Here is an excerpt from my book, SEVEN STEPS TO INNER POWER, where I discuss the topic of Awareness:
Awareness Happens Only Now 
True awareness means being right where you are, right now, without fear or worry or obsession about the future or past. When you manage to do that, a wonderful thing happens. Focused here, now, you become undistracted. You find yourself becoming mentally quiet. And when that happens, you “hear” your Silent Master quite clearly. You perceive all around you quite clearly. You find yourself knowing what to do—now, ten minutes from now, or tomorrow. As a result, you consistently find yourself in the right place at the right time. Why? Because living in the present moment is an act of surrender to the greater intelligence of your Silent Master, the greater intelligence of life itself. In this listening state, moment by moment you feel and respond to Its promptings. It is “guiding” you; we can also say that you and your Silent Master are moving together as One.
“I have to plan,” you may say. “I have to think about what I’m going to do ten minutes from now, or tomorrow, or it won’t happen.” Yes, you should make plans in the present moment. You don’t ever stop thinking, but be watchful to keep yourself open to new incoming ideas that may change what you plan. The point is to be aware every moment of what you are thinking, because whatever is going on now is on the way to manifesting. How important it is, then, to keep everything you don’t want out of your moment to moment consciousness. How can you do that if you’re not focused here, now?
When you can seize control of the now moment, you take intelligent control of your life.
