Concentration and Awareness

Know your own mind. Train yourself to think what you wish to think; be what you wish to be.
Ernest Holmes The Science of Mind

There are two factors involved in meditation: 

1. concentration (focus) 
2. and awareness (mindfulness of your focus and your immediate environment). 

These same two factors are involved in all successful activities. If you can concentrate on the task at hand, and if you can bring your total awareness to the subject, then you will be more successful. You can observe concentration and mindfulness going on around you all the time.