Meeting Leigh
Ever wonder what Leigh is REALLY like? He’s a complete and totally cunt.
Not true. He is actually much taller than I expected, as I expected him to be shorter because I’m taller that most Asians. He is also very handsy. He really knows how to touch a guy. 😉 I’m never washing my leg….ever again.
I spent a couple days with a couple of guys from the forums and Leigh in the cold windy city of Chicago Illinois. The AI meet up in the states. I wanted to give you a bit of my perspective and tell a bit about what my experience was like meeting the MAN. (Leigh never tired of letting us all know that he was, in fact, A MAN, in spite of his nonstop whining about Chicago’s cold weather).
In all realness, Leigh is exactly as you might imagine him. The dude is just “there,” present. He kind of just exudes kindness and fun. He is richly expressive and has a nonstop energy that is purely his own. He is having a good time no matter what is happening around him. When he laughs, half of Chicago can hear it.
We all met up and had dinner. And, well, it was as you might expect: dudes talking and giving each other shit. You might imagine some uber-PUA AMOG, but I didn’t get that sense from him at all. He was centered, collected, knew what he wanted and some how this never felt “oppressive” onto the group. Here’s what I mean: there were no expectations. I did not feel any kind of judgment or expectation to do anything in particular, to sarge women, to strike up conversations, to prove how far I have come in my journey towards becoming the Man of my Dreams.
After dinner and more whining about the cold by Leigh, we made our way to Hancock building, up to its 97th floor lounge. And it was there that I saw something pretty damn neat. As we sat near the window atop this Chicago skyscraper, Leigh approached the window and began taking pictures of the city below. A table of Swedish travelers, one drunk fellow in particular, “Magnus” (that was really his name), took a liking to Leigh. The guy was drunk and his Swedish speech all slurry. And Leigh was having a blast with this guy, then it happened. As Leigh stood there engaged in just having fun with this guy, the woman of the group (someone’s wife, I believe), approached Leigh. And in between that moment, a few other women seemed to hover around the two loud guys (Leigh and the Drunk Swede)…Leigh had been in the lounge for less than 5 mins and he already had made some friends.
It’s odd because seeing a guy do this always used to frustrate me, or make me feel competitive in some way. I didn’t feel that…not even a little. When he would strike up conversations, you felt like somehow you were a part of the whole event, that you could join anytime you wanted. He was not there to GET anything from anyone. He was there to have fun and that was so obvious. You could feel it. And, it was not like he was showy or flashy or made any kind of production of social proof. He was just enjoying his experience and bringing it with him to anyone who entered his orbit. He teases, he plays, and women (and a drunk swede) light up…
And here is the neat thing: whoever talked to Leigh, their faces would change (especially the women, but not limited to). The women’s eyes would beam, sparkle. And they would be very smiley. And Leigh? Leigh was just having a blast, smiles, laughter, and joking away with anyone within his orbit. He was the same guy we had dinner with, that we had picked up in the car earlier, and the guy who was whining about the cold. He was just Leigh, expressive, Kind, and Fun. He is so damn caring and kind in his interactions with women, but always with fun and engagement.
Eventually Leigh and I took pics by the window of this skylounge, and Leigh had his new very drunk Swede friend take some pics, which was a GREAT idea. He took pic after pic after pic after pic after pic and Leigh and I had no choice but the switch up the poses…I think I grabbed his boob, and we gazed longingly into each other’s eyes at one point. At some point Leigh’s finger was in my mouth… and at aother point we grabbed a few random women to be in the pic with us as we simply committed ourselves to a life of this drunken paparazzi. I think Leigh has the photo proof, which luckily did not come out very well.
As we walked through the city, I noted a number of interested looks from various women towards not only Leigh but the whole mass of us. I felt more free than usual, as if I had no audience that would require or expect anything of me. It was great. It was good to be with others who also share my enthusiasm for women in leggings! At one point of the evening, Leigh and I hit up a local Blues bar. And once more, Leigh was just Leigh. He seemed so damn happy to be there, to be listening to the blues. There was this classic Chicago blues act on stage, an incredible organ player and the drummer solid. In between acts, Leigh and I chatted about AI, about coaching for AI, and even about where I am in my journey.
The guy is candid, as you would expect.
I was not as free as I could’ve been the whole weekend, however. My focus was split between this great weekend and the project I’m working on for my PhD program. No matter what was going on, I had a hard time keeping my focus, and, more importantly just feeling the whole moment. But even given that pull of my attention, Leigh’s Leigh-ness was able to make an impression.
It’s odd. I am sometimes blown away by just how little “content” there is in Get Real and AI stuff. I mean, there is no rules, no one telling you how to act, no one telling you what to say, when to say it, or even how. There is no real content to AI. There is just YOU. And yet, still the programs make a lasting impression.
It’s like meeting Leigh was like that. I felt no tug of expectations, no need to manipulate how I felt, what I think, what I say, how I dress, or even if I talk to women or people around me. I felt no desire to demonstrate my power or my ability to connect. There was nothing in the way that Leigh engaged us that placed any kind of demand upon the situation, he did not tell you anything profound, he did not spout theories or push you to do anything…but, he was able to make an impression all the same, for me.
He’s a cool guy, a kind and fun guy, and it was great to meet him in person. It’s just too bad that he is the most whiny bastard when it comes to the cold. He needs to grow a pair and take responsibility for his experience more.