Yesterday I had the great pleasure of participating in a Periscope with my friend Paul O’Mahoney, one of our SOBCon/GeniusShared tribe.

It was a light-hearted, general conversation among a global group of acquaintances. (If you don’t follow Paul on Periscope, you really should; he reads Walt Whitman and shares his witty perspectives from Cork, Ireland.)

At one point, Paul asked if anyone was a reader, and we all started sharing our favorite topics and authors. Then someone (forgive me, I can’t remember who it was) asked, “does reading make you clever?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Paul responded, “no, Reflection makes you clever.”

That insight has simmered in my consciousness all day.

You can read every novel, every blog post, every textbook, and not gain a thing if you don’t take time to meditate on and consider the art you’re consuming.

Yes, read. Read whatever sparks your imagination. Read voraciously and with abandon.

But take the time to reflect as well.

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for Social Strata — makers of the Hoop.la community platform. Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

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