Apple Podcasts https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-robert-hutchins-show/id1294520170itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-robert-hutchins-show/id1294520170

​Google Podcasts - ​https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9mOWVkYTQvcG9kY2FzdC9yc3M=

​Spotify - ​https://open.spotify.com/show/142BHUJYQBAgF62DVYaMyg

For other places to catch my podcast, please see my Anchor profile - 

​

S1 E2 - In this episode, I talk about our two boys being on the autism spectrum and the daily challenges that our family faces.  The link to the podcast is below.  

https://anchor.fm/robert-hutchins/episodes/Our-Autism-Journey-e2eunk/a-a605dganchor.fm/robert-hutchins/episodes/Our-Autism-Journey-e2eunk/a-a605dg

​For more information on autism and resources, feel free to check out our website at www.southtexasautism.org

Podcast S1 E1 is now out.  You can listen by clicking the link below.  

​https://anchor.fm/robert-hutchins

The weekend has come and gone.  Now it is Monday again!  Many people dread Mondays, but when you look at them as a new beginning, it can change your attitude towards them.

​Mondays are simply just another day and only represent a new work week.  They are a chance for a fresh start.  We get the opportunity to wipe the slate clean from the previous week and do thing differently.  If we had some things we could have done better, we can now use the week ahead to change that and proceed differently this week.  If we did not manage our time as well as we could have, now is the opportunity to do so.  Start today, Monday, and manage your time better than you did the previous week.  

​We also have a new week to mend relationships, if that is needed.  Start off the week by taking care of any unfinished business in your relationships.  If you did something wrong to someone else, start the week off by apologizing, so you do not have it hanging over you.  If someone did something to you, discuss it with them, forgive them and move on through your week.  

Monday is a good day to start something new.  If you have been wanting to do something, anything you can think of, there is no day like Monday to start it.  Don't wait until tomorrow.  Start it today, even if it is a small baby step.  Starting is the first step to accomplishing a goal or working towards a dream that you have.  

​Lastly, leave last week in the past.  Learn from what went wrong the previous week and where you fell short (we all have). and strive to do better starting today, but leave the missteps in the rear view mirror and don't look back.  

​How do you view Mondays?  If you dread them, what do you do to overcome them?  

Quite honestly, this is a big pet peeve of mine.   If you mess up, apologize for your mistake and own it!  I see this with kids sometimes.  They have an excuse for everything, which is natural for the age, but we try to instill in ours to own their mistakes and possible consequences. 

​The same thing goes for your dreams, work, etc.   If you are stuck making minimum wage, because you have chosen either intentionally or by not taking action, to change that situation, don't blame other people.  Don't say you didn't have the opportunity or the time was not right.  The time may never be right and you need to go out and make that opportunity happen. 

​If you mess up at work or don't get something done, do not make excuses.  In most instances, excuses are not realistic and if something did not get done, it is because you did not give it the proper priority or manage your time well enough.  I have gotten to the point to where if I get called on the carpet, I don't even try to excuse it.  I agree that it should have been done and I fix the problem right then and there.  Most managers have heard every excuse in the book anyway and can see through most of them.

These are just a couple of examples, if you have others, I would love you hear from you.  Are you a person who owns your mistakes or someone with excuses?

​Robert

This is my wife's latest book.  it is a great read. 

​https://www.amazon.com/Silver-Lining-Samantha-Townsend-Adventure-ebook/dp/B06XD6PGPY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490471115&sr=8-1&keywords=stephanie+hutchinswww.amazon.com/Silver-Lining-Samantha-Townsend-Adventure-ebook/dp/B06XD6PGPY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490471115&sr=8-1&keywords=stephanie+hutchins

Are you one of those people who likes to set a ton of to do's, so you can feel like you are accomplishing something as you mark them off one by one?  

Setting some to do's is a great way to keep you on schedule and help you plan out each day.  They help you remember what you need to do and when.   We use them constantly at work, as it helps keep us reminded of what we need to do on each file and then we have a page that lists all of them in one spot.  

​The problem I have run into in the past is setting too many to do's.  If you set too many, you will not be able to get them all done when they are due.  Just the simple act of setting them can eat up much of your time as well.  Thing about it.  If typing out the details of the to do take on average 2 minutes for each one and you do 30 per day, that is an hour right there just typing to do's. 

​Only a certain number of them should be set for each day.  You should always set one for the things that can get you in biggest amount of trouble.  At work, for me, that would be paying benefits when they are due on my lost time claims.  At home it may be paying bills or tests that are due.   After that, I recommend setting to do's that affect other people.  At work that might be a meeting or group project due date, at home it might be a birthday party or some other social gathering. 

There are also those to do's that should never be set in the first place, because all they do is create clutter in your life or amongst your more important to do's.  An example at my job would be not setting to do's for medical reports that will automatically come in and get attached to my file anyway.  At home, it might be bills you have on auto pay or grocery shopping, etc. You are going to do those things as they come up anyway, so why set a reminder.  

​Lastly, if you set a to do and find yourself continuously moving the date back, just delete the thing.  If it can be pushed back week after week, you probably don't need it anyway.  Only set to do's / reminders for the absolute most important things.  If you don't, you will find your list cluttered and have a feeling of being overwhelmed.  I suggest treating each day as though you only have half of that day to do what you need to do.  It will help you focus on the more important things that you need to set reminders for. 

​Are you a list person?  What do you use to keep track of your to do's?  Do you ever find yourself having so many that you never get them all completed?

Many of us have had difficulties throughout our lives.  Life does no discriminate.  It will try to knock you out, if you let it.  Some of our life difficulties are from bad choices and our own doing.  Sometimes there are unforeseen circumstances that are completely out of our control.  Death, long term illness, illness of a family member, loss of a job, divorce or break, etc.  I am sure we could all compile a pretty long list if we had time. 

​The thing about life is it is okay to get knocked down, be upset, be sad, be angry but don't stay there.  I know people who are still mad over a divorce, angry at their employer for the way they got treated or fired and even over a family member's illness or health condition.   These people have been holding onto their anger for 10 years or longer.  When that happens, you are not living.  We all have the power to get back up and keep going.  If you have gone through a divorce and it is final, get up and move on,  It is over.  If a family member is ill, get over the anger and sadness, because it does neither you or them any good.  If you have been long term unemployed, you now have a second chance to rewrite your career path.  Keep applying to jobs, learn something new, finish your education so you can apply to those jobs that require it. 

​My world changed 7 years ago when I became unemployed, later found out that my youngest son was no longer meeting milestones and had actually regressed.  He was later diagnosed with autism.  He did not start speaking until he was 4 1/2 years old.  I was down.  I had no luck finding a job and I watched as my son struggled on a daily basis.  Fun?  Definitely not.  Am I a stronger and better person for going through all of that?  Definitely yes.  Even though I was mad at the world, including God, I never gave up.  I kept applying to jobs and I finally found a part time job in my chose profession almost 4 years later.  My son started making progress and finally started speaking during that time.  Is he cured?  Not even close, but we get through each and every day.   I also did not mention that my daughter who was born with spina bifida started having issues and we had to make some very scary decisions on that front and we got answers to our oldest (my  step son) who is also on the higher functioning end of the autism spectrum. 

​Out of all those difficulties, things turned out ok.  I am now full time and still in my chosen profession.  I got sick and tired of not being able to be considered for jobs due to not having my bachelor's degree, so I got back in school and am just 18 hours away from having that degree. 

​Now, I don't sweat the small stuff.  I know that there will be daily battles with all the things we have going on and different personalities in our house, but we get through them, each and every day.  Worrying, being made and losing faith, does absolutely nothing to help your situation.  You must change your mindset and never give up.  If you do that, good things will either start to happen and your circumstances will change for the better or you will gain the tools and wisdom that you need to deal with your situation.

Has anyone ever been in a rut that was difficult to get out of?   What did you do and how did you change your mindset?

​Robert

I have finally decided to take the plunge and get into podcasting.  right now I am thinking about doing one podcast per week.  I plan on making most of them about motivational and lifestyle change. 

​My shows will be based on my life experiences and what I have seen and felt.  The goal is to help others who are or have been in similar situations.  My daughter and I did a test podcast last night, as I just received my microphone and some other equipment.  So stay tuned for our shows! 

Below is a link to my wife's latest e-book on amazon.  It is titled ​Lost and Found.  It is the first book in her Samantha Townsend series.  Below is a short excerpt. 

"A small, brown package is about to turn Samantha Townsend's life as an elementary school teacher upside down. Little did she know that its contents would lead her on a harrowing adventure. She confronts unknown enemies as she attempts to track down Victor, her missing grandfather, and the valuable historical artifacts he has hidden. Will she pay the ultimate price as she fights for Victor's safe return?​"

https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Found-Samantha-Townsend-Adventures-ebook/dp/B01FLKIT7E?ie=UTF8&keywords=stephanie+hutchins&qid=1463138539&ref_=sr_1_3&s=books&sr=1-3

Wow!  today, April 2nd is World Autism Day, again!   We have been on our train ride for 4 years now with my youngest son who turns 6 in July and a little over 2 years with my step son who is 14.  We have actually been on the journey longer than that with both, but just didn't know it.  We knew that something was not right, but getting a diagnosis was another story.  


With my youngest son, we knew before he was a year old.  I will never forget my wife taking him to the doctor one day after he had turned one.  I will never forget her telling me that the pediatrician thought it was something neurological.  I felt like I had just been run over by a semi truck and was absolutely speechless. Our son had met every one of his milestones up until 9 or 10 months of age.  After a few minutes of me just sitting there silently, my wife asked me if I was okay and all I could do was shake my head to indicate "no".  I then excused myself and went to the bedroom where I cried for what seemed like an eternity.  I got up, dusted myself off and prepared to find out what was going on with my son and to get answers.  In March 2011, after jumping through many hoops and hurdles and getting no cooperation from  a so called specialist in neurology, I told our kids' pediatrician to get us to a different one, even if it was out of town.  The pediatrician initially thought that my son had cerebral palsy.  After making a 200 mile trip and meeting with a different neurologist, we got our answer.  Our son was on the autism spectrum and so began our official journey with autism on March 29.2011.  When it came to my step son, who was diagnosed in 2012, it was actually almost a relief to get a diagnosis that fit, so we could start getting him the help that he needs.  


On world autism day, we will be thankful for our children, just like we are every other day.  We will celebrate how special both boys are to us, but the autism?  Nope, I don't see anything positive about the disorder.  I don't find anything that it has gifted our boys with, cute or quirky.  I find it to be a huge road block and something that must be dealt with.  Both of our boys have made huge strides with the appropriate therapies.  Our youngest son can speak, which he didn't do until he was older than 3 years old.  He still has hurdles to over come with his speech and sensory processing, but has moved forward and not given up.  Our oldest can communicate his thoughts much better and seems more connected.  He too has many hurdles to over come.  The thing is, where would they be without the autism?  Sure, there are no guarantees in life to begin with and raising kids is difficult enough in and of itself.  Add in the chaos created by autism for many kids and then trying to figure out what works best for them, which therapists are the best for them (between OT, PT and speech, (we fired 6 of them before finding the right ones) it is extremely stressful for both the person living with the autism as well as parents and siblings.  In my opinion, autism is one of the craziest disorders that I have ever dealt with or learned about. Certain things change daily or in my youngest son's case, hour by hour.  When you see a child extremely miserable in their own skin, not being able to wear clothes, not being able to communicate even their basic needs to you, head banging and other aggressive behaviors, it is a tough pill to swallow.  I am thankful that our boys have made the progress that they have made and I am thankful that my wife and I have grown as special needs parents.  I am thankful for all of those who God has put in our lives along the way, who have helped our boys get to where they are today and I am thankful to God that things have not been worse than they have been for us.  No, it has not always been pleasant and there have been scary times, but I read about many families who are dealing with so much more than us, so I am very thankful that our situation is not worse.  As far as autism itself, I am not thankful for at all.  Some days it is so difficult to watch that I have to disconnect myself or go back in the bedroom, so no one sees, and let it out..


Just remember, when you see a child, teen or adult who is on the autism spectrum that different does not mean less.  Get out of your comfort zone and get to know the person and become their friend as opposed to staying in the distance.  When you see a child in public, having what appears to many as having a temper tantrum, do not judge, educate yourself on autism.  When you see a parent who is at the end of their rope due to everything that they are having to contend with, lift them up, pray for them and ask them if there is anything you can do do to help!  


Robert

Welcome to my site!  I created this website so I can blog about a variety of different topics, both professional and personal in nature!  
Professionally, I am a worker's Comp Claims Examiner.  Overall, I have over 20 years in the industry.  I also recently created an online job board for insurance and legal jobs.  That still has some work to get it to where I want it to be, but it is headed in the right direction. 

As far as my personal life goes, I am married, have a step son as well as a son and daughter.  Our oldest has Aspergers as well as ADD and tourettes.  Our youngest son is also on the autism spectrum with PDD,Sensory processing disorder, speech delay and who knows what else.  Our daughter was born with spina bifida, which is a neuro tube defect of the spine.  Her biggest challenge is bladder issues, so we use the catheter daily. 

Other than that, I love watching sports, playing a few with my kids and then just hanging out with my family!  I started this blog, so I can write about the things that interest me, concern me and think that others might find useful. 




Robert