It’s easier to become enthusiastic and involved with a study program – any course of study, not just English vocabulary – if you find reasons to be invested in that program. A good way to make sure you buy into the process is to review the benefits you’ll gain from putting the effort into it. Another way to make a connection with a program is to find ways to adapt it to suit your own personal needs and learning style. If you don’t feel as if you’re always fighting to fit your study routine into your daily schedule, then you’ll be more likely to invest the time and effort you need to get the full benefits of your study.

Speaking of fighting, have you ever come across the word myrmidon? If you’ve spent any time reading the Greek classics, you might remember that the Myrmidons were the warriors who supported Achilles in the Trojan War. They were fierce fighters who developed their superb skills by constant practice. Like today’s top athletes who devote hours each day to physical exercise, you’ll see quick improvement if you spend at least 10 or 15 minutes a day at the mental exercise of vocabulary study. Take a look at your schedule and find that quarter-hour slot; we’re sure there are 15 free minutes somewhere. Try to study at the same time each day to help you develop a routine.

Even people with advanced English vocabulary skills probably don’t use the word myrmidon very often. Today, the word refers in general to people who fight on behalf of someone, often as “enforcers” or as people who obey orders without question. There’s a negative connotation to the word, implying that someone who is a myrmidon doesn’t think for themselves, but just follows directions given by their superiors, like ants under the rule of a queen.

In fact, if you look at the etymology of the word, you’ll find that it’s traced back to the children of a princess named Eurymedousa who – at least according to one Greek myth – was turned into an ant by Zeus, and then had Zeus’ child, who became the first of the Myrmidons. Finding out some of these word histories will make you more interested in the words, and in the process of vocabulary study.

Above all, be sure you’re working as hard as an ant to build your vocabulary, one word at a time!