It's hot. The sun is beating on your shoulders as sweat beads on your forehead. Ahead of you, the hay-lined fields kick up dust as the air breezes across, trying to deter you. But you know what sweet reward lies before you; all you need to do is go for it. Pulling down your baseball cap, you set in for the long hours ahead of you. Walking up to the first row, you squat down and pull a leaf of the plant over to one side, revealing the red berry. The strawberry. A smile graces your face as you delicately pluck the berry and place it in your basket. Today is going to be a good day, you think to yourself, carrying on to the next plant.

We’ve all probably experienced a similar situation when picking fruit. Since I was old enough to walk, my parents have taken me to the fields. They claim bringing me and my three other siblings strawberry picking was just a way to get free labor for making jam, but I’m convinced they had ulterior motives. If you really think about it, many aspects of berry picking are lessons that we can take with us through life. From plucking the first berry all the way to making jam, the process holds many keys to a successful life.

1. Don't judge a person (or a plant) by their appearance.

Exactly like how that second strawberry plant may be tiny and its leaves may be shriveled and yellow, and it's not until you push aside the leaves to reveal the most majestic, mutated monstrosity of a berry, you should give people the benefit of the doubt first. Don't just shrug someone or something off simply because it looks boring or unexciting. You never truly know what lies in front of you until you take a chance and get to know it better.

2. The best things in life are found in the least likely places.

Many times, it's the hard-to-reach places that produce the most memorable moments. Just like in many cases where the best berries are found on the tiniest plants, in life, it's important to take in each moment and appreciate the little things. So next time you're in the fields picking, don't let that scraggly little strawberry plant pass you by.

3. Never, ever, ever give up.

Even if it's been hours and your basket is barely full, don't let the scorching sun deter you. Those berries are out there, you just need to keep looking. It's the same in life. If something is hard, don't give up. Power through it. You'll not only get what you're looking for, but you'll feel genuinely proud of yourself afterwards, which always boosts ones mood.

4. In the end, hard work will always be rewarded.

The more effort you put into something, the more you'll get out of it. It's the same with berry picking. The more time and care you put into choosing the perfect berries, and enough of them, the better your jam will be. Simply putting in a little extra work and going the extra mile will make things sweeter in the end.

It's the day after berry picking, and you wake up with a smile on your face. You run downstairs to the kitchen and swing open the fridge door, swiping the jar of freshly made strawberry jam. After popping a slice of bread in the toaster, you grab some butter, spread it, then add the jam on top. One bite is all it takes to know it's a good batch. Every bead of sweat that ran down your back, every leaf turned over in search of the berries all lead to this moment. This sweet, sweet, victorious moment.