Bruce Mau believes the biggest problems create the biggest opportunities.
The worse things are, the happier designers become. A good situation is not interesting, a bad situation is good, a terrible situation is inspirational.
Wherever things are not working there is an entrepreneurial opportunity for design. We should look for the toughest challenges in the world today -- they are also the biggest business opportunities in human history.
The greater the problem, the bigger the potential impact. The pursuit of hard problems can be applied on a small scale too. You may not be tackling great global issues; your design challenges may be local and specific.
Nevertheless, the same principle applies. Look for difficulty and love the impossible.
Where others see defeat, discover possibility.