Ryan Hassan shares his story of overcoming addiction, and moving on to help others who are experiencing similar hardships! He overcame significant emotional pain in order to no longer need drugs and then opened The Melbourne Centre of Healing.
Name: Ryan Hassan
Website: The Melbourne Centre of Healing
Blog: https://themelbournecentreofhealing.com.au/single-post/
Social Media: Facebook
Photo:
What is the biggest obstacle you have faced in life & how did it impact you?
Would have to be recovering from drug addiction. At the height of it all, I was using heavily every day and it impacted all areas of my life.
I shut out my family and close friends due to the guilt and shame. I had run ins with the law as I was dealing to support my habit. My health was deteriorating and I was losing a lot of weight. However it was the deep emotional pain which had the biggest impact as it was driving the addiction (although I did not know this at the time).
What would you say are your greatest achievements in life thus far?
First the recovery from addiction, then 6 months later opening The Melbourne Centre of Healing. And from there, the success we’ve had thus far in helping people find themselves.
How did you work through your struggles to achieve the success you have today?
At first it was being vulnerable enough to open up and get help. I spent my life putting on a face that ‘everything was ok’, so to finally admit that it wasn’t was a big step. From there it was finding the right person to talk to, I was lucky enough to find someone pretty early on who got to the root cause of my pain. From there it was committing to work on myself constantly so I could put myself in a position to eventually help others.
I had 30 years of built up negative emotions that needed to be released, and though that prospect can appear quite scary, I was more excited and curious to unpack it all. Because one I started to, the results were apparent.
What is one tip you have for keeping motivated?
Having a Purpose. When that’s present motivation is never an issue, and if you don’t know what your main purpose in life is, then start chunking it down. Start asking what is my purpose for this month? Or week? Or day? Just having a purpose for today will add energy to your life, and it doesn’t have to be anything major, it all depends on where you’re at. Early on for me after I got clean a daily purpose could have been calling Mum and walking my dog around the block. Doesn’t seem like much but a purpose is what gets us out of bed. If you’re having trouble getting up in the morning or you’re feeling foggy throughout the day then there’s generally a lack of purpose.
Who is someone that helped you on your journey from struggle to success?
Melissa, who is now my business partner is the one that helped me get to my pain and find out what it was all about. I walked into her office a drug addict and 3 hours later I walked out not needing to use drugs at all. Also my family and friends were an incredible support. Once I decided to let them back into my life, they were there with unconditional love. I am so fortunate to have had that.
What qualities do you think are essential in a person in order to be successful?
I believe success comes down to our ability to be able to define it for ourselves and then actively pursue that definition.
Then I would say it’s about having fun, laughing and trying to remain present along that journey.
Do you think there are benefits to going through hardships before achieving your goals?
The things we are all so passionate about in life are the hardships we have individually faced and worked our way through. That way we can see the past as a perfect path to the now, and remove any regret.
It is said that all the challenges we face in life are designed by a part of us that loves us so much that it gives us these challenges not in order to hurt us, but in order to wake us up to our true nature.
What are some plans and goals you have for the future?
Raising awareness around mental health and addiction, so that we can break the stigma around these issues and get help to those who need it.
Also to grow The Melbourne Centre of Healing around Australia so that we can reach more people who are in need.
Lastly, what is one piece of advice you have for others to overcome difficulty and achieve success?
Don’t run away from the pain that is associated with the difficulty, because it is trying to tell you something.
Get some help and talk to someone, everyone on the planet will at some stage need help and it’s not a weakness to get some. Vulnerability is a strength.
Then it’s a matter of defining what success is for you, not what society tells us it is. Get clear on how you’re going to share your gift with the world, then where you’ll be doing it and who you’ll be doing it with. Then pursue with joy.
Find your purpose in life as Ryan did, and you’ll be one step closer to the success that you desire. Don’t let society make decisions for you!
