I think it is highly laudable that magicians should strive to be the very best version of themselves as performers. It’s all too easy to present under-rehearsed magic and to be happy with a standard of performance that is at best adequate, simply because you can’t be bothered to put in the effort to make it any better.
However, I think you can also fall into a trap of going too far with self-analysis too. There are magicians who feel driven to strive for perfection and who are rarely, if ever, satisfied with what they are currently doing, but instead are forever looking to make those incremental changes in pursuit of another level.
While I admire on the one hand the pursuit of the ultimate version of a trick or presentation, I do wonder whether being endlessly self-critical can have a detrimental effect on the overall confidence of the magician. If every time you perform you are seeking out potential weaknesses in the show, I wonder if this is a healthy attitude long term or whether it can lead to worry about the overall effectiveness of the magic.
I suppose it comes down to where you draw the line, or indeed whether you EVER draw one, in terms of feeling that you have achieved the best you are capable of producing. Who is it that you are trying to please, yourself or your audiences?
If your ultimate aim is to present an enjoyable experience for your audiences, listening to their reactions to what you perform is surely the most reliable way of judging how well you are doing. If there is laughter, gasps of amazement and strong applause, you must be doing things right and so whether you search for a slightly better method to achieve the same effect, it probably won’t make any difference to the spectators.
Most refinements and tweaks that magicians make often come down to the invisible parts of the tricks. While it might be worthwhile altering a presentation to try and garner a better response from the onlookers, minor changes to the method are unlikely to make any noticeable difference to the trick’s impact. In fact, sometimes we can over-think and over-complicate methods because as magicians we love intricate and clever handlings, not because it makes any tangible difference to the spectators.
Magic can at times be an obsessive activity. There is always something new or undiscovered to investigate, which is both its strength and its weakness. The more possibilities there seem to be, the harder it is to decide on a final version of anything, yet having almost infinite options can be what makes the artform so intriguing.
If you perform rarely, it’s easy to put endless energy into fine tuning the act, because that is where the satisfaction lies. However, those who perform regularly and often, probably have neither the time nor the energy to be forever fiddling with the show. Alterations may come about through discovery when working live, but these usually are to do with practical considerations rather than changes for changes sake.
For peace of mind I would suggest that good is usually good enough for lay people entertainment, so maybe don’t criticise yourself more than you really need to.