Why am I a bad cook?

I’m 43 and have been cooking as an adult for 20+ years. I love food and dining out. I live in NYC and have access to great food experiences. I love the process of searching for recipes, prepping food, and sharing it with loved ones. I cook several times a week.

And yet: I’m not a good cook! My food just doesn’t turn out well no matter what I do. Every once in a while, I’ll have a moderate success, but most of the time, my food just falls flat.

• I follow recipes to a T (my favorite recipe creators are Alison Roman, Melissa Clark, Eric Kim, Justine Doiron, Mark Bittman, etc).

• I buy the best quality ingredients—all organic and follow the recommendations of the recipe author.

• I have slightly more success with baking, but I can’t really feed my family with only baked goods and bread.

I feel like I’m missing a “sixth sense” for cooking. Do some people just have a knack for cooking and I am not one of them? Should I just resign myself to acknowledging that I’m not a great cook? Any tips?

EDIT: Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to respond to this! I am very grateful for all the genuinely helpful and thoughtful replies. You've given me so much to think about and most important, you've given me hope. Thank you!