How do you deal with a kid who gives up too easily when trying new things (mostly in a sports/activities sense). My 16 yr old stepson gets frustrated very easily when trying to do something new, so never really gets to find out if it's something he would like or could be good at. He's not an athletic kid, but I think he might actually enjoy certain activities if he would give them a try. My DH tried to introduce him to golf, but SS gave up because he wasn't immediately good at it (nobody is!). I would like him to try ice skating and/or skiing, but he won't even try. He was on a basketball team but quit because he wasn't "good." He won't try white water rafting (mild rapids), or pretty much anything else. I get that some of these activities can be "scary" - but we would be there with him, or get him lessons.

Now it's starting to spill over into school. He does OK - not great, but not terribly either (low-mid 80's for the most part). The other day he asked why he should bother studying when he's not going to do well anyway. I try to encourage him without setting expectations that I know he can't meet. But I also know that if he put a bit more effort in, he's capable of doing better.

Any words of advice on how to encourage and maybe even push a little bit to get him to try new things without having him shut down and refuse to try anything?