What is the a good analogy for the difference between a Master Mindset and a Victim Mindset?

The Master Mindset functions as a thermostat; it sets the conditions for your inner world and works to create that environment. The Victim Mindset functions as a thermometer; it merely reflects and reacts to the external environment, leaving you feeling powerless.

What are the four core elements I can genuinely control in my life?

You have absolute control over only four areas: your beliefs (what you accept as true), your thoughts (how you frame experiences), your emotions (how you choose to respond), and your actions (the steps you take). Dedicating your energy here is the key to escaping thermometer mode.

Why is my relationship with time considered my most important relationship?

Everything you do happens within time, making it your most valuable and finite resource. If your relationship with time is marked by hostility, unawareness, regret, or tension, it negatively impacts every other area of your life and keeps you stuck.

What is the Big Dread and the Big Dream?

The Big Dread is the life you want to avoid at all costs—the stuckness, burnout, and low-level anxiety. The Big Dream is your inspiring future, the life of expanded potential you are building. The path between them is your Process.

Why do I struggle to say 'no' and end up off-track?

You often struggle because you 'didn't want to say no,' often due to a fear of rejection or guilt. The Master Mindset requires you to become someone who is comfortable disappointing people because you are clear on your 'why' and committed to your Process.

What is the function of an identity statement, such as 'I am the executor of my plans'?

An identity statement is a powerful tool used to create momentum now. You plant this statement as a seed in your core beliefs. By consistently choosing the action that aligns with this new identity, you gain confirmation that you are, in fact, that person, thereby actively shaping your future self.

How should I handle experiments that fail or do not work out as expected?

If the experiment was conducted within your defined Process, it is still a success. You gained valuable information that allows for an immediate course correction. The real failure is the time wasted on ideating new paths to avoid the complicated, hard work, not the unsuccessful attempt itself.

How do I stop avoiding the 'important and hard' work in my schedule?

The Master Mindset requires a shift in framing. Stop seeing these tasks as a reluctant 'should' that creates internal resistance. Instead, reframe them to a purposeful 'want' or a joyful 'I enjoy' to align your emotional state with the necessary action.

What defines the Process? Is it just a list of tasks?

The Process is about more than tasks. It is about the consistency, discipline, and structure you commit to. It must contain the important and hard things, not just the fun and easy tasks that keep you safe and comfortable in your old belief system.

#90 Escaping Thermometer Mode: How To Develop A Master Mindset

Q: How is success defined within the Master Mindset framework?

Success is found in the Process, not the outcome. It is defined by integrity to the self-defined path between your Big Dread and your Big Dream. If you are operating within the boundaries of that Process, you are succeeding, regardless of immediate external results.

Francois Esterhuizen
Nov 10
2 min read

Feeling like a passenger in your own life is a sign you are operating from reaction, not intention. Francois Esterhuizen explains how adopting a master mindset fundamentally changes this dynamic, allowing you to control your inner world and build sustained momentum. This is the path to moving away from your Big Dread toward your Big Dream.

When you feel stuck, frustrated, or powerless, examine your internal state. Are you in thermometer mode, or are you being a thermostat?

Thermometer mode

A thermometer simply reflects the temperature of the room it is in; it is purely reactive. When you're constantly reacting to external events and letting other people's moods or the daily chaos dictate your inner state, you're in thermometer mode.

This is the victim mindset.

It is a state of constant, passive reaction, leaving you feeling powerless and stuck in a loop of low-level anxiety. It speaks the language of "I couldn't say no," framing personal choice as unavoidable fate.

The master mindset, however, understands the mind is designed to be a thermostat.

Shifting to the master mindset

A thermostat actively sets the desired conditions and then works to create that environment regardless of external fluctuations.

This is the fundamental shift of the master mindset: your focus moves exclusively to the only four things you can genuinely control:

Your beliefs: What you accept as true about yourself and the world.
Your thoughts: How you interpret and frame your experiences.
Your emotions: How you choose to respond rather than react.
Your actions: The consistent, daily steps and habits you cultivate.

Everything else is outside your control.

The master mindset and the process

The master mindset defines success not by a future outcome, but by integrity to the process.

The process is the path between your Big Dread and your Big Dream.

If you are operating within the boundaries of that self-defined path, you are succeeding.

Even if that means failing a hundred times while experimenting on things that move you in the direction of your Big Dream.

Even if that means progress is slow.

Even if that means saying no to great opportunities that entice you off the path.

When you stay in the process, you build momentum and discover opportunities that would never have been available to you if you'd had constantly been chasing shiny things or staying stuck in thermometer mode.

Your next steps

The shift from the victim to master mindset is not an overnight transformation. It is about a moment-to-moment commitment to choosing to focus on what you can control, instead of simply reacting to your environment.

The next time you feel frustrated, pause and examine your internal state. Are you in thermometer mode, simply reflecting the heat of the moment? If so, where do you need to shift your focus so that you're focusing on what you can control.

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Recognised as a trusted and sought-after clarity and leadership coach, Francois Esterhuizen works from Stellenbosch with South African professionals worldwide. His work empowers individuals and leaders to transform emotional resistance into clarity, sustained momentum, and meaningful impact.

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