Running Into Failure: Why the Hard Days Teach Us the Most

Some days hit you like a brick wall. Today was one of those days for me.

Difficult meetings. Challenging clients. The kind of day where everything feels like an uphill battle and you question whether you're cut out for this work at all. But somewhere in the middle of all that chaos, a realization hit me that I can't shake: Failure isn't the exception to the rule—it's par for the course.

And more importantly? We need to stop running from it and start running straight into it.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Professional Growth

Here's what nobody tells you when you're building a career in tech or any field: the hard days aren't anomalies. They're not detours from your path to success. They ARE the path.

Every difficult client conversation, every meeting that goes sideways, every project that doesn't land the way you envisioned—these aren't signs you're doing something wrong. They're signs you're doing something that matters, something challenging enough to push against your comfort zone.

I used to think successful people had somehow figured out how to avoid these situations. That there was some secret formula for smooth sailing. But the more I've grown in my career, the more I realize that the most successful people I know aren't the ones who avoid failure—they're the ones who've learned to navigate it, extract lessons from it, and yes, even run toward it.

Why Running Into Failure Changes Everything

When we try to avoid failure, we make decisions from a place of fear. We play it safe. We choose the client who's easy to work with instead of the one who'll challenge us to grow. We pitch the idea we know will get approved instead of the one that could be transformative.

But when you shift your mindset to expecting and embracing failure as part of the process, something remarkable happens:

You become more willing to take meaningful risks. Because you're not trying to avoid failure anymore, you can focus on the potential upside rather than being paralyzed by the potential downside.

You recover faster when things don't go as planned. Instead of being shocked and derailed by setbacks, you're prepared for them. You've already mentally rehearsed bouncing back.

You extract more value from difficult experiences. When you're not busy being frustrated that failure happened, you can focus on what it's teaching you.

The Practical Reality of Running Into Challenges

This isn't about being reckless or seeking out failure for its own sake. It's about fundamentally changing your relationship with setbacks. Instead of asking "How can I avoid this going wrong?" start asking "What can I learn if this goes wrong, and how quickly can I recover?"

In my own experience, the days that feel the most challenging—like today—often end up being the ones that teach me the most about resilience, problem-solving, and what I'm actually capable of handling.

Those difficult client conversations? They force you to get clearer on your value proposition and communication skills. The meetings that don't go according to plan? They teach you to think on your feet and adapt in real time.

Embracing the Messy Middle

I'm not going to sugarcoat this: it's uncomfortable. There's something in our brains that wants to retreat when things get difficult, to find the easy path, to avoid the confrontation or the challenging conversation.

But I'm learning that growth lives in that discomfort. The messy middle between where you are and where you want to be isn't something to rush through—it's something to lean into.

When I look back at the biggest leaps in my career, they weren't the result of everything going smoothly. They were the result of pushing through when things got hard, of having difficult conversations, of trying approaches that might not work.

Your Invitation to Run Forward

So here's my challenge to you (and to myself): The next time you're facing something that feels overwhelming, instead of asking "How can I avoid this?" try asking "How can I run straight into this and come out stronger on the other side?"

Maybe it's that difficult conversation you've been putting off. Maybe it's the project that feels just beyond your current skill level. Maybe it's the client who challenges you in ways that make you uncomfortable.

What if instead of seeing these as obstacles to overcome, you started seeing them as training grounds for the person you're becoming?

I'd love to hear your thoughts: What's one challenging situation you've been avoiding that might actually be exactly what you need to run toward? How has failure shaped your path in ways you didn't expect at the time?

Because here's what I'm realizing: the goal isn't to eliminate failure from our professional lives. The goal is to get so comfortable with it that it becomes fuel for growth instead of a reason to retreat.

And sometimes, the days that feel the hardest are the ones that teach us we're stronger than we thought.

Jeremy Mckellar is a Connector, Creative, and Tech Futurist focused on making technology meaningful and accessible. Connect with him on LinkedIn or follow his thoughts on technology at JeremyMckellar.com.

This article was developed in collaboration with AI as a thinking partner to help synthesize and organize my thoughts. I believe AI tools can amplify our human insights when used thoughtfully—consider exploring how these tools might enhance your own content creation and strategic thinking.