Triiibes turns one today! (Triiibes is Seth Godin‘s social networking site.) I’ve met oodles of amazing people through Triiibes during the past year. It’s got the highest ratio of awesome to non-awesome people I’ve ever seen on a forum, except of course for the Freak Revolution Coffee House. Here’s the #1 thing I’ve learned from Triiibes during the past year.

Famous and successful people are just people.

We often have a kind of hero worship toward famous and successful people. We think they’re not like us. But they are. Sure, a lot of them are busy and can be hard to get a hold of, but that doesn’t mean they’re fundamentally different from you.

One year ago, I was a fangirl of Seth Godin.

Today, I’m a peer of Seth Godin.

Same with Daniel Quinn. Same with oodles of our blog and business friends who are publishing books and going to TED and doing amazing things.

How do you get on the same level as famous people?

Make friends with them.

Don’t assume that famous and successful people are unapproachable. Try to approach them. Don’t ask them for anything, just be nice, be helpful, and be yourself. Many of them will be too busy or will not be interested in getting to know you, but it’s not about you. Keep trying. You’ll find someone you connect with. You’ll make a new friend.

Thank you, Seth! Thank you, Triiibespeople! Thank you, all of my once-idols and now-friends.

Friends are much warmer and more fun to hug. (: