An arrow on a sign on a highway points to an off-ramp. Its significance lies in the connection to the off-ramp. If the arrow pointed to nothing, it would have no significance.

Significance is importance. When we speak of something having "import", we mean it "portends" or points to something beyond itself.

The meaning of a sign is what it is connected to—the signified.

Phenomena (things, events, ideas, emotions, ... all of experience) derive their significance from what they are connected to.

Gold, in itself, is not good for much. Neither is paper currency. Yet people will kill for it—because money means power. Without this connection to power and opportunity, gold or paper currency would have little meaning. In addition to giving significance to money, the connection gives power a concrete and tractable reality.

Without the connection, both signifier and signified — money and power in this example — are diminished. This is the dynamic of significance.

In other words:

• Attention means choice, means free will, means consciousness, means existence.
• Existence is important because of consciousness, which is important because of free will, which is important because of choice which is important because of attention.
• Attention means existence.
• Existence is important because of attention.