This is very close to how I see it as well. When I was young, I was very much into trying to figure out meaning on all sorts of levels and looking at everything I can come across including many philosophies and spiritual systems. I was particularly a big fan of existentialism, which basically addresses the same questions and concludes in complex ways what stopdog summarized very well above. For me, a lot of the self-imposed pressure eased when I realized that it may be better to give up all (or at least some) of that compulsive, often abstract seeking and focusing more of creating a life that is reasonably satisfying for me on different levels, from basic survival needs to the "higher realms", and engage in it actively. I like the ideas in Maslow's Pyramid very much in this sense. Simply following abstract, philosophical motives (that I was so prone to when younger) or waiting for positive mood states to do something would never be enough.

The other side is the conditional part - depression, for example, can make all of this very complicated and, for those of us that are prone to even lower grade depression or existential angst, being in those states can really color the entire reality. But those are physiological states that cause symptoms, much like someone who has diabetes, for example, and is experiencing and hyper- or hypoglycemic states with all the discomfort and sometimes life-threatening dysregulation. What has helped me tremendously is learning to recognize when my momentary feelings, motivations, perspectives etc are clouded by those fluctuations in my brain and body chemistry. It can sometimes still be quite challenging to recognize this without doubt since the physiological state is what often generates the feelings of anxiety, low mood, sadness, and also sometimes the particularly elevated, happy states (for the latter, just think about how people use drugs to alter their mood by changing the chemistry!). I became quite good at recognizing what comes from benign physiological fluctuations (and can be ignored as they will pass) and what are more persistent, recurring, disruptive states that need to be address, potentially by making serious lifestyle changes and modifying the things I choose to engage in.

For me, there is also that I have a pretty strong novelty seeking temperament, so repetitions can be frustrating and exploring new things tends to be highly rewarding and mood-enhancing for me. But none of them will last forever - typically I find new things super engaging for several months or sometimes years, then it dissipates. But at this point of my life, I can't just blow many things that I created and took complex responsibilities for - well, I could, but that would not click well with my conscience. So many of the daily tasks are, by definition, boring and more like a chore, including dealing with the same people and activities I don't find very stimulating. I guess there is no other way around it but learning to still do it no matter what. It is an ongoing struggle for me that I just need to accept. Engaging even when I don't feel initially inspired or don't think it will be meaningful can sometimes brings unexpected levels of motivation and sense of meaning on the go, so the trick is to start doing things even if I feel zero inspiration. But it is also important to always have a bunch of things in my life that feel interesting and pleasurable enough - I can use those as the anticipated rewards of dealing with the daunting, boring stuff. All of this involves a lot of self-awareness, assessing situations and strategy. Waiting for things or states that will magically provide stable meaning and inspiration would be a very futile, sterile approach for me and would lead to nothing else but laziness and then accumulating anxiety and self-flagellation about it. Have been there many times.

I often like to view dealing with life as some sort of creative project - no one else and nothing else will make the visions in my head happen but me. And there will always be both creative blocks and moments of joy coming from both the process of engagement and occasional really satisfying discoveries and products. But, just like life on its own, most of these will not last very long.