24 Magic Secrets for Getting Ahead: #9
Paul Regan
Magician. Consultant. Writer. Teacher. Currently also offering digital magic experiences.
Rule 9: Always remember that a plea of justification is, ordinarily, an acknowledgement of error and, consequently, demands every possible reparation.
Whilst the previous rule acknowledges that there is a difference between avoidable defects and unavoidable ones, this rule takes this thinking to the next, logical step.
If you are able to understand why a mistake happened, you should, ordinarily, be able to fix it. Ask yourself:
- Do you know how something could be improved or, even more importantly, why something went wrong?
- Is there a way that you can ensure it won’t happen again?
- Do that.
Though this rule feels self-evident, there is a difference between simple and easy. In order to implement this rule, you need to be absolutely honest with yourself about your performance, accept responsibility for the flaws, and then do the possibly hard work of fixing them.
In 1911 Nevil Maskelyne outlined 24 rules for magic performance. After well over 100 years, are these rules still relevant, and do they apply to more than magic? Find out more in my blog: Rule 9: If It’s Broken, Fix It.