I love thinking, reading and surfing ideas about the future and admit that I have been imprinted and influenced by Faith Popcorn. I also love and recommend "Megatrends 2010: The Rise Of Conscious Capitalism - Seven Trends That Will Transform How You Work, Live and Invest" by Patricia Aburdene and absolutely any thing by or with Barbara Marx Hubbard (www.evolve.org). It is not my intention to "channel" these authors, rather I wish to acknowledge their original ideas and words and build on these concepts. While the majority of the ideas presented are focused on trends in North America, some can be applied more widely.

Here is my compilation of 13 important trends and new ideas that will transform your business and life!

1. Brain Dough aka brain plasticity
   Yes, you can "teach an old dog new tricks", our brains are actually malleable or flexible. This concept is referred to as brain plasticity. What is brain plasticity? Does it mean that our brains are made of plastic? Of course not. Plasticity, or neuroplasticity, is the lifelong ability of the brain to reorganize neural pathways based on new experiences. As we learn, we acquire new knowledge and skills through instruction or experience. In order to learn or memorize a fact or skill, there must be persistent functional changes in the brain that represent the new knowledge. The ability of the brain to change with learning is what is known as neuroplasticity.

    

   Source: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/plast.html

2. Grandma Power
   Elder women are becoming an increasingly powerful and large group as the boomers age. Think hip, happy, and hippie grandmas rather than blue rinses and fragility when it comes to your marketing!

    

3. Squeeze More In(n)
   Community living takes on a new meaning as more extended families chose to remain living together. This is a new idea for many North Americans and will require skilled and open communication and attention to compromise and consensus.

    

4. Values Redux
   Increasingly large numbers of consumers will make purchasing decisions based on their strongly held personal values.

    

5. Glass Houses
   With amazing technology and the internet, all we do and say will be visible; this is an opportunity to be uber transparent and ethical in life & work. There will be no place to hide.

    

6. Big Hearts
   The emotions and qualities of love, loving-kindness and compassion from a big soft, warm melted open heart will be increasingly integrated into business practices through meditation, loving kindness retreats and prayer.

    

7. C3 - Circles, Collaboration & Co-Creation
   All organizations, families and groups are moving towards and squishing down into wonderful, resonant, concentric circles around a big heart center. The dominant forces will be: life, creativity, win/win and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

    

8. Saffron, Sage and Soul
   As India and China increasingly take over the global production of goods, our interest in and our reliance on these countries will increase. We will continue to integrate both eastern and western spiritual traditions, adding in a dash of "conscious evolution" producing a spicy, rich and deeply satisfying new meta-spiritual tradition.

    

9. Bugs R Us
   Everything will be about whole systems and models based on nature.

    

10. Flowers In Your Hair and Everywhere
    Integrating the "big heart" concept, there will be growing appreciation of art & beauty and a laid back lifestyle as forces for social change and business re-vitalization.

     

11. Re-Calibration Back to a Lunar Calendar
    It only makes sense for women!

     

12. Science Fictionary
    Life expectancy will continue to increase and concepts that were only science fiction will be part of every day life. More and more folks will choose to vacation at home through holograms and other multisensory innovations.

     

13. The Concept of Paradox
    We will be challenged to live a life of increasing paradox and complexity and time will seem to speed up! Folks will be curious about the concept of "nothingness".

     

Enjoy this "trend spotting" and let us know how you and your business are affected by these trends at: www.thepowblog.com. Search for trends in the index and add your comments to the blog!