Firstly I would like to discuss the difference between attention and retention. Many in the past have deemed that attention is requisite to acquiring information. For without attention a profound impression cannot be made.

In the medium of retention there is an objective at the outset. That motive is to retain information. In the realm of attention that purpose may not be present but that does not mean that you are being inattentive. Lets look at the denotation of the word attention. Concentration of the mental powers upon an object; a close or careful observing or listening. The ability or power to concentrate mentally. Observant consideration; notice:

Now if we look at concentration we get the following. The act or process of concentrating, especially the fixing of close, undivided attention. The condition of being concentrated. Something that has been concentrated. Chemistry. The amount of a specified substance in a unit amount of another substance. Then concentrated would mean this. To direct or draw toward a common center; focus. Then focus means to close or narrow attention; concentration. By now you may be seeing something interesting here. That is, many words are cross referencing themselves

So attention is far broader than either concentration or focus. Attention if it has a motive will narrow down to its specific purpose. Therefore it becomes focus, or concentration or the acquisition of information known as retention. Attention is far more significant than any of the above.

Attention is observation and listening without specific aim but for the joy of exploring. Attention encompasses concentration, retention and focus yet it is not limited by any of them. This broadens the mind and goes beyond the ties of conditioning.

The principal difficulty in all this lies in the fact of understanding, which requires some active earnest thinking, and the majority of people are too lazy to indulge in such mental activity, yet without exercising this, I am not sure if you will ever live life to its fullest extent..