i have tried to meditate, but have not been too successful personally, though i must admit to not putting a lot of time into it. i think (generally speaking) that truly learning to meditate can take some dedication to the practice.
this link is to a REALLY great book on meditation (called "Mindfulness in Plain English") from a Buddhist monk's perspective. a super place start regardless of your religious affiliation (or lack thereof.)
http://www.realization.org/page/name...ipe/mipe_0.htm
"The complete text of this popular book is online here. Some people say it's the best book ever written for beginning meditators. Using down-to-earth, nuts-and-bolts language, it explains how to practice Vipassana meditation (also called insight meditation). The result is increased mindfulness (also called bare attention or witness consciousness)."
good luck!
c_b