We all measure blogging success in different ways. For some, it’s seeing those traffic numbers increase every month. Others care most about their bank account, and still others just want to write something they’re proud of writing. Whatever your goals, though, you can learn from the people who are already successful (by your own standards) in your niche.

Study their techniques and tips all you want, but at the core of success is attitude. What you don’t say is what matters most in finding success. You have to mentally get your ducks in a row first.

These are five things top bloggers do not say to others…or even to themselves:

1. “I don’t feel like it.”

Being a successful blogger is hard work. Anyone who tells you differently is lying. Do not buy it if someone tries to say that making money online is easy. They’re probably trying to sell you some kind of secret or something, but there is no secret. It’s just about hard work.

Successful bloggers never say that they don’t feel like blogging (or working on the business end of their blog) and instead take time off. They just get stuff done. The idea that you get to flit away on vacations or spend all day with your kids is a silly notion. For each hour your spend away from your computer, you have to replace it with an hour (or even more) at your computer. Time management tips can help, but if you can’t hack the work, you aren’t going to find success.

And, really, if you’re saying that you don’t feel like working on your blog, perhaps this isn’t your true passion after all. Over six years after I wrote my first blog post, I still absolutely love doing this. Sure, I have my days (don’t we all), but if you never feel like it, if blogging is a chore to you, go out there and find something more fun to do with your life.

2. “I should *insert task here* but I’m just way too busy.”

Top bloggers might say no when they are legitimately busy, but be careful with how many opportunities you miss with the excuse of being too busy. If you really want to do something, you will find the time. Several times at NMX (previously BlogWorld), keynote speakers have flown across the country for just a single night in order to give their talk. You can usually make time if you really want to do something.

That doesn’t mean that you should spread yourself so thin that you never sleep. What it does mean, however, is that you prioritize your tasks honestly, work on your time management skills, and stop lying to yourself about being busy when you really just don’t want to do something.

3. “This is easy.”

I never take someone seriously if they say blogging (professionally) or making money online is easy. It is not easy. This goes back to point one – blogging is hard work and anyone who tells you differently is lying.

Furthermore, you’ll probably notice that top bloggers have all gone through struggles to get where they are today. Beware overnight successes. They’re usually lying, doing something to scam the system, or both.

Even after you’ve “made it,” blogging isn’t easy. There are a lot of cogs in this machine, and you have to grease them all daily. Yes, the hope is you can someday hire people to help you or sell your blog completely, but the truth of the matter is that it will never be easy.

4. “I can’t.”

I recently wrote a post about the three words killing your blog, and those three words are “I don’t know.” The sister of “I don’t know” is “I can’t.” These two phrases should be banned from your vocabulary! If you don’t know something, figure it out. Google is your friend. If you can’t figure it out, find someone who can. Social media is your friend, too.

Top bloggers never say they can’t do something and just give up. They are problem solvers, and they find a way to make things happen, one way or another. If you can’t fix a problem, find a path around it. If you can’t find a path around it, ask for help. “I can’t” is just another excuse.

5. “I don’t care.”

Lastly, if you don’t care about your blog and your business, what are you doing in this industry? Top bloggers are extremely passionate and in tune with every part of their business. They care what font is being used in their posts. They care what community members say in the comments. They care about minute details that probably don’t actually matter at all.

To be a top blogger, their blog is their baby. If you don’t feel that strongly about your blog, think about changing your niche. You have to care about the details to be successful.

I already talked about banning “I don’t know” and “I can’t” from your vocabulary, but in actuality, all of the above phrases should be banned! Are there any I’m missing? What phrases do you think bloggers need to ban to be successful? Leave a comment!