the latest proven techniques in advertising, online and direct marketing to deliver and motivate your audience.

Be Inspired.
Be Driven.
Be Focused.
Be Fun.
Beson4 Media Group

For more information, please visit http://www.beson4media.com

This Celebration of Nurses event is held every year in the month of July and organized by HealthSource magazine. This free event is for all First Coast nurses, nurse educators, nursing students and nursing executives.

HealthSource has been honoring the work of local area nurses for a decade but this past year decided to take it a step further. In addition to their annual magazine profile on First Coast nurses they decided to create an event where nurses could be honored in front of their peers and the medical community. Dozens of stories and awards were presented throughout the evening and three nurses in particular were honored for going above and beyond, winning the Legacy Award, the Inspiration Award and the Spirit Award. The family of Elizabeth Means accepted the Legacy Award on the behalf of her honor. Ms. Means passed away in early 2011. Dr. Pam Chally received the Inspiration Award and Brian Pearson received the Spirit Award.

HealthSource Magazine is owned and operated by Beson4 Media Group, a full marketing and advertising agency in Jacksonville.

Everyone who knows me knows I’ve always been into sports. I’ve played sports my entire life from football to golf to hockey. But my first love has always been baseball. The sport consumed me as a kid and my biggest pastime was collecting baseball cards.

Between elementary school and college, I amassed several thousand cards. Every birthday, every holiday and every gift centered on my collection. As time marched on, while my passion for the game continued, my passion for collecting dwindled. When I moved to Jacksonville from up North, my collection came with me.

When I moved throughout college and as a young adult, my collection was in tow. As I got married and began to raise a family, the location of my collection began to shift.

Every guy who has ever been married knows how one’s prize possession becomes less of an emphasis in your home’s décor. The neon beer sign that took center stage in your dorm room isn’t necessarily something your wife wants to hang over the mantle. Your autographed poster of Cal Ripken, Jr. doesn’t really fit with the pastel hues in the guest room. And no, your beloved foosball table cannot double as a dining room table. As was the case with my baseball card collection; first, it was moved to the spare room, then the attic and finally the garage. The entity I’d invested so much time in and coveted for so long now sat as an afterthought next to the kids’ old toys – a discarded and neglected memory.

Last month, I came across the cards as I was unpacking for the holidays. I had a flash of inspiration, something I’d been thinking about for a while but had never acted on. Just because I had outgrown the collection didn’t necessarily mean someone couldn’t find value in it.

I brought the collection to the office, cleared the dust, repacked the cards in better bins and devised a plan.

I have always been an entrepreneur at heart. It’s a Beson family trait. Both my father and mother were entrepreneurs. My dad ran the Appliance Service Center of Stamford, a successful storefront in my hometown. My mom ran a real estate brokerage right next door called Stamford Homes. As a kid, I spent time in both businesses; working the front counter for my dad and tagging along with my mom as she showed houses. The entrepreneurial spirit they instilled in me serves me well as I run my own business. It’s a trait I’d love to pass on to my daughters, to teach them the importance of an entrepreneurial spirit in business and in life.

While I know baseball card values have gone down in recent years, I believe these cards still hold some value. That’s why when my girls are a little older they will learn the business of selling baseball cards. They can research the value, post the cards for sale and find avid collectors.They will enjoy all the profits from their sales (although I will insist half should go toward college). Hopefully this endeavor will ignite the entrepreneurial spirit in them. I think it’s a fantastic way to both teach the kids a positive lesson and say farewell to an endearing collection.

AJ Beson: Lose weight. Read more. Have more date nights.

Lori Moonen: Not to stress over the small stuff.

Courtney Cooper: I don’t normally do New Year’s resolutions, but 2012 is special since I transplanted my life from North Carolina to Florida.
I guess it would be to succeed at my new job, meet new people, make friends…and learn to love the beach!

Chris Day: Lose weight.

Christine Tarantino: To not have a New Year’s resolution.

Mike Hicks: More reading and less TV and technology time. Better discipline with health and fitness and more family time!

Stacey Cotner: My biggest resolution is to start getting up earlier in the morning so I can actually have some time to myself before the day begins. No more wet hair coming to work!

Virginia Pillsbury: Once a week, write down what was important that week, save each comment and then re-read them next New Year’s Eve. Make the most of each moment – the good and the bad. Realize that each day offers a chance to learn, to help and to love. Trust God with everything.

Gaynelle James: To speak softly (yeah, that’s a stretch).

Vanessa Wells: Be more like my dog – to be completely fearless of all that life hands me, to be consistently compassionate towards all human beings and to make someone laugh everyday.