What 2008 Will Bring

Happy New Year to All! My how fast time flies when you enjoy yourself. I can't believe that A)It is 2008; and B)I am 24 years old. It just doesn't seem right.

My holidays were about as relaxing and productive as I could have hoped for. While I didn't finish much of anything I set out to, I have never done as much quality thinking as I did during this break.

In looking back at these first few months of blogging I have come to a few conclusions.
1)I am going to try writing more about global activities. While I will stick to my guns and continue writing about ways people can change the world, I think it is important for people to know more about what is going on so they can consciously try to fix it.

2)I am going to comment more on philanthropic and social enterprise news. These are two major factors in the movement towards a better world and I don't comment on them enough.

3)I want to post more often. I feel as though too much time passes between postings as I am sure you also do. I have far more to say than I am saying.

4)There needs to be more dialogue. I would like to hear more from everyone, whether you agree or more importantly if you disagree.

I have taken a few moments to think about my predictions for the coming year around the world and what ground we will make on creating a better world.

1)The creation of the Bali Action Plan for reversing climate change will start a larger dialogue on how to meet new standards for emissions and green house gases. 2008 will be the year when we see new alignment on a global vision for how to curb global warming.

2)Social Enterprise and triple bottom line business models will see an explosion of new organizations and products entering the marketplace. More choice of products of this ilk will allow consumers more choice and likely lower costs. These are good things as they will likely face greater scrutiny. Transparency will be the key. If these businesses adopt policies of transparency and releasing more figures to consumers on exactly where money is going (like not-for-profits do) then consumers will be less hesitant and more accepting of spending their money on goods that do good.

3)A new AIDS vaccine will enter into trials and produce better results than the first version which was abandoned this past year. It may not work, but it will bring scientists closer than they have been to finding a preventative measure that will stop the spread of the worlds most deadly virus.

4)More billionaires will follow the likes of Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and most recently Barron Hilton (Hilton Hotels) into the world of philanthropy. Those with money will begin to realize that having so much of it doesn't guarantee happiness and in fact giving it away does.

5)Generation Y and younger people around the world will begin to make their mark on the world. This age range is already being described as unaccepting of the current state of the world, and willing to dedicate their lives to changing it. Young people will be seen as having more power than ever before to change the world, and older generations will start to look up to them instead of looking down. My friend Kevin has said to me (and in his blog) that young people are successful precisely because they don't know any better. They have yet to let cynicism take hold, or to learn what is impossible, so they are willing to try. It is no mistake that the people who have been so successful as of late are of this generation.

6)Social media such as Facebook and MySpace will continue to grow in popularity only to be questioned for what is missing. A new social media will rise which brings back the component of human interaction. People will begin to understand that while it is wonderful to make the connection it means nothing if action isn't to follow. These websites are useful so long as we recognize their limits. Websites like change.org will grow into a much larger hub of charitable activity and wiserearth.org will become a meeting and congregating place for Agents of Change.

7)Collaboration will become the next wave of not-for-profit activity. While charities, not-for-profits and NGO's currently resist working together they will begin to recognize that working as a team will be necessary to make any headway. Each and every problem has become so interconnected and intertwined with the next that it will become impossible for any one organization to make a difference. A comprehensive approach which relies on collaboration will be the only way for organizations specializing in particular areas to truly address their specialization. As I said in a conversation I had the other day, "You can't fix one thing and hope it fixes all the others. You have to try to fix all of them together in order to fix the one thing."

I will leave you with this thought. It is a new year, with new opportunities, new relationships, new everything. Embrace this chance to start fresh, to bring about change, and to live the life you dream of. It is never too late.