Solving problems or seeking solutions?

It's coming to the end of the year again, and, for what has almost become clockwork, the amount of work to be done begins to ramp up. It's almost counter-intuitive; you'd always expect end of year equals down time.
For where I work end of year is the company's second quarter and is also Annual General Meeting time. On top of that, its also the time when the budgets are still hot, the print on annual plans still steaming and naturally, everyone is gung-ho about all the things that need to be done. This is also the time when my group of people are fully occupied, facilitating sessions and implementing change.
Usually, though, as we course through January through March, through New Year, Hijrah, Chinese New Year, Thaipusam, we begin to lose steam. And as new issues arise, reality begins to bite and the pain begins to slow things down. And we start to begin planning for the upcoming year, a new determination conveniently forgetting the things we've overlooked and not completed.
It's a self reinforcing cycle that's hard to break.
Over dinner about 10 years ago, sitting with a bunch of HR practitioners, this topic came up. And one of them, looks at me squarely in the eye, and says," You know what the problem is? You're always looking for the problem!"
"Look for the problem and problems are what you find. Look for solutions, then everything you need will be there"
No doubt there may have been a tinge of alcohol in that statement, but there is some truth there. Have a safe Aidil Adha.