Agota Gabor has reinvented her career multiple times (including a TV producer and publicist), and today lives life to the fullest. From fleeing Russians from the bloody streets of the Hungarian Revolution as a child to becoming a renowned TV producer and publicist, Agota has collected 10 pieces of priceless advice that we could all use right now.

1. Believe in yourself. Don’t be afraid of trying new things.
2. The luckiest people are those who love what they do. Choose work you enjoy.
3. Travel and keep on learning new things it will keep you interested and interesting.
4. Have a life of your own outside of the marriage, as well as one with your partner. Don’t ever lose your identity.
5. Never give up good friends.
6. When not happy, make a change, try to create a life you enjoy living.
7. If you have kids, stay with them as long as you can.
8. You will have hard times. Some of your dreams won’t come true. Pick yourself up. Start over.
9. Reinventing yourself is possible and fun.
10. Take risks and don’t be afraid to try.

She details her story in her forthcoming memoir, Forever On Pointe: A True Story (Glissade Productions, April 2022) to inspire others that they can be resilient in hard times. She began writing the book to pass along lessons to her 16-year-old granddaughter.

“The recurring theme in my book and in my life is optimism,” says Gabor. “While as a child during the war, I knew hunger and trauma, and my dreams were shattered when as a young dancer I was paralyzed by polio, I kept on fighting, always ‘shooting for the moon.’ I want to encourage women—young and old—to have the guts and tenacity to go for life! If you need to, be like a cat with many lives. I want to share my story, that while life can be very tough, it can also be a great adventure.”