[quote=@Expendable]
Personally, the more successful roleplays I've been a member of here and elsewhere had some sort of goal. In some sandboxes, I had to provide that goal for myself and had other players join in. 
[/quote]

Agreed. I've seen open-world/sandbox type RPs do well in some ways, though, by throwing down several "mini-adventures" instead of trying to weave some grand narrative that combines every Player's backstories and goals. For instance, re-fluffing a DnD one-shot or using one of the internet's "random generator" sites to populate a Skyrim-esque bandit camp. Then the GM can just build off that--maybe the bandits' lookout is a lone goblin who runs like a coward to save his own skin, and he ends up running into the Players again after he's evolved into a bigger and badder hobgoblin, now leading his own gang.

My own character's goals are probably just going to follow [url=https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/935994562026016780/1155567762505220177/1280px-Maslow27s_Hierarchy_of_Needs2.png]Maslow's hierarchy[/url]--probably with "inadvertently become a warlord" under "Esteem Needs," lol.