Quieting The Mind

It has been suggested on numerous occasions that i take up meditation, as a way to switch off the continuous noise in my head. One of the frustrations of being me is the way my over-analytical brain just can't seem to switch off. Once again, a good friend has suggested meditation, and i think I'm ready to give it a go. I've always been a bit anti meditation, I'm not sure why. Probably because I've never been very good at it. But why shoukd that stop me?! So I'm taking her advice, and the way to go about it as a novice, I'm told, is to stare at the flame of a candle, and focus your mind on that. I wonder if anyone else has some good tips...