Structuring My Personal Growth in the U.S. with KGI & KPI

It’s been a little over a month since I arrived in Chicago for my overseas assignment, and I can finally say that my daily life is beginning to stabilize.

From signing a lease to setting up basic utilities, nothing has gone smoothly—classic America, I suppose. It’s been an exciting (and sometimes frustrating) series of small challenges. Each day brings a new story, and I’ve learned to approach them with curiosity rather than stress.

Looking back, last year was a whirlwind. Between dealing with a high-pressure project in Japan and work in LA toward the end of the year, I didn’t have a chance to reflect on what I truly wanted to gain from this rare opportunity abroad.

Now that things have calmed down a bit, I’ve decided to take time to define my personal goals for this assignment—and more importantly, put structure around them to make sure I actually follow through.

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The Rough Goals I Had in Mind

Here are the personal goals I’ve had vaguely floating around in my head, now put into order of priority:

1. １．Language development (Improving English skills and learning a third language)
2. ２．Soft skill improvement & AI utilization (Enhancing problem-solving, decision-making, and time management through AI)
3. ３．Upgrading my thinking (Evolving my mindset and values through cross-cultural experiences)
4. ４．Improving my physical health (Building better eating habits and regular exercise routines)
5. ５．Strengthening my ability to share and communicate ideas
6. ６．Engineering skill enhancement

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Why I’m Using KGI & KPI for My Personal Goals

To bring clarity and accountability to my goals, I’m borrowing a framework often used in business: KGI (Key Goal Indicator) and KPI (Key Performance Indicator).

• ・KGI represents the direction or ideal outcome—how I want to be
• ・KPI defines specific, measurable actions that move me toward that outcome—what I need to do

In my experience, people who are efficient and effective at work tend to define KPIs quickly and act accordingly. On the flip side, misunderstandings or internal conflicts often stem from unclear or missing KPIs. So why not apply this logic to personal development as well?

Here’s how I’ve restructured my goals using KGI and KPI.

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1. Language Development

KGI:
To communicate naturally and confidently in English.

KPI:

• ・Reflect and summarize the English I used at work daily (7:00 PM)
• ・Practice shadowing for 30 minutes every day (7:30 PM)
• ・Maintain and update this blog in English

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2. Soft Skill Growth & AI Utilization

KGI:
To structure my decision-making, problem-solving, and time management using AI—not just as a tool, but as a thinking partner.

KPI:

• ・Try and share a new soft-skill approach each week (Fridays at 9:00 PM)
• ・Record and organize one AI-based problem-solving process weekly (Saturdays at 9:00 PM)

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3. Expanding My Thinking

KGI:
To evolve my mindset by immersing myself in different cultural values and perspectives.

KPI:

• ・Coming soon.

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4. Health & Fitness

KGI:
To build sustainable health habits that support both physical and mental performance.

KPI:

• ・Exercise for at least 30 minutes, four times a week (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun at 9:00 PM)
• ・Follow a high-protein, low-carb diet during weekdays (specific meals to be shared later)
• ・Track body weight, fat, and muscle mass weekly and log results

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5. Sharpening My Output & Communication

KGI:
To strengthen my ability to express ideas clearly and share my journey through writing.

KPI:

• ・Regularly update this blog with real insights and experiences
• ・Review reactions and feedback monthly to improve my writing and messaging

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6. Engineering Skill Enhancement

KGI:
To deepen my engineering expertise by learning from U.S.-based systems and workflows.

KPI:

• ・Document and generalize technical problem-solving processes into blog posts
• ・Keep a weekly log of on-site technical learnings and reflections

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Final Thoughts

After going through this KGI/KPI process, I feel like my vague ideas have finally become something concrete and actionable. I’m now much clearer about where I want to go—and how to get there.

Of course, this is just the starting point. I plan to review and revise these KPIs as my life and work in Chicago continue to evolve.

In future blog posts, I’ll be sharing progress updates and what I learn along the way. Thanks for reading, and I hope this framework inspires you to structure your own goals, too.