Awareness is more than just paying attention. Awareness means you’re connected.
There are different levels/degrees of awareness.
Paying attention is what we do when we wait for the left-turn, red arrow to turn green.
If you increase your awareness while you wait, but you may find you’re really not watching the red arrow. You may only look at it occasionally.
Being aware is the conscious (and unconscious) act of staying connected to the people and things around you without being obsessed about them.