You seem to be using the words “goal-directed” differently than the OP.
And in different ways throughout your comment.
That’s a manifestation of my point: what it would mean for something to be a goal seems to be able to shift depending on what it is you think is an important feature of the thing that would have the goal.
That’s a manifestation of my point: what it would mean for something to be a goal seems to be able to shift depending on what it is you think is an important feature of the thing that would have the goal.