What I mean by this is that is absolutely awesome to dream big and work towards lofty goals. Whether it be lifestyle, in your career/business, relationship etc.
What I mean by living presently is not prioritizing problems that aren’t here yet.
For example, say one of your goals is to get married and have kids. Awesome.
If you’re single and in the dating scene, sure make some small considerations like maybe save a little $. Contemplate a little about what you’d like your married life or how you’d like to raise your kids.The priority and bilk of your energy should be going towards going on your dates, discovering your relationship identity, building up your emotional intelligence etc. Getting hung up on future problems like “Kids are so expensive”, while is a valid concern, isn’t the main concern now! The future still needs to play itself out. Maybe your (future) partner is unexpectedly well off. Maybe some grandparents (inlaw) step up. Just as much as you can think about worst case scenarios, you can also think of reasonable positive possibilities.
Endlessly planning for the worst and burdening yourself with present AND future problems is an example of “getting in your own way”.
Will there be edge cases and exceptions? Absolutely! I hope you don’t read this post and immediately go to “How can I pick this apart”. First and foremost is figuring out “Does this apply to me?” The example with kids, is just an example – the spirit of this post is introspection of are you living in the present or getting in your own way.