Think about it like this:
For a direct-view monitor, you want all the light coming out to go out in all directions. That way, you can look at the screen from any angle and it will appear equally bright from all angles.
For a projection system, you want all the light coming out to first go in a straight path to the screen, and then from there it should bounce off and go in all directions. Any light that doesn't make it to the right part of the screen first is going to do one of two things: either just get completely wasted (absorbed somewhere in the projector), or else it will hit some other (wrong) part of the screen and causing blurring or wash-out (loss of contrast).
If you were to stare directly into the beam of a typical projector, it would feel like staring into the sun (the light is so concentrated). So if you can look at your bulbs and not feel the same way, then it's probably not bright enough.
But if you enjoy a project, don't let me discourage you. The fun is in the doing.