People can have experiences in their lives that give them powerful momentary feelings of meaning (for example, say a person volunteers at a summer camp or something and they find that it really gives them a sense of purpose and fulfillment). When such experiences occur, they can become repetative patterns wherein the person seeks to obtain that sense of meaning over and over again by doing the same thing. Such a pattern can be positive.
However, there may be a sort of contextual "time limit" on such experiences (meaning - volunteering at the summer camp provides a sense of fulfillment the first four times you do it but, beyond that, it stops being what it once was and becomes less and less fulfilling). This is known affectionately as the "point of diminishing returns".
If we choose to ignore when our personal "meaning cycles" have run their course, we may find ourselves clinging to some sort of hobby or pastime to an extent that is no longer appropriate to its results (sometimes things simply "have their time" and, after that, its best to let them be, move on to other things, and progress in other areas). If, however we choose not to let go of something when it has "run its course", then we may find ourselves living a life of obligation in hopes of perpetually regaining the sense of purpose that was once there with whatever activity is in question. We may also find ourselves continually "living in the past" and not accepting the present realities of our current situations. Such decisions can actually keep us from progressing and may reflect an immature fear of trying something new.
By contrast, there are some meaning cycles which may ebe and flow in their "meaning output" but, in fact, do not run out in this lifetime (in other words - we may grow tired of it from time to time and need to take a break from it but, when we come back to it, it still provides us with an ongoing supply of purpose). If we choose to let go of something positive while it still remains a viable source of meaning and fulfillment then we are being fearful, uncommitted, and immature. I believe that the trick with "meaning cycles" is to know when things have simply run their course or when we simply need to take a break for a while.
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