For the past week, journalists, bloggers, and people at large have been making lists of the best trends of the decade. From technology to movies, celebrities to pets, restaurants to vacation destinations, and news stories to sports stories, we know what made the decade of the oughts rock.

But today is the day that we start looking forward. What will make our next decade – the teens – different from any that have collectively shared? What will define 2010 and beyond? My prediction is the next decade will be known for change and disappointment.

Change. This word has become a catchphrase of sorts, but I predict that real change is inevitable because of the groundwork that has been laid and the generation that has matured. The first generation that never knew a world without internet has grown and is now on their own in the world, earning money, spending money, starting companies and affecting political policy. The internet generation’s reliability on technology to assist them will propel more than cosmetic changes. It will foster real genius, real expansion, and change of a magnitude that exceeds our current vocabulary.

Disappointment. When one generation comes of age, another is moved further into the background. The boomer generation is the next to be on that slide; boomers, the wonderfully free thinkers that have driven change because they think that they are capable of accomplishing anything are meeting their limits in mortality and time. Passing the baton will not be easy for them and they will be disappointed. And because technology, especially the internet, has made it easier to communicate, the world will hear from them. They will share their disappointments and frustrations with all.

Please trust this is not a negative post for it holds the hope of change. But it also promises understanding, the kind of understanding that comes only from disappointment. Hope and understanding are what will allow our world to continue to mature, innovate and excel.

I believe this post also holds the pragmatism that is needed to allow everyone to believe there is room for collaboration, need for peace and a path to prosperity.

On behalf of 24Shells, I wish you success in the New Year and encourage you to embrace a new decade of learning, improving, and sharing.