Virginia and Don lived in a small cottage on Long Island. The cottage was cluttered with evidence of their many interests—music, gardening, mathematics, history, birding. A friend decided to surprise them with an anniversary party in their own home. She needed a way to get the clutter out of the way, so she sent them flowers. She knew that Virginia would always clear and clean to make way for beautiful flowers.

What would you do differently if you were expecting something beautiful to arrive soon?

Dr. Louis C. Smith is a scientist and a photographer. He told me about a student who once conducted an off-the-wall experiment with surprising success. When he asked the student how he planned to follow up, the student replied, “I don’t know, I wasn’t expecting it to work.” Dr. Smith reprimanded the student, not because he did the unexpected, but because he had not prepared for success. According to Dr. Smith, you should always prepare for success.

How would you prepare for success? What would need clearing and cleaning? How might you look at your life and your work differently if you were expecting success? How would your focus shift? What would you let go of? Would you recognize success if it arrived on your doorstep? Could expecting success change the likelihood of success?

Suggestion: pick one thing that you’d do differently if you were expecting success and start with that. And, of course, notice what you notice. Have all the fun you can. Success should be fun, don’t you think?

It’s so easy to look at most of the obstacles in your path. “I need to do this for so‑and‑so. I have to clean up that mess. I have to check my e‑mail or see what’s up on Facebook. I have so many meetings to attend. The phone is ringing.” You get the idea. There’s always something else you could or should be doing, and somehow you let that get in the way of doing what you really want to do.

So those are the other obstacles. What about YOU as an obstacle? What are the ideas, thoughts, and expectations that block what you really want? What would you have to give up in order to play full out, to go for a totally fabulous life?

Do you like to think of yourself as a busy, productive, generous person? Would you have to give up that image of yourself if you were having fun with life?

Do you like to present your best self to the world—attractive, competent, organized, likable? How might people perceive you if you were trying new things, living a daring, adventurous life, having fun?

Do you like to make sure everyone else is okay before you take care of yourself? What would happen if they had to take care of themselves a bit more, while you were out “playing” and exercising your talents?

What might happen to your image of yourself if you let go of old expectations and spent more time doing what you absolutely love to do? Surely it’s a trade‑off: living up to your “reputation with yourself” versus living up to your own brilliance. Might be worth a try.

What do you think?

My suggestion: take the bushel off and let your lamp shine. See what happens.