Shun Fujimoto is the personification of delivering results while enduring the pain. Although Mr. Fujimoto had recently broken his leg and was given a full leg cast from his hip down to his toe, he did not back out of the 1976 Olympics. Rather than waiting 4 years and hoping to compete in 1980, he pushed through and endured the pain. His performance was so remarkable and inspiring, that his team went one to win their gold medal. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq-C5-vIim8]

The pain when I landed was terrible. It brought tears to my eyes. But I did it. I got my gold medal, and now the pain is gone.

Hopefully none of us will ever have a serious leg injury like Mr. Fujimoto but many of us endure what seems painful every single day. If you're working on a difficult problem at work and think it might be better to just give up on it, remember Shun Fujimoto.