What are you most proud of achieving in your life? Is it something you did, or didn’t do? Is it a choice you made, a project or piece of work you created? How your children have turned out or your decision not to have a family?

In this episode,The Year of Being 70 Ep 18: Our Greatest Hits – Achievements, Life Choices, and Personal Growth ,Lucy and her longtime friend Lisette, born a month apart in 1954 and having turned 70 in 2024, each share three things they take pride in having accomplished over their lives. As ever, their conversation makes for surprising revelations – for each other and themselves.

Key Highlights:

• Staying fit and well post-70

Lisette starts the conversation by sharing that she is proud of going to the gym every week, and today going through her fitness routine, even though her trainer wasn't there. She feels that staying fit is ‘part of the job’ as she gets older.

• Being the mother of two great fathers

Lucy shares how proud she is of how her two sons have become wonderful fathers, fully involved in sharing equally the childcare and domestic responsibilities with their partners. She says she takes no credit for this, as she did not model that behavior herself, so she can simply be proud of the men they have become.

• Choosing an unconventional life path

Lisette reveals how proud she is of having flowered from the awkward and gauche little girl she was and having had the courage to break off an engagement that would have taken her into a marriage and family life she did not want. She fought to find her own independent path in life against societal and family expectations, including overcoming feeling different for not wanting children.

• Books that have inspired others

Lisette’s most successful book is ‘The Eldest Daughter Effect’, which many readers, including Lucy, tell her changed their lives. But she is perhaps most proud of ‘Childless Living’ which is finding increased audiences as that choice becomes more popular.

Lucy shares that she is proud of writing a book called 'A Book of One's Own', which aimed to encourage more women to write and publish their own books, after she noticed a gender imbalance in the Business Book Awards. The book and her campaign to get more women to write their books helped to equalise the number of women- and men-authored books being submitted and short-listed. Her women-only book-writing programmes led to her annual ‘Mission Mastermind’ programme for women entrepreneurs and how both Lucy as a mentor and Lisette in a coaching role, have learned to listen and empathise rather than make conversations ‘all about them’.

Why you should listen

Lucy and Lisette also discuss the challenges of being proud of their achievements as they get older, the difficulty of accepting compliments gracefully, and how conversations like this help them gain perspective on their lives. They are both proud simply of reaching the age of 70 and being comfortable in their own skin. This intimate and revealing conversation will move and inspire you to make your own choices, achieve your goals and look forward to being 70 (or 80, or 90).

Join the Conversation

What are you most proud of in your life so far? Have you had to make difficult or unconventional choices? Are your children your greatest pride and joy? What skills or abilities have you learned or developed over your lifetime however long or short?

If you enjoyed this discussion of a fascinating subject, as well as the personal journeys of these old (in every sense) friends, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and tap the bell icon to stay updated on new episodes of The Year of Being 70. Subscribe now and join the journey!

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