Where Should I Start?

Hey, I am a person with type one diabetes that is pretty much out of control. It's a long story to how I got here, so I'll spare you. My current situation is this: Everyday I maybe check my blood sugars once or twice and when I do insulin I don't usually do it the right way. The last time I was at clinic my A1C was like 10.5. My goal is to first get it down to nine, and then from there get it to seven. For now, I'm just trying to get in four numbers a day and do my insulin right. I know I can fix things because I have before, the problem is just keeping things good when I get there. So does anyone have any ideas at where I should start? Once I get my A1C lower, what should I do to keep myself motivated to keep it there? Also, does anyone have success stories that start out similar to mine? It would be great to read some for encouragment...thanks!