I meet a lot of interesting people on the job, in my career, at conventions, and of course, reading books. Some of them are famous, known professionals, and otherwise largely cooler than I am – or at least richer and more famous. But usually cooler.
Now when you meet these people, you may want to ask them for advice or information. However you feel scared, concerned, and don't want to mess it up.
Scared aside, meeting and learning from people who have been successful is one of the major ways to learn to be a success. So if you don't swallow your fear and contact them, you will loose out.
In fact I usually find such people are often glad to help out if approached properly – I've corresponded with two major authors of employment books, several website publishers, and a life coach with a decade plus career in the last few months. I've learned a lot from them, and they were to a person helpful and glad to give me advice.
There are two major parts of contacting people: