Money can't buy you happiness, but it sure can buy you peace of mind. In fact, up until $80k per year, earning more does correlate with life satisfaction. The idea is, once we earn $80k, our basic needs are generally met. Questions of healthcare, shelter, transportation and luxury tend to be answered, and from there, problems tend to be less magnified.
Say your engine blows out. You earn $40k and you've only been able to save $2k. A new engine can cost between $4k-$6k, with labor. You may be inclined to lease a car instead of getting your old one repaired. Now, you've put 20% down and you're paying $375 a month for a car you'll never own. But, hey, you have to get to work. Not to go all Dave Ramsey on you, but these are the types of problems that can be alleviated with a greater income.
With Kyler Murray, the Cardinals just went from minimum wage to, well, more than $80k per year.
All the problems that would've dominated sports talk radio from Sunday's game against the 49ers - D.J. Humphries' injury, Kliff Kingsbury's dink-and-dunk play calls to open the game, the 8th overall draft pick looking lost - were swept aside for jubilance because Murray's brilliance put them in perspective.
Yeah, Isaiah Simmons wasn't great, but instead of talking about how catastrophic his blown coverage was, we're talking about how much time Simmons has to get better. First world problems.
Even Kyler's own mistakes were masked by his excellence.
I'm still wondering if D.J. Humphries is a go against Washington!
But the Cardinals have entered the first-world-problems zone, so I'm also wondering if my fro-yo's ready yet?
Kyler Murray will make you forget about silly left tackles.
The first-world-problem zone enables one to make short-term sacrifices for long-term gains, like investing in a college degree or purchasing stock. Those things may seem like a waste of resources to anyone in the midst of the rat race, but they often reward the highest returns to those that can take the short-term hit.
Kind of like Isaiah Simmons. Could the Cardinals have drafted cornerback C.J. Henderson or defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw and seen immediate production? Sure! Cover your wide receiver, C.J., or sack your quarterback, Javon! But, Arizona is asking Simmons to do a hell of a lot more, and that will take time - just like it did for him at Clemson. That's OK with the Cardinals, who just started 1-0 against the best team in their division. I'll bet Steve Keim thought this through before he drafted Simmons.
This is why in life, and in the NFL, the rich tend to stay rich, and the poor tend to stay poor. The Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers three years before they ever needed him to play. The Chiefs took a risk on Tyreek Hill, knowing they could afford it if it didn't pay off. The Seahawks gave up two first-rounders for Jamal Adams, and I'll bet they never miss the playoffs while he's in Seattle.
When you're in the first-world-problems zone, mistakes are dismissed, successes are magnified, and decisions are well thought out, because they can be.
The Cardinals are there, and you can thank Kyler Murray for that.