I don't actually find it weird when I say that I like the idea of knitting my own pot holders but that I don't like doing it. Maybe I am just used to being this way, but I have no problem trying something and deciding that I don't actually like it. I am now at a point where I have tried enough things that I can recognize (sometimes) which things I am probably going to like more in theory than in practice.

For example: I would like it if my stairs were painted in a decorative way. I started looking into doing that myself this summer and soon remembered (thanks to reminders from others) that a) it would look like crap if I did it and b) home improvement projects make me unhappy and c) I never finish them. So, like you said - I want the outcome, but not enough to do the work.

For me, taking that second to pause and remember that I am not going to be Leonardo da Vinci after a month or two of practice is enough to make me rethink whether I want to learn painting at all. I think some of my motivations to do X are similar to yours. I look at people hiking in Patagonia and think that sounds great, but then I think about climbing mountains with a backpack and decide nah...

Are you in IT? I am. I suspect the constant desire to master new skills is actually a good thing in this industry.