The most essential thing in life is family. As parents, a big part of our job is managing the family's role in our lives and ensuring that it grows into a healthy, happy unit. But how do we do it?

Here are three ways I have changed over the years so I'm a more balanced father and husband.

1. Owning a family business is hard, and finding a balance between business and family can be tricky, especially on vacation. This year we actually typed out a document that outlined what would make our relaxation time optimal for our children and us. We built in a time to check in with the team back home once that week, but the rest of our time was totally focused on fun with the family. It was awesome because we gave ourselves permission to have fun and not worry about things back home. The most rewarding thing was when our son said, "mom... dad... ya'll haven't talked about business at all while on vacation." I consider that a huge win!

2. If there is a short season of time that I need to be focused on work while at home and there's a possibility it will fall into our family time, I ask permission of my wife and kids if I can use a small amount of time to take care of some work things. You are asking yourself, "Why would he ever ask for permission from his family to work?" That is their time, and I must respect that family space by asking permission and not making a habit of removing myself from that time. We all have a certain amount of time, but we must respect others' time as well, even our children's time.

3. We only have a few short years to instill in our children the importance of family and legacy, so we must make sure we don't fill up our kid's schedules with activity after activity to the point it pushes out family time. I think it is great for kids to play sports and play musical instruments, but just don't do everything at one time to the point life becomes not fun for them or you as a parent.

We all struggle with balance, and none of us get it 100% right, but if we strive to teach our children to make time for the essential things in life, they will make it a part of their discipline for themselves and their family legacy as they write their chapters in life.