virgin islands scene

You can judge your age by the amount of pain you feel when you come in contact with a new idea.
-- Pearl S. Buck
 

 

The Daily Motivator
Frequently Asked Questions

What is The Daily Motivator?

The Daily Motivator is a brief motivational message that is published each Monday through Saturday on the web and by e-mail. Each daily message is about 200 words long and can easily be read in a minute or two. The Daily Motivator provides a fast, regular and reliable positive boost each day.

Is there a new message each day?

Yes. Each daily message from The Daily Motivator is new and original. The messages never repeat. Specific positive values, such as gratitude, discipline, acceptance, balance, focus and many others are reinforced again and again, yet in a new and refreshing way each time.

What about Sundays?

On Sundays I observe a day of rest and there is no daily message. On the web, the message for the previous day (Saturday) continues to be displayed until Monday morning.

How reliable is The Daily Motivator?

The Daily Motivator has never missed a single publication day since the e-mail subscriptions began in June 1996. The Daily Motivator (web and e-mail) is hosted on a state-of-the-art dedicated web server, which is connected by multiple OC-3 high bandwidth fiber optic lines to a major Internet backbone peering facility. The server is monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Very rarely (maybe 2-3 days out of the year) there are problems with the server which affect the distribution of e-mail to subscribers. When this happens, the messages are quickly distributed using a backup network and mail server. The reliable delivery of The Daily Motivator is a top priority, and every step is taken to make sure that happens. If you ever miss a message, there's about a 95% chance that the problem is on your end, with your ISP or your e-mail program. But no matter where the problem lies, I will be happy to help you track it down and get it corrected.

Who writes The Daily Motivator?

Every message for The Daily Motivator is written by me, Ralph Marston. For more information on my personal and professional background, click HERE.

Can I put The Daily Motivator on my website?

No. In order to ensure the quality and reliability of The Daily Motivator, we usually do not allow the messages to be published on other sites on a daily basis, except by special licensing agreements. However, you are welcome to link to any page on The Daily Motivator site. Also, we offer a brief summary of each day's message, called the Thought For The Day, which we encourage you to place on your site. For more information, please click HERE.

Can I forward The Daily Motivator messages to others by e-mail?

You are welcome to OCCASIONALLY forward the messages to others you know as a way of sharing a special insight or introducing them to The Daily Motivator. But please do not forward the messages to others on a continuing, daily basis. This causes problems for all involved. People who receive the forwarded messages may not want to get them. Often when this is the case they e-mail me to complain, but I'm not able to remove them because they're not on the subscriber list. Also, when someone forwards the messages to others and then decides to take a day off, that reflects poorly on the reliability that I have worked and paid so much to achieve. If you value the messages enough to want to share them with others, then please respect my efforts to maintain the quality, integrity and reliability of the messages by NOT forwarding them on a daily basis to others. For more information on sharing the messages, see our Permission page.

Can I re-print one of your messages in a newsletter, church bulletin, magazine, book or other publication?

I am usually happy to give permission for such uses at no charge. I do ask that you request permission in advance. For more information, see our Permission page.

Why should I pay for an e-mail subscription when I can read the messages on the web for free?

E-mail subscriptions are offered as a convenience for those who wish to purchase them. The price is only $15, which comes to less than 5 cents per day. By charging this modest fee, I can ensure that those who subscribe to The Daily Motivator really do want to receive it and will value the daily messages. The subscription fee also keeps the e-mail messages free of advertising, so you're not distracted from the daily positive thought.

An e-mail subscription to The Daily Motivator provides you with the opportunity to make an investment in yourself which will pay off day after day after day. Experience has shown again and again that when you pay for a subscription you will receive significantly more benefit from it than if you had not paid for it. Your subscription fee also is a way for you to make a positive contribution to the world, because it helps The Daily Motivator continue to be published each day on the web.

Also, with an e-mail subscription you receive The Monthly Motivator, which is a longer, once-per-month publication that focuses in-depth on a particular positive topic. In addition, you receive three bonus reports on "Creativity," "How To Have Anything You Want," and "Excuse Busters." These are sent to you by e-mail immediately after you send your payment using the online subscription form. To subscribe to The Daily Motivator, please CLICK HERE.

How do I know if I'll like my subscription to The Daily Motivator?

Before you subscribe, I invite you to read through more than 5,000 previous daily messages, all available on the web by clicking HERE.

I want to support The Daily Motivator, but don't wish to purchase a subscription. Can I make a donation?

Yes, donations in any amount are very much appreciated, and will help The Daily Motivator to continue providing positive value for people all over the world.

What software is used to create the picture and music presentations?

We use Adobe Flash to create the presentations because it offers maximum control and flexibility, plus it produces files that are compatible with more than 95% of the installed browsers in the world. That means that if you have a computer on the Internet, it will most likely be able to view the presentations. If you're interested in creating similar presentations, I would highly recommend Adobe Flash, though it is fairly complicated and expensive. You can create similar presentations with programs such as Microsoft Powerpoint and Apple Keynote.

I'm having trouble viewing the picture and music presentations

The "Right Now" Presentation requires Adobe Flash Player (version 8 or higher) which is already installed on most computers. You can go to Adobe’s test page to download the free Flash Player for your computer, or to check which version is already installed. If you're using an iPhone or iPad, these devices unfortunately do not support Adobe Flash and you will not be able to view the picture and music presentations on them.

How do I print the "Right Now" presentation?

The "Right Now" presentation is a self-running slide show that is not formatted for printing. We have created a special version of the "Right Now" message on a single page that is suitable for printing. You can find it by clicking HERE.