What a significant achievement this is today for so many of you. I wish I could sit and listen to each of your stories. To hear about your personal sacrifices and perhaps the sacrifices of family members or friends that enabled you to keep pushing forward against what I am sure were significant challenges. I imagine there were times for many of you when you wanted to quit, to give up. Moments when you felt your time would be better spent chasing more immediate gratification. But you had the wisdom and the drive to recognize and commit to the long view. And so here you are. Congratulations!
Words Matter
As a young man, I was called to serve in the Brazil Rio de Janeiro mission. I spent 8 weeks in the MTC learning Portuguese, and at that time, learning a new language meant mostly memorizing words and paragraphs. The most used phrase that we memorized began with “Senhor Barros.” For 8 weeks I used “Senhor” when addressing our male teachers. When I arrived in Rio, the assistants promptly put me on a 17-hour bus ride, by myself, to a city called Uberlandia. The ride was hot, so I drank a lot of water. After about 10 hours, I needed to find a restroom. So, at the next stop, I jumped off the bus and ran toward the restrooms. In my mad dash, I gave a quick glance at the signs above the bathroom doors looking for the “men’s” bathroom and I saw “Senhores” written above a door. I know that word, I thought to myself, that means “men’s”. I rushed in and to my horror, found myself in the middle of all the women on our bus. Some of them screamed as I ran in. There I was, dressed in my white shirt, tie and name tag, standing in the women’s bathroom. Turns out, the sign on the door was not “Senhores” with and “e”, it was Senhoras with an “a.” I missed it by one letter. My embarrassment at that moment taught me that words do matter, and so do letters.
Indeed, as Elder Ronald A. Rasband has so well taught, words do matter. [1] They matter a lot, because they affect us and others. Words will always leave an impression, they will always impact the lives of others, always.
Lehi’s dream teaches us that it is by holding fast to the word of God that we are led directly to His love. God’s words reveal His love for us; they reveal his character. Likewise, our words reflect our true character. How blessed are we that because of the gift of agency and of Jesus Christ’s Atonement, we can choose to change our character. We can develop a Christlike character. We can “act for [ourselves] and not be acted upon.” [2]
Character Matters
When I first began working at Easton Sports early in my career, I noticed that very little money was being spent on advertising, and I thought that maybe we could increase our sales if we advertised more. I soon learned, however, that one of Jim Easton’s core beliefs was “make the best product, and it will sell itself.” And he was right. Despite very little advertising, and because Easton designed and built the very best performing baseball bats, Easton dominated the aluminum bat market for decades.
I have often been asked by recent graduates what advice I would give to help them succeed. My response is always the same: “Work on your character.” Specifically, “Let gratitude drive your attitude, develop a strong work ethic, maintain high integrity, and in every transaction and every interaction, be fair, be honest, and be kind.” If you do, opportunities will present themselves to you. In other words, build the best product and it will sell itself—build the best “you” and things will all work out.
As you now commence on a new chapter of your life, equipped with knowledge in various disciplines, and greater understanding gleaned from sage professors and caring mentors, you are now endowed with greater capacity to contribute impactfully to private, civic, or commercial ventures; to philanthropic causes, to church service and, most meaningfully, to your divine responsibilities within family. Where you ultimately end up will be influenced by economics, world trends, local, regional, or even global opportunities; by personal health, family needs, and ambition. Wherever you land, the common denominator of your influence on others, and on organizations, will be your character. The responsibilities you will assume will be less important than your relationships with others and the character you develop.
Focus Matters
I have personally witnessed great happiness in both the wealthy and the poor. And I have witnessed great sadness in both the wealthy and the poor.
President Nelson prophetically proclaimed that “the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation … and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of all joy.” [3]
Gratitude Matters
As a young missionary walking the dusty streets of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, my companion and I would often stop at streetside shoeshine stands. Our shoes seemed to always be dirty and to have someone equipped to scrub, wax, and polish our shoes was always a treat. On one hot and dusty afternoon, a bus pulled up to its stop just to the side of where we were walking, the doors opened, and I watched as a severely deformed young man slid down the dirty bus steps and laid down on a flat wooden board fastened to crooked wheels and began pushing himself with his one capable hand; a hand that protruded out sideways from his elbow. This severe birth defect left him with just the one shortened arm and a hand turned sideways. His legs and other arm never developed.
I watched as he balanced his tiny, near-limbless body on that skateboard and pushed himself forward with his one hand. He had a satchel slung over his shoulder and across his back. The satchel carried his shoeshine brush, polish, and a few rags. I watched this remarkable young man, who I will call Samuel, navigate his way, lying on his belly, around broken cement, steep inclines, and a lot of people. As I watched, I realized that he was pushing himself in our direction, and what was most remarkable was his smile. He was smiling, and it was real, it was genuine, and it seemed to affect all who saw him, they were smiling back. I caught his eye and he motioned for me to sit on a bench nearby where he could shine my shoes. I somewhat awkwardly sat and let him begin his work.
As he began, any thoughts I had had that this was an act on my part to help a young man feel purpose in his life, were quickly dismissed once he began to shine my shoes. This was not an ordinary shoeshine; this was the best shoeshine I had ever had. I sat and watched in amazement at his attention to detail. Using his teeth and his one hand, he removed the laces of my shoes, he did this so that he could clean the tongue of my shoe, a detail I had never seen done before. He carefully brushed the dirt off the sides and out of every crack of my shoes. He was much slower than most, but the quality and attention to detail was exceptional.
Almost immediately, he broke into conversation, and I learned that Samuel was one of 11 children and that he lived on the outskirts of town. He was just 17 years old. More than once, he expressed how grateful he was to be able to contribute to his family’s needs. Imagine that: no mention of his handicap, just genuine appreciation for his capacity to work—his capacity?! He had found something that he could do, and he did it well.
Truly, it was the best shoeshine that I had ever had, and I gladly paid him a generous amount for his exceptional work. Samuel had found happiness in work despite near-impossible circumstances. He taught me the power of gratitude, that an attitude of gratitude can transcend even the most challenging of circumstances.
That brief encounter with Samuel so many years ago changed my life. When I later faced seemingly insurmountable challenges at work, remembering Samuel, I changed my attitude and allowed myself to put our challenges into perspective and move forward with faith, confidence, and assurance that in the end, we would survive.
In his October 2000 General Conference address, then-Elder Dallin H. Oaks stated, “In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something.” [4]
As we seek to become, letting gratitude drive our attitude is powerful and transformative.
Intent Matters
An oft-quoted phrase, “seek to bless rather than impress,” has been a behavioral litmus test for me throughout my adult life. My morning prayers often include a plea to help me so that my motive and my intent as I prepare a speech or prepare for a meeting presentation will be to bless rather than impress. Reluctantly, the natural man in me has, at times, sought the latter.
The gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us that this life is not a random occurrence, but rather that our existence has divine purpose created and set in motion by a loving God.
I have learned that on this journey of becoming, when it comes to our actions, our intent matters. The intent behind our actions not only will impact the depth of our development, but the magnitude of our change.
In His sermon on the mount, the Savior taught, “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.” [5]
And later, in His same sermon, He instructed: “Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.” [6]
I have found that in my own giving of time or means, if given with even the slightest desire to be “seen,” my otherwise benevolent feelings of having done a good thing feel shallow and void of the full Spirit that could have been felt had my motive for giving been solely out of love for a neighbor or love of God.
Likewise, in our relations with others, do we engage in conversation with the intent to impress them, or to bless them? Do we speak out of intent to bring comfort, encouragement, and love to them, or to seek praise and acceptance from them?
In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul taught that:
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. [7]
It seems that righteous intent, intent born out of love for God or neighbor, is at the core of our “becoming as He is.”
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught, “God does not need us to love Him. But oh, how we need to love God! For what we love determines what we seek. What we seek determines what we think and do. What we think and do determines who we are—and who we will become.” [8]
If all our choices were to be motivated by a love for God and love for others rather than love for self, our intent would be pure, and our becoming would be aligned more closely with the character of Jesus Christ.
As you look to your next challenge, whether it be writing code, designing products, processing payroll, research, teaching students, raising and nurturing children, or managing a nonprofit, your actions and your words, will impact lives. And though we cannot always control how our words are received, we can control their intentions. We can develop Christlike attributes that will shape our actions and draw others to Him; attributes that will lift, that will elicit smiles; attributes that express gratitude, and that bless; attributes that dissolve differences and unite us all in His love.
Developing and nurturing Christlike attributes will impact your future happiness greater than any other worldly pursuit. We do this by loving God with all our heart, soul and mind, and by loving others as ourselves. [9]
I so testify, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Notes
[1] See Ronald A. Rasband, “Words Matter,” Liahona, May 2024, 70.
[2] 2 Nephi 2:26.
[3] Russell M. Nelson, “Joy and Spiritual Survival,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 82.
[4] Dallin H. Oaks, “The Challenge to Become,” Ensign, Nov. 2000, 32.
[5] Mathew 6:1-2.
[6] Matthew 6:16.
[7] 1 Corinthians 13:1-3.
[8] Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Love of God,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2009, 22.
[9] See Matthew 22:37-40.
About Brother David J. Wunderli
Brother David J. Wunderli was sustained as First Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency on April 5, 2025. He began serving on August 1, 2025.
His previous Church assignments have included being a member of the Young Men general advisory council, president of the Cape Verde Praia Mission, stake president, bishop, counselor in a missionary training center branch presidency, high councilor, ward Young Men president, and full-time missionary in the Brazil Rio de Janeiro Mission.
Brother Wunderli received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah in accounting with a minor in Portuguese. He worked as a senior executive at Easton Sports and as president of OGIO International. Brother Wunderli has served on several corporate and philanthropic boards and was chairman of the board for ORI Inc.
David John Wunderli was born on June 22, 1961, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He and his wife, Diane, have four children.