Are you anything like Cody Parkey? I sure hope so! If you don’t know who he is, he is the placekicker for the Chicago Bears who missed a last-second field goal against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. He has been berated ever since. The Chicago Bears fans booed him, the Philadelphia Eagles Venmoed him money, and the sports announcers vilified him. And this young man of 26 years took it all on the chin.

Why would I hope you are like Parkey? At 26, would you have had the poise to accept responsibility for letting down millions of people? He blamed no one. He didn’t say “I scored 9 of our 15 points” or “had Gabriel succeeded in the 2-point conversion, I wouldn’t have been in that spot” or “had our defense truly been the #1 defense in the NFL they would have stopped the Eagles.” He simply said, “I feel terrible.”

What or who have you blamed? Have you blamed the economy? Your ex? Your boss? Your teacher? Your situation? Your spouse? Your education? It has to be someone’s fault, right? Or could it be you? What if you owned it just like Parkey? Owning it puts you in control of fixing it. Casting blame does not. Cody Parkey – I can only hope that I would have handled that situation with as much grace and poise as you. Well done!

With Gratitude,
Beth
P.S. After the game it was determined that the kick was actually deflected by Philadelphia Eagles lineman Treyvon Hester. Vindicated.