The first step in any act of will is choosing where to place our attention. By giving something attention we are making it important and allowing our consciousness to work with it. Attention is a prerequisite for conscious learning and understanding. Concentration is when we persevere in our conscious attention and thus magnify the power of our thought with an enduring focus. In this way, effort is an important factor in developing mental ability and achievement.
Attention can also be an openness to whatever demands or draws our interest.
Every little conscious choice of attention we make defines our values of what we believe is important. As attention directs our consciousness of thoughts, feelings, and perceptions, intention chooses and decides our conscious actions. We may attend to various possibilities and alternatives for action by examining and imagining their effects. Because consciousness is intentional, we have purposes, goals, and objectives that we choose to pursue consciously or unconsciously. Thus eventually we decide on a course of action, which means that we intend to do or pursue something.